The cave was warmer than the hut, but not by much.

I watched the fire as it snapped and hissed. Veyne hadn't sat down. She stood just beyond the reach of light, her expression unreadable.

The old man, the seer, sat where he had before, hands near the flame.

"You're being tracked," he said without looking up.

Veyne didn't move. "How close?"

He stirred the ashes with a stick. "Far enough not to panic. Yet."

The fire cracked softly. A few sparks jumped.

Then he looked at her.

"Get stronger, Vanessa. Fast."

Veyne didn't answer. Her jaw tightened, just slightly.

I glanced at her. "Vanessa?"

Still nothing.

After a moment, she spoke, low and even.

"I don't go by that name anymore."

I waited, but she didn't say anything else.

Across the fire, the old man stood, brushing ash off his hands.

"You'll want to head north at first light," he said. "Stick to the ridge until you find a stone arch. Don't take the road."

He walked out to the cave mouth, pausing before stepping out.

"For what it's worth... you were right to run."

She didn't react, and the old man left without another word.

Veyne, or Vanessa apparently, sat down slowly, not looking at me. Her head lowered, arms wrapped around her knees.

I watched her for a moment, then sat beside her.

"So, Vanessa. Is that your real name?"

She didn't look up. "Vanessa Verren."

The name nagged at me. Familiar, but I just couldn't place it.

Then it hit me. "Your brother is..."

"Luke Verren, The Grim."

I froze.

The name sat there like a nail driven through the air.

The Grim.

I'd heard it before, everyone had.

Somewhere, halfway into the surge, every story shifted to him.

The walking dead. Hundreds of half-rotted corpses, bound to his will, moved in formation, wielding fire and purging every mage in sight. Fallen mages rose seconds later, already rotting.

Then, it ended.

One after another, charred corpses collapsed in waves, throwing up black clouds of ash.

When no hero stepped forward to claim the Grim's defeat, the rumors began. Although no one saw it happen, most believed the rot finally did what no one else could, that his own powers consumed him.

Any Variants that appeared after him were considered threats. It didn't matter how young or old you were, or what you could do.

"It was my fault."

Vanessa spoke in a low voice, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I was young. It didn't always work. I tried to blink us away."

A pause.

"We were attacked. Lisa held them off, the mages, so I could run."

"Lisa?" I asked.

"My brother's lover." She didn't look at me.

"By the time he made it, she was already gone. He found what was left of her."

Her voice caught.

"He brought her back."

She didn't elaborate.

"But she wasn't healed."

A breath.

"The first to die were the ones who killed her."

She stared into the fire.

"After that, it didn't stop."

Another silence. Heavier.

"After he disappeared... they came for my family. Called us conspirators."

She drew in a slow breath.

"My parents were executed."

She didn't cry. Just curled tighter into herself.

I wanted to say something. Anything. But all I felt was ash in my mouth.

The butterfly effect of her failing to save one person, Lisa, was staggering.

It turned her brother into the Grim, got her family executed, and made every Variant a target.

She kept talking as the night dragged on.

And the more she spoke, the more obvious it became: she thought all of it was her fault.

When my words of comfort didn't reach her, I did the only thing I could. I sat with her and listened.

We stayed like that for a long time. Her voice eventually faded. Her knees were still drawn to her chest, eyes fixed on the flame.

I didn't know what to say.

I barely knew her. A few days ago she was just the girl who broke me out of a death sentence. Now she was...

The Grim's sister.

I shifted beside her, staring at the flame.

"I thought I had problems."

The words came out before I really thought them through.

Vanessa didn't react at first, but her jaw eased. Just slightly.

I pulled my knees up, feeling the last dregs of exhaustion in my bones.

"We should sleep," I said, voice barely above a mumble.

Vanessa nodded, not looking away from the coals. "We leave at dawn"

I watched her a moment longer.

"Wake me up if you hear anything." I said, settling near the fire.

Her answer was a quiet, "Yeah."

Outside, the wind picked up. Branches scratched across stone somewhere up the slope. I stared at the ceiling until my eyes shut on their own.

When I woke, Vanessa was already at the cave entrance, watching the tree line, her back straight. The fire was already out and sky was beginning to brighten.

I stood, stretching the knots from my shoulders. "North, then?"

She gave me a look that said she was ready. I followed her out, leaving what was left of the night and the dying ash behind.

The cold hit as soon as we stepped outside. The sky was a dim wash of gray slowly yielding to pale blue. I pulled the rough woolen cloak tight around me, the edges frayed and stained. My breath came out in short, visible clouds.

Vanessa moved ahead without slowing. Her boots made soft crunching sounds over damp leaves and loose stones. I followed, matching her pace.

"Any idea what we're looking for up north?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Vanessa shook her head. "If there's anything waiting, we'll figure it out when we get there."

I glanced over. "You sure you want to trust the old man?"

She shrugged. "If you have a better plan, let me know."

I shook my head. "Don't hold your breath."

The forest closed around us, quiet except for our footsteps. We kept going north, neither of us sure where it would lead, but the words didn't stop. We talked as we walked, just enough to keep the silence from settling too deep.