The Settlement’s streets were quieter now, most travelers having retreated to their lodgings or the tavern. Lanterns swung gently in the wind, casting pools of light that barely pushed back the creeping darkness. Jimmy pulled his hood tighter as he passed a group of traders haggling over the price of furs, their voices hushed and hurried. Their words barely registered, drowned out by the roar of his thoughts.


    It wasn’t until he turned a corner that something caught his attention.


    Voices. Low and urgent, carrying through the stillness. He slowed his steps, sticking to the shadows as he approached. Two figures huddled near the side of a building, their breath visible in the freezing air. Their cloaks obscured their faces, but their words were clear enough.


    “The Exalted won’t see it coming,” one of them murmured, his voice rough but steady. “They’re walking into the Court’s trap like lambs to the slaughter.”


    The second figure chuckled softly, a cruel edge to the sound. “Lena, wasn’t it? That girl with the group. She’s too green for this kind of run. She’ll either die in there or… well, you know how the Court likes to play with their food.”


    Jimmy froze. The name hit him like a blow to the chest, the cold suddenly forgotten. His pulse quickened, and his fists clenched at his sides. Lena? It has to be her.


    The first figure shifted, glancing around as if sensing something. Jimmy pressed himself against the wall and held his breath shallow. “We shouldn’t linger,” the man said. “If the Exalted catch wind of us, it’ll ruin everything.”


    The second figure nodded. “Let’s move. We’ll see the results soon enough.”


    Without another word, the two melted into the shadows, their cloaks blending with the darkness as they disappeared into the alley. Jimmy waited until their footsteps faded entirely before stepping out, his heart pounding.


    Lena’s with the Exalted? And the Fractured Court set a trap for them? The pieces clicked together in his mind, but the picture they formed was worse than he’d feared. If Lena had joined the Exalted, she wouldn’t know the dangers of dealing with the Fractured Court—no one ever did until it was too late.


    He didn’t have time to waste. He needed answers, and fast.


    The sight of the Thorn family’s lodgings brought a faint flicker of relief, but it was short-lived. As Jimmy approached, he noticed a small crowd gathered outside. Their murmured voices carried unease, and a tension hung in the air that set Jimmy’s nerves on edge.


    “What now?” he muttered, quickening his pace.


    As he drew closer, the crowd parted slightly, revealing Garrick standing at the entrance. His massive frame loomed over Lyra and Elise, who were huddled close together. Lyra’s face was pale, her fists clenched at her sides, while Elise’s usual sharp demeanor was replaced with a wary silence.


    Opposite them stood three men, their faces twisted with anger. One of them jabbed a finger at Garrick, his voice loud enough to cut through the murmurs.


    “Your brother’s gone too far this time,” the man spat. “<mark>Rowan’s</mark> out there killing people, and you’re just standing here like it’s not your problem?”


    Jimmy felt the blood drain from his face. Rowan?


    Garrick’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists as if trying to hold back a storm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “My brother’s been missing for weeks.”


    “Yeah? Well, he’s not missing anymore,” the man shot back. “We saw him—if you can even call that thing Rowan anymore. He’s corrupted. Gone feral. And he’s killing anyone who crosses his path.”


    Lyra stepped forward, her voice sharp and defiant. “Rowan wouldn’t hurt anyone! Whatever you think you saw, you’re wrong.”


    The man sneered. “Tell that to the bodies piling up. How long before he comes for you, huh? Or your precious uncle?” He turned back to Garrick. “You’d better deal with him before someone else does. Or do you want us to handle it?”


    Jimmy stepped forward. “That’s enough.”


    All eyes turned to him, the crowd parting slightly as he approached. He met the accusing man’s glare head-on. “You want to pick a fight? Do it somewhere else. Right now, we’ve got bigger problems.”


    The man’s lip curled, but he didn’t argue. With a muttered curse, he motioned for his companions to follow, and the group disappeared into the night. The crowd lingered for a moment longer before dispersing, their whispers fading into the cold.


    Garrick exhaled slowly, his shoulders sagging slightly. “Thanks,” he muttered.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Jimmy nodded, his mind already racing. Rowan corrupted? And Lena caught in a dungeon trap? This Trial’s getting worse by the minute.


    He turned to Lyra, her eyes filled with anger and fear. “I’ll deal with this,” he said, his voice firm. “But first, we need to talk. Inside.”


    Jimmy shrugged off his coat and hung it near the door, scanning the room. Garrick stood near the table, his large hands gripping the back of a chair so tightly the wood creaked under the pressure. Lyra paced restlessly, her boots scuffing against the floor, while Elise sat in the corner, arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. No one spoke.


    Jimmy let out a breath, his gaze shifting between them. “Alright,” he said. “What do we know?”


    “Not much,” Garrick admitted. His voice was low and thick, like gravel scraping against steel. “Rowan disappeared weeks ago. One day, he was here. The next, he wasn’t.”


    Lyra stopped pacing, spinning to face Garrick. “And you think he just walked off? That’s what you’ve been telling people!”


    “I never said that!” Garrick snapped, his eyes flashing. “I said we don’t know what happened. But I don’t think he left on his own.”


    Jimmy frowned. “Then what?”


    Garrick hesitated, his hands tightening on the chair again. “I think he was taken. By the Fractured Court.”


    The words hung in the air like a blade suspended by a thread. Lyra froze, her fists clenching.


    Jimmy’s gaze narrowed. “Why him?”


    Garrick exhaled sharply. “Because <mark>Rowan’s</mark> the best of us. Always has been. If he’d been on his own when Integration hit, the System would’ve put him on the Advanced Path, no question.”


    Jimmy leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “The Advanced Path,” he murmured. “So, Rowan was held back because of the group?”


    Garrick’s hands curled into fists again, his frustration palpable. “The System grouped us together. Shared our essence gains, progress, everything. It kept Rowan tied to us—he couldn’t excel the way he should’ve.”


    Lyra bristled, her glare cutting across the room. “Stop blaming yourself. We’re family. If the System couldn’t see that, then screw the System.”


    Garrick’s gaze dropped to the floor. “That’s what Rowan thought too, at first. But he started to change. I think… I think he knew he could’ve been more. The Court must’ve seen it too. They didn’t just take him—they took the chance he never got.”


    Elise shifted in her chair, her voice cutting through the heavy silence. “The Court doesn’t just take. They twist. If <mark>Rowan’s</mark> out there now, he’s not the same.”


    Lyra spun on her, anger flaring in her eyes. “You don’t know that! Rowan wouldn’t hurt anyone.”


    Elise met her gaze. “The Rowan you knew wouldn’t. But the Court doesn’t leave people intact. They turn potential into something else—something they control.”


    Jimmy raised a hand before Lyra could snap back. “Enough. Arguing won’t help us find him. Garrick, you said <mark>there’ve</mark> been rumors. Strange things near the mining district?”


    Garrick nodded. “North of the Settlement. People have seen lights, heard things moving in the dark. Some folks went out there looking for scavenging opportunities and didn’t come back.”


    Jimmy pushed off the wall, his mind already turning over possibilities. “If <mark>Rowan’s</mark> there, we’ll find him.”


    Lyra stepped forward, her voice trembling with emotion. “And what then? Are you just going to… give up on him? Let him go?”


    Jimmy met her gaze, his expression steady. “I’m not giving up on him. But if the Court has corrupted him—”


    “He’s not corrupted!” Lyra’s voice cracked, her hands shaking at her sides. “He’s my uncle. We’re going to bring him back. We have to.”


    Jimmy held her gaze for a long moment before nodding. “We’ll do everything we can to save him. But if he’s dangerous—if he’s a threat to us or anyone else—we can’t afford to hesitate.”


    Lyra shook her head, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You don’t get to make that decision.”


    Jimmy didn’t reply. The silence stretched between them until Lyra spun on her heel, storming toward the window. She stared out into the night, her jaw tight, her fists trembling.


    Jimmy turned to Garrick. “First light, we head to the mining district. I want you and your family ready.”


    Garrick nodded grimly. “We’ll be ready.”


    The night was sharp and unforgiving as Jimmy stepped outside. The cold bit through his coat, but he welcomed it. He leaned against the railing, his breath fogging in slow, even streams.


    Rowan. Lena. The Court. The names spun in his mind like knives, each one cutting deeper than the last. One corrupted. One in danger. And a shadow that seemed to stretch over everything.


    Jimmy closed his eyes, letting the cold sting his face. He thought of Jung, of his old dog-eared copy of Man and His Symbols. Jung had written about the shadow self, the part of the psyche we bury, the darkness we pretend isn’t there. Jimmy had always found it fascinating, in theory.


    Now, the shadow wasn’t theoretical at all. It was real. And it was growing.


    He tightened his grip on the railing, his knuckles whitening. Identify. Accept. Act. The steps came back to him, something he’d read years ago, a guide to navigating overwhelming fear.


    First, name the beast.


    Rowan. Lena. The Fractured Court. The Integration Trial itself. He took a breath, slow and steady, and let each name settle into place. Each one a mountain, impossible to move, but no longer impossible to face.


    Accept.


    Fear. Anger. Helplessness. Each emotion burned at the edges of his mind, threatening to overwhelm him. But he didn’t push them away. They didn’t need to define him—they just needed to exist. Letting them be was easier than fighting them.


    His grip loosened slightly. The frost stung his hands, but his breathing slowed. For the first time in hours, the tightness in his chest began to ease. Somewhere out there, Rowan was fighting for what was left of himself. And somewhere farther, Lena was walking into a trap she didn’t even know existed.


    Jimmy opened his eyes, staring into the darkness beyond the lanterns. He couldn’t do everything. He couldn’t save everyone. But he could act.


    Act.


    He straightened, pulling his hood tighter against the cold. The wind whipped around him but it felt less like a threat and more like a challenge. The world didn’t care if he was ready. It would come for him anyway.


    Rowan would be the first step. Whatever the Fractured Court had done to him, Jimmy needed to know why they’d chosen him—and whether there was anything left to save. That knowledge could prepare them for what lay ahead.


    And Lena? She’d always been the stubborn one, the brave one. He wouldn’t let her face the Court alone.


    Jimmy turned back toward the door, the light from inside spilling faintly onto the snow. The knot in his chest hadn’t disappeared, but it was quieter now. Manageable.


    The beast had a name. Now, it was time to face it.