The Broken Blades Trilogy, #3
Three Shattered Souls
by Mai Corland
Contents
Chapter Four
Overview
Tiyung and Hana traverse the Khakatan cave system to reenter Yusan as war brews. Tiyung wrestles with trauma from Idle Prison, Ailor’s sacrificial death, and Seok’s coup. By the fire, Hana reveals she faked her death and believes Sora will not forgive her, reframing past events and confronting Tiyung’s motives as atonement.
Summary
Tiyung and Hana approach a cave system beneath the Khakatan Mountains to return to Yusan. Tiyung hesitates, shaken by weeks in Idle Prison and by news that his father, Seok, has seized Qali Palace. He recalls Ailor’s sacrifice—impersonating Tiyung with the noble necklace to draw assassins—saving Tiyung’s life at the cost of his own.
They enter the dark tunnels. Tiyung battles panic and intrusive flashes of blood as they walk for hours before making camp at a vented firepit. Tiyung asks why Hana is returning when Yusan is deadly for her; Hana answers simply: for Sora. She admits Sora does not know she is alive.
Jealousy pricks Tiyung, but Hana predicts Sora will not forgive her. She confesses abandoning Sora and her brother Nayo to survive, contrasting herself with Sora. Hana argues Sora once stopped fleeing not because Tiyung “caught” her, but because Sora refused to leave Daysum behind—revealing Tiyung’s pride and misreading of that past moment.
Hana says she became another person to live, claiming “Hana died” when she made a bargain with a nobleman. The conversation forces Tiyung to confront whether his devotion to Sora is genuine love or an attempt at atonement for past complicity. The chapter closes with a fragile accord: both concede they may not love Sora “enough.”
Who Appears
- TiyungNarrator; traumatized after Idle Prison, learns Ailor died for him, grapples with Seok’s coup and his motives toward Sora.
- HanaFormer poison maiden; returns to Yusan for Sora, believes Sora won’t forgive her, challenges Tiyung’s view and raises atonement.
- SoraAbsent but central; subject of Hana and Tiyung’s debate about forgiveness, loyalty, and the true nature of past events.
- SeokTiyung’s father; has seized Qali Palace and the Yusan throne, heightening stakes for Tiyung’s return.
- AilorMikail’s father; died impersonating Tiyung in prison, his sacrifice haunts and motivates Tiyung.