Wind howled outside the walls, and rain battered against the roof. Edge groaned, her vision blurred as her eyes fluttered open. She took a moment to adjust to her pitch-black surroundings, feeling the ice-cold ground beneath her and something wet dripping from the ceiling. She lay still, disoriented, listening to the steady thud of her heart. Except for the storm outside, everything was silent. The corners were so still, she doubted even mice dared to move.

Every muscle in her body screamed in protest as she pushed herself into a sitting position, eyes scanning her surroundings as shapes slowly emerged from the shadows. She was in a large stone room lined with metal cells. She lay in the one closest to the corner, its door latched tight. A few candles flickered faintly on the walls, but it was still too dark to see much else.

The longer she sat, the more the darkness seemed to taunt her, shadows flickering at the corners of her mind. She took deep breaths, trying to steady herself as her powers threatened to creep in. Her hands tingled as panic rose, making it hard to think, harder still to breathe.

The darkness started to close in, clutching every part of her it could reach. Edge felt her restraint slowly melt away, her hands reaching out, desperate to grasp the shadows…

A loud growl erupted somewhere in the chamber. Edge jerked out of her nightmares, eyes darting around the room in panic until they landed on a creature in the corner.

Radiant white fur covered its giant body. It stood on four powerful legs, almost as tall as a miniature pony. Its light blue eyes held an uncanny intelligence. Like he understood exactly who she was and where she had been.

A wolf.

Edge’s heart slowed as the last of the mental fog faded away. The longer she stared into the wolf’s eyes, the more at ease she felt.

“Edge?” came a woman's voice from behind. Edge jerked to her feet and lunged at the figure emerging behind her. Blinded by instinct, she lunged, hands closing around the intruder’s throat.

“Wait…no…stop…” the figure gasped, clawing at her throat. Edge’s face remained stone-cold as she tightened her grip.

“IT’S ME! LIORA!” she shrieked, legs thrashing. Blinking in shock, Edge stumbled back, releasing the girl. Liora coughed, drawing shaky breaths as she shot Edge a withering glare.

“I…” Edge looked down, shame settling on her shoulders. She was actually going to kill her teammate. No remorse. No regret. She hadn’t even hesitated.

“You…couldn’t see me, right?” Liora managed, the usual sarcasm absent from her voice. “That’s what happened?”

Edge backed up a step, chest tightening as the walls seemed to close in. “I thought you were Rose.”

That wasn’t the whole truth, but Liora didn’t need to know.

“Everything okay?” called Kalmar from the next cell. Edge made sure to keep her hands clenched at her sides as she turned to face him, one cell over. “Things seem tense.”

“We’re fine,” Edge replied, her voice clipped.

“Good. Because I’m not,” he muttered, glancing around his cell. “Elias is in the back there, still passed out cold.”

“And Kilah? And Echo?” Liora asked, forcing herself onto shaky legs.

Edge scrunched her eyebrows together. She had completely forgotten about her loyal black dragon.

“No idea,” Kalmar admitted. “Probably in another one of these lovely cells here. Which raises the question—why are we in a dungeon?”

Edge looked away, “That woman, Rose, is a lying traitor.”

“So… should we be worried you’ll turn out to be a double agent too, Edge?” Kalmar quipped, but instantly raised his hands in surrender when Edge glared at him. “Kidding! I’d rather not find out how creative you can get with these cell bars.”

Kilah’s voice cut in, “Actually, I would love to.”

Footsteps echoed, and Kilah appeared from the next cell. “Maybe she could get us out of here.”

“No,” Edge cut her off, eyes flicking toward the white wolf in the corner again. “Is Echo there?”

Kilah let out a loud sigh, shoulders drooping. “No, he’s not.” Her eyes scanned the room. “What even is this place?”

“It’s a dungeon,” Liora replied, stepping closer to the barred door. She gave it a halfhearted tug, as if she was half expecting it to swing wide open.

“Remind me to send Rose a thank-you card,” Kalmar said with a long sigh. “Maybe with a little poison on it.”

Liora rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe we let ourselves get captured. It was one girl! There were five of us. And someone has their own powers they could’ve used!”

Everyone glanced at Edge in unison. She closed her eyes as everyone’s thoughts flooded in. They all said generally the same thing, and a similar worry covered every word.

What are we going to do now?

“Now’s not the time to pass blame,” Kilah said quietly. “Now’s the time to plan escape.”

“But what—” Liora began, but was interrupted.

“Be quiet,” Edge whispered, shrinking back into the shadows. Different thoughts, Rose’s thoughts, filled her mind. “She’s coming.”

Everyone became dead silent. Liora disappeared into the darkness of the cell, but Edge inched closer towards the door. Kalmar froze, staring at the dungeon door as if it would blow at any second. Even Kilah looked nervous, shifting her weight. She groped for a weapon, but of course, there were none.

The door rattled, and the lock gradually started to turn. Apprehension filled the room as the door creaked open, a cold draft flowing past their heads. Edge narrowed her eyes when Rose came into view, looking surprisingly small and weak. No smug smile was plastered onto her face. No glint shimmered in her eyes. Instead, her shoulders were slumped, eyes red, and cheeks tear-stained.

“You’re awake,” Rose mumbled, taking a timid step into the room. Her eyes darted toward the white wolf, an unreadable expression flickering across her face. Edge tried to push into her mind again, but found only silence.

There was a moment of silence. Then, she grabbed a small key hanging on the wall and unlocked all three cells. Edge cringed as her cell screeched open, ready to grab Liora and run.

But nobody moved.

Rose managed a sad smile for the tense, silent room. “I am sorry, heroes. I truly am. I didn’t think it would have to happen this way, but I had to do what I did.”

Edge was the first to speak, her voice cold with menace. “You needed to knock us out and lock us up?”

“Yes,” Rose replied without a trace of sarcasm. “There were too many of them. They would have killed you all. They have eyes everywhere. By doing this, by keeping you here, I have protected you.”

“From who?” Edge demanded, stepping forward.

“From those who seek to harm you,” Rose replied vaguely.

“It would be easier to trust you if you’d answer us straight,” Kilah said, stepping out of her cell to face Rose.

Rose didn’t flinch. “There is a time for questions, and a time for answers. Now is neither.”

“Guys?” came a small voice as Elias stepped out of his cell, rubbing the back of his neck. “Did I…miss something?”

Kilah’s face brightened when she saw him. “You didn’t, really.”

“We should move,” Rose urged, glancing at the door with obvious unease. “They will sense you, now that you are awake.”

“Wait, what?” Elias cut in again, confusion lining his voice. “What’s going on?”

Sighing, Kilah briefly explained it to him. About the dungeon, about Rose, about everything in between. When she had finished, Elias looked even more confused than before.

“Okay…” he said slowly, shooting Rose a wary look. “So…we trust her now?”

Liora cocked her head. “I think so.”

“Elias,” Rose said, dipping her head in a show of respect, “We must now move to current matters. Do you have enough information for this to suit you?”

“I guess,” Elias replied with a shrug.

“Good,” Rose said briskly. “Now, there is a hidden room upstairs. No one else realizes, not even the guards. There, you will be safe. It is magically protected to delude the senses of others, ensuring no one will find it unless they know it is there.”

“A magical room?” Kalmar echoed, a smirk on his face. Edge inwardly groaned, knowing there was a joke coming. And, sure enough, he added, “Are we talking ‘magical’ as in cool powers, or ‘magical’ as in glitter everywhere? Because I have allergies.”

Rose didn’t seem to notice the attempt at a joke, or if she did, she wasn’t impressed.

“Why didn’t you take us there before?” Liora asked. “Why the dungeon, where we could be sensed, instead of this ‘room’ where we can’t?”

“Liora, I could not take all of you up that many stairs to the top floor. And if I left you anywhere else, you had even more risk of getting found. Trust me, this was the only option.” Rose’s eyes pleaded with them to understand. “Tomorrow, you have my word that all your questions, and more, will be answered and shared,” she promised when her only response was silence.

“Are you sure we’ll be safe up there?” Elias whispered, fidgeting with a loose thread on his sleeve.

“Very,” Rose assured him.

Edge looked back at her four teammates. Kilah gave her a tiny nod, Liora averted her gaze, Kalmar smirked, and Evan was too busy staring at the floor to notice anything. Sighing, Edge muttered, “Fine.”

“Edge,” Rose said, dipping her head again before turning to everyone else. “And you four?”

“We don’t really have much of a choice,” Liora said with a shrug.

“On the contrary. You always have a choice. It is up to you to decide which ones,” Rose replied.

“I’ll go,” Kalmar said with a shrug. “Honestly, it’s either that or stay in this super gloomy dungeon.”

Everyone glanced at each other and then nodded. Rose waited to see if anyone had anything else to say before walking out of the dungeon. Kalmar immediately walked after her, and everyone else followed.

Edge was the only one who stayed behind for a moment, taking another glance at the white wolf. It snarled at her, scratching at the cage bars as if he wanted free. Tearing her gaze away, she reluctantly spun on her heel and followed the group.

Rose led them up the stone stairs and into a huge hallway. Red rugs covered the floor, paintings adorned the walls, and chandeliers cast a soft white glow. Yet, a strange darkness lingered, muffling all life like a heavy drape.

The others seemed to notice too, especially Rose. Her eyes darted from one corner to the next, as if she expected someone to jump out at any moment.

Edge cringed at every loud step, wishing the endless stairs and hallways would finally end. The castle was beautiful, she had to admit that, but the ominous feeling was only getting heavier the further they climbed.

Finally, Rose stopped in front of a wall. As far as Edge could tell, it was just a wall. There was nothing on it, not even a painting. It was just bare rock. But as Rose lifted her hands and touched it, it started glowing. Slowly, a shining doorway started to take shape. The knob was gold, the doorframe was lined with silver, and it held a certain aura about it. Edge couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or bad.

Guess she was about to find out.

“What is that?” Elias scrambled backwards, nearly crashing into the wall behind him.

Rose chuckled softly, “The creators of this castle hid this certain door. They used shadows to hide the light, creating the illusion that there was nothing there after all. Amazing, yes?” She paused, awaiting their nods before continuing. “Everybody thinks that light and dark are complete opposites, and yet…one cannot exist without the other.”

Narrowing her eyes, Edge stared at Rose. What did that mean?

Rose didn’t care to elaborate, however, and gestured towards the door handle. “Are you waiting for something? Or perhaps, someone?”

“No…” Liora shrank back. “It’s just… whoa.”

Rose placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it. The door slowly creaked open, revealing the brightly lit room inside. Everybody just stood and stared, not sure what to do.

“It will not hurt you,” Rose sighed and shook her head.

Kilah gave everyone a nervous smile before squaring her shoulders and marching into the room. Kalmar followed close behind. Then Liora. And finally, Elias.

“Edge, may I talk with you a moment?” Rose stopped her just before she was about to walk inside the room.

Edge blinked. “Yes,”

Rose gently put a hand on Edge’s shoulder and led her to the corner of the hallway. Rose’s expression was serious, and there was obviously an important matter on her mind.

Glancing around for any life forms, Rose whispered, “I told the others I would give them any answers tomorrow. But you need to hear this.”

Edge waited for her to go on.

Biting her lip, Rose started speaking. “From an age long past, there was this prophecy. It told us of heroes from the modern world, who would descend upon our fair plains when our time of need fell greatest. And indeed, these days are dark. I believe these heroes spoken of are your group.”

“Hm,” Edge mumbled, not surprised. She’d sensed there was something larger at play; this only confirmed it.

A pause.

“This prophecy, however, only spoke of four heroes. Not five.” Rose’s voice was quivering, hands clenched at her sides like this news pained her.

Edge froze. “One of us doesn’t belong.”

“Perhaps,” Rose said, her words coming out halting and forced. “Of course, the prophecy could have been wrong. It really was just a story passed down from our great ancestors. Details could have been….warped.”

Edge studied her, then shook her head. “You don’t believe that.”

“Of course I do!” Rose blurted, a little too loudly. Her voice echoed throughout the hall, and she cringed. “I mean, I believe…things like that could happen.”

“Could?”

Another pause. “Who are you, Edge?” Rose asked softly. “I sense something different about you. Something…powerful. You and your friends made it to the castle, after all. That was no accident. You helped your friends. You managed to find your way here. You tamed Echo. How?”

“Where is Echo?” Edge immediately asked.

“Safe. With your friends in the hidden room,” Rose said. “I took the liberty of setting him up there to ensure his safety. And my own, for he is a formidable dragon.”

Edge nodded. She would never admit it, but she had been worrying about her dragon ever since she realized he was missing. “Good.”

Rose exhaled, gaze searching. “You changed the topic, Edge. I need to know this.”

“I don’t know,” Edge muttered, keeping her voice low. “Everything was just an accident. I saved Echo, not tamed him.”

“No. Nobody can get near a Dark Dragon unless they permit them to do so. And they only permit those with special capabilities, and those they can sense are powerful. He sensed both in you. Why?” Rose pressed.

“I. Don’t. Know.”

Rose’s tone sharpened. “You’re stubborn. And I’m not a fool. I see the way the shadows gather at your feet. I feel you push into my mind, even when you think I don’t notice. I know this, and still you deny it?”

Edge looked down bitterly. “I never chose this. It chose me.”

“For how long?”

“Forever.”

Rose’s eyes widened slightly. “Your name. It’s not one like your world’s.”

“You’re mocking, too?”

“No. I do not. I do ask, however.”

“My father named me,” Edge answered.

Rose narrowed her eyes. “Father?”

“He left for someone else when I was young.”

“And your mother?” Rose asked.

“She raised me.”

“What about—” Rose was interrupted.

“I’m done talking.”

Edge turned to leave, but Rose’s hand gripped her shoulder, stopping her.

“Are you friend or foe?” Rose asked, her voice rough around the edges, eyes searching desperately for an answer.

Such a simple question, with what should be an easy answer. Yet, when Edge opened her mouth to say it, she hesitated. Could she really lie about this?

“I…” She swallowed the lump in her throat, a tear sliding down her cheek. The first to escape her eyes since childhood. “I…don’t know.”

Then, jerking away from Rose’s shaking hand, Edge strode away.