- S U R I - A L I -

     My hand shakes as Kali and I duck through the palace. Adara's pistol sits heavy in my hand, the cold metal a constant reminder of its presence. Kali stands nearby, fidgeting with her hands as her head swivels around. The dancing torchlight gets blocked by her hair, coating half her face in shadow.

     "We need to move," I stammer, my eyes staring down the dark hallway as if it could swallow me whole.

     Kali nods quietly, her eyes glancing at the guard's corpse. Her body stiffens before she looks away quickly. "Yeah."

     "It's been a minute," I sigh, getting restless the longer we stay put. "I hope you remember the way."

     She smirks, a surprising sight given the circumstances. "I know all the ways."

     "I'll follow you, then," I state, not finding the will to smile. She begins walking quietly, and I follow behind with light feet. Little bits and pieces of the palace flood into my memory, ones I've been trying to forget for almost a decade now. Now that I'm here, though, I can't manage to force them out. Fragments of memory rush through my head: an avalanche of sharp, dangerous shards of the past.

     I'd dreamed of this day for years, mostly in nightmares. What would I say? To Kali? Mom? Dad? Somehow, after years of predictions, I still never could've thought it would be like this. Mom gone. Kali is not my sister. And my Dad... who knows. 

     The two of us step up to the second floor, and Kali suddenly stops before rounding a corner. Her arm rushes to her mouth, signaling to hush. I feel my heart beat faster as her eyes go wide, and I hear the faint sounds of steps in the distance. The distinct sound of boots against the floor echoes through the halls, not far from us.

     "They're near the courtyard," I whisper as quietly as I can, my hands trembling against the pistol as Kali silently nods in agreement. The air feels heavy as I barely peek out from the corner, seeing men in black suits stepping away from us. Chills run down my spine as the torchlight illuminates their silhouettes - full military gear. They march ahead, rifles in hand like it's a damn parade.

     Delta Force. Barr. 

     Fuck. As if Adara's old unit wasn't enough.

     I quickly duck behind the wall, trying to look at Kali with confidence and failing miserably. I watch the worry move from her brain to her face, her breath catching as I nod to the next hall over. "We need to beat them there-"

     The sound of surging flame bites through the silence, causing us to jump slightly. I watch as the hall glows with a bright yellow-orange hue, little bits of flame drifting across the ceiling in front of us. The heat makes me jump slightly, and Kali shifts behind me with wide eyes. The flame is followed by the voices of frightened soldiers as they hurriedly spit out clipped orders.

     "The Kamar," I gasp, eyes wide. "Shuma. He has to be attacking them."

     "Can he hold them all off?" Kali asks, surprised.

     I pause for a moment, remembering who we're up against. Spec Ops soldiers are a tier above any of the gangs I'd dealt with, with the Port Boys. Suddenly, Barr's threat rings through my head, freezing me in place. 'Deal's off, Suri, Kali's gonna die now. Your fault.' 

     "Kali," I stutter, my free hand clenching. "These are the people who captured me. They... They'll kill us both. Without second thought."

     Her brows furrow as her expression hardens. "Haven't we already figured that out?"

     I gulp as I look down at the pistol in my hand. "You need to get out of here."

     "Absolutely not," she exclaims immediately, anger briefly flashing in her eyes at the suggestion. "We're in this together."

     "I can't let them get you," I retort, the flame whipping around loudly towards the courtyard.

     "We've been separated for nine years over lies," she counters, motioning between the two of us. "We're in this together, man."

     I close my eyes, frustrated. "You always were stubborn as hell."

     She smirks, her eyes narrowing. "Hasn't changed."

     I grip the pistol tightly as I breathe out heavily. Time to be a bad brother, I guess. It's no use arguing with her about this - the best I can do is keep her near me and keep her safe the best I can. Even if I told her to get out, she wouldn't listen. Fuck.

     We rush forward, racing into the next hallway and rushing towards the source of the flame. I watch as a stray band of fire flies toward us, skipping my heart in my chest. I grab Kali, pulling her out of the hall and barging into a side room as the heat flies forward. The two of us look at each other, eyes wide as we realize our good fortune. The two of us run back into the hall, moving as quickly as we can to avoid being burnt to a crisp by another stray flame. The two of us round the corner, and...

     There he is.

     My stomach sinks as I see Shuma standing in the altar room, his eyes and veins glowing orange as fire flies from the Kamar with vengeance. He looks... older than I remember, like he's been dealing with a century's worth of stress and revelation since the ceremony. The flame brushes past pillars and walls with the fury of someone desperate to atone for something that wasn't entirely their fault.

     I thought I'd be furious seeing him. Instead, I feel... sad.

     His eyes catch sight of us, and shock rushes through his face in phases. His eyes pause on me first with disbelief, then with shock, then with... regret. I freeze in place as he stands still, eyeing the two of us as the orange glow fades slowly.

     "Suri-"

     He's interrupted as I watch him stumble back, his feet staggering as he seemingly loses his strength. My mind, seemingly too busy processing his reaction, registers the sound of a gunshot as his body falls. I watch his eyes light up again, screaming as flame bursts from the Kamar. A wall of fire manifests to our left, blocking the source of the gunshot from the three of us. 

     "Target down," I hear, chills running down my spine as I hear Barr's unmistakable voice.

     "DAD!" Kali screams in terror, running toward him as my legs fail to respond. I feel paralyzed as I look on in horror, my mouth hanging halfway open as I process everything. Kali kneels beside him as I watch a bit of blood leak from the side of his mouth. His regal wear is stained a dark crimson right in the center of his torso.

     I finally force my body to move, striding forward without a care for the intense heat to my left. I crouch down next to the two, Kali's wails and tears overpowering the roar of the fire. Shuma looks up at me, his eyes glowing no more as I watch him lose strength in front of me. I hate him for what he did, I do... but I don't want this. I never wanted this.

     "I-" Shuma stutters, fighting back the blood in his mouth. "I'm sorry, Suri."

     I fight back tears as I look down at his body, distraught. The rest of the world fades out of view as my vision tunnels in on my father, helpless and dying. The Kamar, as powerful as it is, doesn't fix things like this. 

     The Kamar.

     I look down at his arm, my eyes fixated on the bracelet for a moment. The center glows a bright orangish yellow, with little wisps of energy flying around it. I look at his veins, glowing orange near the Kamar and fading the farther up his arm I look. My eyes dart back up to him, and he looks at me with a surprising peace in his expression.

     "I could never have- have made up for..." he coughs, acceptance painted on his face. "...what I did to you."

     I fail to respond, not knowing what to say in the moment. He brings up his hand to mine, gripping tightly. Kali's cries seem to fade into the background as I look at him. "Please, don't- don't let them take our- our people's country from them."

     My breath pauses as I realize what he's asking. I nod my head vigorously, eyes closed. "This isn't my home! You stripped it from me!"

     His grip loosens as he nods lightly. "You're right... it's- what you build that will- will be home."

     I exhale as I hear his words, the gravity of them nearly crushing me as he looks at Kali. "Thank you, daughter," he utters, almost a whisper as tears stream down her cheek.

     Just like that, I watch the life escape from his body.

     Kali's crying stops, replaced by pure shock and disbelief. The two of us look at one another, bewildered and battered by tonight. Part of me wants to cry, part of me wants to scream, but part of me knows there's one way we get out of this. One way I can save Kali, at the very least. My eyes drift to the Kamar, the glow fading from Shuma's veins.

     I sniffle as I hug Kali tightly. "Stay behind me," I whisper, stepping back and reaching for the Kamar, still clasped to Shuma's arm. Kali gasps, but doesn't say a word. Deep down, we both know what needs to happen now.

     I hold the Kamar, the metallic surface warm against my hands. The bracelet brims with energy as I flip my wrist around and get it in position. Once I close this clasp, it will radiate through my body, testing me to be worthy. If Kali isn't Shuma's, though, am I? I push the thought to the back of my head, steadying my resolve. I have to wear this. If I don't...

     I clasp it.

     I yelp as the energy immediately surges up my arm and into the rest of my body, causing me to double over. Wincing, I support myself with an arm, trying to keep from falling over completely. This feels like... nothing I've ever felt before. The incomparable feeling seems to spread throughout my body, racing down my legs and crawling up my head.

     I look down, watching as my wrist glows orange and heatwaves shoot off my arm erratically. I grunt, pushing myself to my feet as the power completely overtakes my body. Just when I feel like it can't go anywhere else...

     It settles.

     Breathing deliberately, I open my eyes and look down at my wrist. The glowing veins, the wisps of energy and flame... all like they were on Shuma. He's... really my Dad. Kali looks at me, her mouth agape and eyes wide. "Suri, you're..."

     I focus on the power, squinting as I look at the still-burning fire wall. 

     "BARR!"