Page 58 of The Scars Within (Twisted Thorn #1)

“ I cannot say for certain. Judging by my scales, I would say I’m old.

But it feels as if my entire identity and purpose were erased one fateful day.

I wandered the valley for months, searching for a place to belong, but I found nothing.

Eventually, I settled in a spot I called home, waiting for fate to guide me.

” With a powerful beat of his wings, he ascended over a peak before gliding down behind Drithan.

“ I told you that you chose me first. The moment your heart broke for the first time, I felt an undeniable pull toward you. I embarked on search missions, scouring our territory for you. Every night, I returned to my spot, feeling defeated and alone. ”

I gasped, not from the rush of air as we soared but from the ache that welled in my chest. I didn’t need to ponder what my first heartbreak was; I’d always known.

It was the day Captain Thorne walked out on us. Though I was only a couple of years old, the memory was vivid. He and my mother had fought fiercely, and that argument was the worst. He pointed angrily at me, shouting at her before he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

At that moment, I knew my daddy was never coming back.

And I believed I was the reason why.

“ Every morning, you called out to me. And I searched for you, ” Lakota continued, his voice steady but tinged with sadness. “ After so many years, I had almost given up hope. Until I felt your loss. ”

My mother.

“ The pull towards you grew stronger that day, and I pinpointed your location to the southwestern area of Kalymdor. From then on, I sensed your pain almost every day. I felt it, too. I would soar through the skies, striving to strengthen our connection, to let you know that you were not alone. ”

A tear slipped down my cheek, and a burning ache spread through my chest, but I remained silent, allowing him to share his story.

“ Every time you would feel relief, it would be followed by pain. I could feel your hesitation to embrace happiness; you were afraid of it. It’s like you were programmed to believe that happiness leads to heartbreak.

But the second that you hurt yourself, your pain was so deep that it channeled through the connection that we somehow shared, and it wounded me too. ”

“ I had no idea, ” I admitted softly. “ That you were looking for me. I’m so sorry for hurting you, Lakota. ”

“ If I could walk among humankind without terrifying everyone, trust me, I would have scoured every town, every street, every building until I found you. I just wanted to be there, to show you that you’d never be alone.

That if there was one consolidation prize for all of the heartache you had suffered through, it would be my friendship. ”

Leave it to me to lighten such a heartfelt moment with a bit of humor. “ Consolation prize. ”

Lakota turned his head slightly, glancing at me. “ What? ”

A small laugh escaped through the tears streaking my face. “ You said ‘consolidation.’ The word is ‘consolation.’ ”

I smiled, and suddenly, Lakota’s whole body began to vibrate. He was… laughing. “ Vocabulary isn’t my strong suit, ” he rumbled.

We soared through the skies in silence for a while, the wind rushing past us, allowing me to absorb everything Lakota had just shared.

His words lingered in my mind, stirring up emotions I hadn’t realized I was holding onto.

But then a thought resurfaced—the reason I’d started this conversation in the first place.

“ I’m guessing you felt it when I found that hidden prophecy in that strange chamber with all the runes, ” I said, breaking the quiet.

I know that he must have sensed what that military man called it, the Eternal Tomb, but I haven’t wrapped my mind around that connection yet. “ Do you know anything about that? ”

Lakota dipped slightly in the sky, his wings adjusting to the shift. “ No memory of it, ” he replied after a pause. “ But… there’s something about it that feels familiar, like a faint echo. I can’t quite put a claw on why, though. ”

I repeated the prophecy–

In the veiled echoes of Mareki’s grace,

When the past unfolds anew,

The truth will come face to face,

As scattered elements entwine in the few.

The splintered shards will become whole again,

Once the forgotten realm is due.

The key lies within the Crimson Wraith,

Whose flames will guide what shadows pursue.

“ I’ve been wondering if ‘the past unfolds anew’ is connected to how I lost so much of my memory, ” Lakota said, his voice tinged with frustration.

My grip tightened on his spikes as I thought about it.

“ I don’t think our history books recorded what actually happened in the Battle for Mareki, ” I began.

“ My friends and I did some digging, and we think the essences of the Mareki were originally part of a single Gem. Like, maybe Zervos did something—broke the Gem into pieces or split its power somehow. But we’re still lost when it comes to the prophecy mentioning a ‘ forgotten realm being due .’ We have no clue what that part even means. ”

Lakota was quiet for a moment, his wings slicing through the cold mountain air as we flew. “ A forgotten realm… ” he murmured, his voice distant. “ It stirs something, but it’s like trying to recall a dream just out of reach. ”

His uncertainty made the weight of the prophecy feel heavier.

Whatever secrets it holds, it’s like they are woven into both of our fates, and it feels like time is running out for us to figure them out.

I definitely felt a surge of magic when I touched the runes in the chamber, and two of them somehow illuminated after I channeled two elements.

It all seemed way too coincidental. And the fact that I am able to enter the warded barrier while my friends are not.

Shayde turned around on Drithan’s back, waving a signal at me.

“ We’re here, ” Lakota said.

I guess my historical investigation will have to wait. We began to descend, and the weight of the mission settled back over me. There would be time for answers later—hopefully. For now, I have to focus on the task ahead.