Phoenix Maplewood Just a rhyme without a reason

He felt a little peculiar when Void called him by his brother’s name, though not in a particularly unpleasant way. The lie hadn’t even come out that smoothly and yet he’d accepted it so readily. It was like discovering a hidden superpower.

He thought about it all the way to their destination: the roots of a maple. Atreus blinked, surveyed the ground littered with multicolored leaves, and then took a seat. No sooner had he gotten situatated than Void asked a question, though he didn’t wait for an answer before telling Atreus a bit more about himself and his background.

When Void fell silent, Atreus waited a few beats, just in case he wasn’t finished. Then rather than answer the question, he asked one of his own: How did you survive? All by yourself?

He couldn’t help but hear his father’s voice echoing in his head. “We are strong together,” Aventus had said, “stronger than we can ever be alone.” But Void was living proof that a young man didn’t necessarily need a pack. Atreus wanted to know his secret to success.