There was something... unsettling about Andrew. Sometimes his steps seemed to falter, or for a moment Cody thought his shadow didn't quite match. Like its edges curled inward, the way paper does when tossed into flames.

The excitement from before had drained away too. Andrew stared straight ahead, placing one foot in front of the other with a rigid gait.

Doubt gnawed at Cody. Had Andrew expected something else from his brother? Maybe he himself had been far too quiet.

"Can you tell me more about yourself?" Cody quickened his pace until he was beside his brother again. "What do you like to do?"

Maybe they shared some kind of passion. He believed that would bring them closer together—closer than the charred remains of their family home ever could.

"Hm?" Andrew turned his head unnaturally fast.

Something black flickered through his eyes, and Cody gasped, holding his breath. He froze in place, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Sorry. I was lost in thought." Andrew smiled at him. Was Cody imagining it, or had the proportions of his face shifted somehow?

Was this Andrew really his brother? He could be a shapeshifter. Suddenly, Cody felt incredibly naive. This forest teemed with magical creatures. The odds of running into one of them were far greater than randomly stumbling upon a long-lost sibling.

Cody drew his wand, gripping it tightly.

Andrew raised his eyebrows. Cody immediately regretted his knee-jerk reaction. What if this was his brother?

"Are you going to attack me?"

Cody bit his lip. "You... you're not entirely human. Your—your shadows move."

Andrew shrugged. "They do. Sometimes. And are you going to tell me you're entirely human? Your hair glows like the sun. I bet you sing like a nightingale and paint breathtaking masterpieces. Do the people from your village do that too?"

Cody lowered the wand slightly. That wasn't something just any creature would know.

"We're twins. Light and dark. The children of the forest—the centaurs used to call us that. Ever since we lost sight of each other, everything's been out of balance. The forest is dying at the edges, you know. I'd wager your return will set things right. It's the human magical barriers that have thrown everything off."

The wand sank even lower. Cody didn't know what to believe anymore. It was true... in some ways, he was different from the other people in Holtgaard. "Is the forest really dying?"

Andrew nodded solemnly. "The trees have turned pitch-black, as if fire swept through them. Everything's dry and barren. The creatures who lived there have fled."

Cody glanced around—the beauty surrounding him was just as overwhelming as when he first set foot in the forest. The thought that all this wonder was withering away elsewhere bruised his heart. "That sounds awful. I just don't understand how I could have caused it."

"It's all about balance. About harmony. You're part of that balance—and ever since you lived outside the forest, it's tipped too far to one side."

"But I didn't live outside the forest," Cody protested. "I lived right in the middle of it. Magic runs through Holtgaard too; we draw it from the ground with our wands."

Andrew scoffed. "That's not the same."

Cody chewed on his lip. "If even the forest is dying, I don't see why the centaurs stopped you from coming to find me."

"The hunters would've shot them before they got anywhere near you."

"There haven't been hunters in ages."

Andrew let out a scornful laugh. "Of course not."

A heavy silence fell.

They walked on. The ground began to rise, and Cody wiped the sweat from his forehead. He felt more energized than he had in days, yet the climb was still demanding. The path grew narrower, the slopes steeper.

His heart pounded—not just from the climb, but from fear of slipping. He hadn't forgotten what happened to Moss after his fall. Unlike the ogre, Cody's body parts wouldn't snap back together so easily.

"Is it far?" Honestly, Cody just wanted to go back to Orion. They could visit the ruins another time.

"No. Just the top of this hill. I'm sure the view was why our parents built their house there."

Just a little farther, then. Backing out now would only make it harder to bond with his brother. He paused to catch his breath, then pushed himself to keep going.

The view was breathtaking. Suddenly, he stood at the edge of a ravine, staring down into a dizzying abyss. It was as if some massive creature had clawed a deep gouge into the landscape—on the other side, a cliff just as steep faced him across a narrow gap.

Cody counted at least five waterfalls plunging into the depths. The pools below formed a blue spiderweb pattern through the bright greenery before merging into a single wide river.

"Cody!" a voice shouted behind him. "Cody, get away from there!"

Cody turned. Orion!

Before he could react, Andrew grabbed him and shoved him toward the edge. Cody's foot slipped, and he let out a sharp cry. He pitched forward, clutching at tufts of grass.

Andrew's fingers still clawed into his shoulder. "One move—and he's gone!"

Cody's insides clenched. He gasped for air. "W-what are you doing?" he croaked.

"Let him go," Orion shouted. His voice shook.

A dry chuckle. "With pleasure. You'll be the one who really needs to learn how to let him go."

Andrew shoved him.

The grass tore from Cody's grip. He tipped backward, arms flailing. Nothing—nothing but air.

Orion's scream drowned out Cody's own.

He fell. The wind slammed against him, knocking the breath from his lungs. In a heartbeat, a raging fear flooded him from head to toe.

I'm going to die.

The thought hit like scalding oil poured over him. Yet some desperate instinct still fought back.

You have ten seconds!

Cody yanked his wand from his pocket. "Float. Float. Float!" It started as a trembling whisper and ended in a frantic shout as he carved the letters into the air.

A sharp jolt—and then he hung there, arms and legs splayed. The wind still tugged at him, but it felt like a magical bubble wrapped around his body, letting him drift on the air current.

The fear still howled inside him. The spell had burst from him so recklessly—he had no idea how long it would hold.

Maybe just a few panicked heartbeats.

He clutched his wand tighter, searching for a better spell. Before anything else could register in his stunned mind, he started sinking again.

He plummeted toward the ground. Seconds—that was all he had. He slashed the air with his wand, muttering cushion—but he knew he should've started with what the cushion was supposed to do.

It was over.

Cody squeezed his eyes shut. He just hoped it would be quick. Hoped it wouldn't hurt.