It was a darker, more twisted corner of her mind. The child they’d met before was gone, erased as though she had never existed, and now it felt as if the brothers had stepped directly into the storm they had been desperate to avoid.

The sky above seethed with fury, roiling clouds pressing down as though the realm itself rejected their presence. Winds howled like living things, tearing at their clothes and driving grit into their eyes. Every step forward was a battle; every breath tasted of dust and ash.

Instinctively, Kyle and Kain clung to each other’s arms for balance, though Kyle despised the contact, survival outweighed pride. Together,...