Sin
Her body had healed, but the power was a different story. It growled inside her like a cornered beast, restless and wild. The more she tried to leash it, the more it fought back.
Charred streaks marred the castle walls. Even now, the ghost of smoke mixed with the sour stench of blood and rot.
“You’ve come to see me.”
Ecithys raised her brow in question.
“I’m—having trouble keeping it under control.”
It was a struggle for Sin to admit she couldn’t do something. But now that she had a future, she wouldn’t stifle it with her pride.
Ecithys nodded. “I regret to admit that I know very little about Tempest Magic.” The queen paused, looking over Sin’s face—her scars and runes now on display for everyone to see. “I’ve come to understand your life hasn’t been an easy one.”
“You could say that.” Sin kept the emotions out of her voice, it being second nature to her.
The queen grasped her hands together in front of her.
“How would you like to work for me directly? In the castle?” Sin narrowed her eyes at the queen’s words.
“This life will be fraught with trials, and it will demand more than you can imagine. But it will be yours to choose—every battle, every victory, every scar. You will be free.”
The words seemed to catch in her throat, but Sin forced them out. “That is an unrefusable offer.” She tried to steady her breathing, feeling the weight of the choice settling into her chest.
“And yet?”
“And yet,” Sin braced herself. “This power… I can’t let it control me, and I know I won’t find the answer here. I need time—time to conquer it before it turns me into something I won’t recognize.”
The queen blinked, her eyes narrowing as curiosity flickered across her face. “What exactly are you asking?”
Sin clenched her fists until her nails dug painfully into her palms, the sharp sting grounding her.
She met the queen’s gaze head-on, refusing to waver.
“I need to leave,” she said, her voice steady despite the chaos roiling inside.
“I have to figure out who I am, how to control this before it consumes me.”
“And what of Max?” The queen’s voice was level, giving nothing away. Sin’s chest tightened painfully, the words sinking into her like a slow blade.
“Max means everything to me, but my magic is unpredictable. Until I can tame it, staying with him is a risk I can’t afford. Protecting him means I have to walk away, at least for now.”
Max’s smile flashed in her mind—bright, boyish, the way it softened every jagged edge inside her.
She could feel the phantom warmth of his hand over hers, the roughness of his calluses against her skin.
The thought of that warmth turning to cold lifelessness because of her magic made her stomach twist painfully.
She could almost see the light leaving his eyes if she lost control, and that fear rooted her to this decision—no matter how much it tore her apart.
Sin knew the queen could see Sin’s barely restrained tears, but she held strong. The queen nodded, stepping closer. “Sin… is that your true name?”
Sin’s spine straightened. “The name I was born with died along with the girl who bore it,” Sin said, her eyes unwavering. “Sin is who I became—who I had to become to survive. Every scar, every battle is woven into that name, and it belongs to no one but me.”
The queen exhaled audibly. “I grant you leave, however long it takes, and trust you will return.”
“I will,” Sin promised as she bowed, then turned to leave.
She was at the door when the queen called out, “Oh, and Sin?”
Sin met the queen’s gaze.
Queen Ecithys’ voice echoed through the chamber, carrying a warmth that seemed almost out of place in the cold, stone hall. “No matter what other shadows you’ll walk through, my door will remain open to you.”
The words settled over Sin like a mantle—both heavy and comforting. She swallowed, her throat tight, a warmth spreading through her chest that she hadn’t realized she needed until that moment.
Sin’s throat bobbed, and she nodded before leaving.