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Chapter 28 — When the Masks Fall
The morning haze lingered over the burnt treeline, drifting like ghosts that refused to leave. Liora woke before the others, the echo of last night's confrontation still burning in her mind. Damian's fury. Arin's quiet guilt. Her own trembling hands.
Nothing about their journey felt simple anymore.
She stepped out of the ruined cabin, the cold biting into her skin. At the edge of the clearing, she found Damian leaning against a charred log, arms folded, jaw set hard.
"You're up early," she said quietly.
"I don't sleep much," he muttered without looking at her. "Not anymore."
Liora hesitated. "About last night—"
"Don't," Damian said sharply. Then, softer: "Not now."
Before she could answer, Arin stepped outside. His eyes were red, his posture stiff. He carried himself like a man trying—and failing—to hide he was breaking from the inside.
"We should move," he said. "The patrols will sweep this area soon."
Damian shot him a cold glance. "You're awfully eager to run."
"I'm trying to keep us alive."
They stared at each other—two storms colliding in silence.
Liora stepped between them. "Enough. Damian, Arin… whatever this is, whatever you're both hiding from each other, it's going to destroy us before the enemy does."
Damian looked away. Arin swallowed hard.
Then, unexpectedly, Arin spoke.
"I'm not your enemy, Damian."
Damian let out a humorless laugh. "You sure? Because everything you do feels like a knife aimed at my back."
Arin flinched.
Liora's fists clenched. "Damian—"
"No," Arin whispered, voice trembling. "Let him speak. I deserve it."
Damian's gaze hardened. "You deserve worse."
Silence fell heavy between them.
Then footsteps—light but steady—approached from behind. Eliora emerged from the cabin, her expression calm yet coldly perceptive.
"You three argue like children," she said. "But it ends today."
Damian frowned. "Don't involve yourself—"
"I'm already involved. You brought me here." She stepped closer, her voice carrying a quiet authority. "Damian, your anger is justified. Arin, your guilt is suffocating you. And Liora… you're holding all of this together with your bare hands."
Liora blinked. "I'm just trying to—"
"Save them," Eliora finished. "But you can't do that if you're too afraid to confront what's tearing them apart."
Arin lowered his head. Damian's jaw tightened.
Eliora turned to Arin first.
"Speak," she commanded.
Arin's breath shook.
"There's something I didn't tell you. Something about why the empire wants Liora."
He looked at her, pain flickering in his eyes.
"And why Damian can't forgive me."
Damian's fists tightened, but he didn't interrupt.
Arin continued, voice low, breaking.
"The night your village burned… I was there."
The world fell silent.
Damian snapped.
"You're finally admitting it."
Liora's heart dropped.
"You were what?"
Arin's voice cracked.
"I tried to stop them. I swear I did. But I… failed."
Damian stepped forward, fury erupting. "You didn't fail. You watched. You stood there while they destroyed everything—everything Liora had, everything we had—because you were afraid to disobey your commander."
Arin's breath hitched. "Damian, I—"
"You're a coward," Damian hissed. "And I will never forgive you."
Liora's knees weakened. Arin—kind, gentle Arin—had been there? Standing in the flames of her past and saying nothing?
Eliora placed a hand on Liora's shoulder. "Now you know."
Liora looked between the two men—one burning with rage, the other drowning in remorse.
For the first time, she felt something inside her awaken.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
But clarity.
"This ends today," she whispered. "No more secrets."
Arin nodded weakly.
Damian looked away, breathing heavily.
Liora stepped back.
"If we are going to survive… we face the truth together."
But none of them knew that their truth was only the beginning.
Far beyond the forest, black banners rose on the horizon.
The empire was already marching.
And they were coming straight for her.
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