Page 18 of The Ashborn

Danek begged for air. And still, the darkness did not stop.

“Too stupid to find your own power,” spat the form as it continued to weave within him. “You cannot simply cut us out of you. We are you. If you want to rid yourself of the darkness, you will die.”

Pain forced Danek to retreat. He crawled away and then pushed himself to his feet. He ran, but he could barely see from the swelling in his eyes. His face was losing form. Adrenaline carried him forward until he stumbled and nearly tripped over the island.

Rocks loosened over the edge, plummeting into the canopy. Danek waved his arms, his heart hammering against his chest. He tightened his core, leaning back to hold balance. He was close to falling.

I am weak, he realized as he worked to steady himself.

He pretended every day that he was strong, like he could keep up with the others. Like he could have a purpose. But he didn’t. Not like this. Not when he couldn’t even defeat himself.

The shadow caught Danek before he crumbled, tugging him into the center of the island. Torrential rain poured over them, evil blackness consuming the land.

“We’ll kill you, then the island,” the shadow whispered, “unless you give in.”

It clashed into Danek again with a bone-bruising thud, nearly snapping his ribs. He fell to his knees, crying into the sky as thunder erupted.

“It’s a shame this was all you were good for.” The shadow drove Danek into the ground.

Danek heaved, ready to lose the contents of his stomach. Rain battered his skin like acid. Danek closed his eyes, ready to succumb to his fate, when a bright light flashed, causing him to squint until a series of images appeared before him—all of Kienna.

Promises of a future, not given by the shadows, but by the island: A woman full of strength tempered by flame, taking on the darkness and slaying it. Someone harboring love for a realm she never thought possible. A mischievous grin as her hands shook in the palm of another, gentler touch. And despite this, an image of himself flowed through his mind. It wasn’t him cowering in the corner while others got stronger. He harbored power within himself. He was strength.

A hand gripped him—one that had no form but filled Danek with enough purpose to stand. His knees wobbled, and his ribs dared him to test them. Pain remained, though it was weighted with a destiny. At first, he didn’t think he could defeat himself. Now, he realized it was only himself holding him back.

“Like I said before,” he gritted through his teeth as he picked up his blade, “you’re just darkness, and I’ve had enough of the weak man you’ve made me.”

Danek sliced his sword through the shadow’s head, whipping it off its imaginary shoulders. The darkness shrieked, but it disappeared all the same. Danek’s breath blew heavily, his shoulders rising and falling in hard strides.

You are strong, deserving, honorable, came the island’s voice again. Accept your gift of transformation, and become who you were meant to be, Danek, son of M’Ran.

Danek’s body shifted, and a golden shimmer wrapped itself around him, restructuring the parts of himself that he had held onto for too long. A black speck floated away and disappeared into the air.

That was Vaerin’s curse on you. It held you down and took your Elvish heritage. I am giving it back.

Danek’s mind knitted together, his memories flooding in one by one. If he let them, they would debilitate him. “I won’t let them,” Danek promised, knowing his true path lay in the strength he reclaimed for himself.

I know, son of mine.

Danek lifted his chin as a wave of shimmering blue swept around him, mending the wounds in his body and reshaping the bones of his face. The magic kissed him with the full strength of a power that had been buried deep within him, restrained for years by the will of King Vaerin. Now, without even a speck of darkness left behind, Danek could become anything he chose.

The flare of power lifted him from the ground and burst outward in a blaze of iridescent light.

On this island, Danek became reborn.

Danek rode the trees to the bottom of the forest floor before the bridges of the Heart. Connak stood, waiting for him with his back against the bark, with one foot propped up and his arms crossed. He stood straighter, and a grin stretched his cheeks when Danek hit the ground.

“Looking sharp,” he said, pointing to Danek’s features.

Danek’s hand traced his face, his angular cheekbones taking on a more Elvish structure, alongside his ears. They weren’t fully formed yet, but he could already feel them tipping. He hummed, thinking about the island and how it pulled everything Vaerin had done out of him, giving him his true destiny. His Elvish heritage. Pride flickered inside his chest.

“I’m surprised you found it,” Connak laughed. “The Crown Above, I mean. Most of our Elvish soldiers haven’t even seen it. It’s transformational.”

Danek could have laughed out loud. Of course, it was the goddess. Who else could have given him this gift? His face lightened even further. “Have you seen it?”

Connak shrugged. “I had to get rid of River Storm somehow.”

Danek trailed the wind around them as it shifted from stillness to a subtle breeze. The trees danced as silver runes lit up the bark with intricate strands. Danek glanced up again and asked, “Why not take us all up there? Especially with Kienna’s…condition?”