A gentle birdsong danced in the morning air as dim light poured through the window. Edge stood next to it, peering out at the desolate world below. Houses burned. Piles of ash and ruins scattered everywhere. Smoke rose into the bleak sky, black clouds forming by the second. Save for a few precious animals, all life was destroyed.

Looking beyond the village, Edge could see only more ruin. More death. A dark mist hovered over the world, reminding everybody of the war that was coming their way.

It was definitely different from what she thought it would be.

Well, to be honest, she didn’t exactly know what she thought it was going to be like. Part of her had to wonder why. Why did her plane crash and land them here? Why was a war being fought? Why did everything seem so desolate in a world that held the promise of peace?

A soft nudge broke Edge out of her thoughts. Blinking hard, she glanced over at Echo, who was right beside her. If dragons could have expressions, his would definitely be one of concern.

Grumbling, he nudged her again. Sighing, Edge reluctantly placed her hand on his scales, tracing her fingers down the small cracks embedded in them. He had done his best to protect her. Even if it meant throwing himself into battle.

“Thank you,” Edge whispered abruptly, leaning her head against his strong back. She rarely said those words to anyone. Only the people who really deserved it. And Echo?

He definitely did.

Turning towards her friends, she studied their sleeping forms. Kalmar was stretched out on his bed, a happy grin plastered on his face. Liora was snoring very loudly, and Elias was tossing and turning, mumbling indistinct things to himself as he dreamt. Kilah was the only one sleeping normally, her chest rising and falling with each slow breath.

A tingle of curiosity crawled its way into her mind. She rarely tried to read people’s minds, and going into their dreams would be a first, but…why not? She didn’t have much else to do until they woke up, anyway.

Taking a slow breath, Edge hesitantly closed her eyes. She pushed her mind into Kalmar’s, searching for the all-familiar glimmer of thoughts. It took a second, but she eventually managed to grab hold of a faint whisper. It was harder to hold onto compared to regular thoughts, but she kept her grip tight. Soon, she managed to slip into Kalmar’s dream, colours swirling to eventually make images.

Silently, she watched as a giant cheese pizza hurled towards a village made entirely out of marshmallows. That wasn’t even the weirdest thing, and Edge was too dumbstruck to truly absorb all the horrors. When hot dog people started popping out of the ground, she quickly left his mind before she got lost in it.

Suddenly very disgusted, she moved on to Kilah. Her mind was easier to enter and much calmer. Her dream was full of drawings. People and places that seemed important somehow, at least to Kilah.

After trying to make sense of it for a while, Edge moved on. Studying Elias, she debated whether she should try or not. The way he was twitching suggested that he was probably dreaming about their monster encounters again, which she didn’t necessarily want to relive. Though maybe seeing it through someone else’s eyes would be easier.

Straining, she pushed into Elias’s mind, and…

Nothing.

It was like an invisible wall had built itself, brick by brick, blocking everything from entering…or leaving. There was no dream, no colour, no emotions. Just an empty void, swallowing even the darkness in its gaping maw.

Panic rose in Edge’s throat. She fought against it, but it rose higher and squeezed tighter. Even when she tried commanding the suffocating darkness, it stubbornly pulled away. It whispered in her mind, telling her no.

Something—someone—else was controlling it.

Eventually, just when Edge was ready to give up and fade into the void, it started to change. The endless pit started to morph into colour. Blurred green blurred into focus, and what Edge assumed to be upwards appeared as a light blue.

Every second, the images became brighter and more defined. It wasn’t long until the smothering abyss faded away, and Edge was standing in the middle of the woods. Except, the trees were too green, the sky too blue. No wind blew, and no sounds were heard.

Shivers cascaded down Edge’s arms as she heard a dark voice speak from the shadows.

“Edge,” The voice whispered. The sound wrapped around her, and she shivered again. Edge’s eyes scanned the forest around her, looking for any trace of the source of the voice.

Trees, bushes, more trees, a lake, a wall of shadows.

Wait, what?

Her eyes locked onto the area, noticing a slight warp in the image. Narrowing her gaze, she waved her hand, commanding the shadows to reveal what they were concealing. They didn’t protest, despite what she thought. Instead, they separated, stealing her breath when she saw what was behind.

It was a man, probably in his late thirties or forties, with strong, sharp features. His eyes were as black as the night, hair the same shade. A red cape fluttered behind him as he moved, and silver armour glinted underneath. Strapped to his hip was a long, black sheath with the hilt of a sword jabbing outwards.

He didn’t seem surprised, nor angry, at being revealed. Instead, he took slow, careful steps forward, never letting his eyes stray from Edge’s face.

“Edge,” He said again. He scanned her, as if he was looking for something she didn’t have. Eventually, he looked her in the eyes and said, “It’s you.”

She glared at him warily, fighting to keep her voice from squeaking like a frightened toddler. “You don’t know me, and I don’t know you.”

“No, I…” He looked away, shoulders slumping, “I suppose not.”

“What is this?” Edge demanded, hand inching towards the blade concealed in her belt. If she needed to, she wouldn’t hesitate to throw it right in the middle of his bony neck.

The man smirked. “You think I don’t notice that blade you’re fidgeting with? Only the brainless would think it wise to use it.”

“Try me.”

Chuckling, he turned to pace the forest floor. But he wasn’t worried. His steps were levelled and calculated, voice lined with an eerie calm. “I won’t be tempted. At least for now. And anyway, I haven’t come here for a fight.”

At this, Edge raised an eyebrow. “Then…what?”

“I know you have questions—”

“You don’t know an—”

“Shush,” He held a finger to his lips. “A little girl like you cannot just interrupt whenever she sees fit.”

Edge scowled.

“As I was saying, you have questions, and I have the answers. So, I would suggest you be quiet and listen to them.”

“Who are you?”

He halted and studied her again, making a tsk tsk noise with his tongue. “So mistrustful. Have I done anything to hurt you? Have I even glanced at this blade at my side? If I wanted you dead, you would be.”

“If you tried anything, you would be the one lying on the ground.”

Another chuckle. “Arrogance never saved anyone, my dear.”

“Who. Are. You?” Edge repeated, losing patience. Her dagger was even more enticing by now.

There was a pause. “I am Aldric, and I have come to help you. You need not know more than that.”

“Help?” Edge narrowed her eyes.

“Yes. Help. I know you don’t believe it, and I’m not asking you to. But I am asking you to accept it, dear.”

Edge shifted her weight. What other choice did she have? She was still trapped in this…illusion. And it seemed like she wasn’t going to be released until he told her what he wanted to.

“Finally. You see reason,” Aldric smiled when Edge reluctantly nodded, but she still kept the iron grip on her dagger, and the shadows hovered near.

“Well, let’s just rip the bandage off, so to speak,” He cocked his head, daring her to protest. “Rose is a traitor.”

Edge froze. A sludge of fear welled in the back of her mind, and the hand gripping her dagger fell to her side.“What do you mean?”

“I mean what I say. Was I, perhaps, not clear enough for you to understand?”

She glanced away. “No. I understood”

“Rose will ask you things tomorrow. I will not say what, but I will tell you that she wants to use you. And once she gets what she wants, you and all your little friends will be backstabbed and thrown away.”

“Why trust you instead of her?” Edge managed to say around the lump lodged in her throat.

“Because I give you reasons to. If, but only if, you and the rest of your group turn down Rose’s request, I will show you how to get back.”

Edge dully kicked a loose stone on the ground. “Back where?”

“Your home in the woods. Your school—Pelamont High, I think it was called. Your mutt of a cat, and…” Aldric hesitated. His next words came out as whispers, “Your mother. The father who abandoned you.”

She blinked, caught off guard. What else did he know about her life?

“W-what’s in it for you?” Edge managed to say, voice shaking. “Why do all of this, promise that, just to stop us from being used by someone?”

“My dear…” Aldric sighed impatiently. He took a step forward, motioning for Edge to follow. She reluctantly did so, watching curiously when he pointed to the shadow of a giant tree. “We’re so much like the shadows, are we not?”

She stared blankly. “In what way?”

“This tree believes it’s just one thing, one being. It thinks everything is black and white. After all, it’s just a tree, taking sunlight and water, producing oxygen for us. But there’s always a copy.” He nodded towards the shadow again. “Always a counterpart. Something different or unexpected. Something that changes shape and only appears when the sun is overhead.”

“People are all the same. We show the world one side, but there’s always another. Something we don’t want others to see. And that hidden part is us, yet not us. Shadows remind us that nothing is ever just one thing. Not trees, not people…not you.”

For a moment, Edge said nothing. The image of the tree and its shadow lingered in her mind, stirring up thoughts she wasn’t ready to face. She swallowed, voice low. “You act so sure, but you’re just as lost as the rest of us.”

Aldric’s composure instantly cracked; his nostrils flared, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “You know nothing of what I’ve lost!”

The words burst out, sharp and raw. Instantly, he smoothed his expression, lips curling into a thin smile. “Forgive me, my dear. It seems the past still has…claws.”

The sudden crack in Aldric’s mask rattled her, but Edge refused to let him see it. She straightened, forcing steel into her voice.“Take me back. You said what you needed to.”

He looked away. “If you want. However, I had another answer for you. One that I know you’ve been dying to hear.”

Edge opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. She was done with this person, no matter how tempting that offer was. “No.”

Another sigh. “Well, then, think about my proposal, won’t you, my dear? If you accept Rose’s offer, I assure you, you will be lost to her trickery. But accept mine? You’ll be back where you belong. Home.”

The forest blurred, colours slowly fading around her. The ground dropped away, and the last thing Edge heard was Aldric’s sickening voice in her ear.

“Soon, all will come clear.”