After the meeting, the forest appeared darker, with Zara's newfound knowledge bearing down on her every step. Other than the faint glimmer of the necklace around her neck, which pulsed like a heartbeat and reverberated with the energy of the Nexus, she had no map or guide.
Her mind was racing with questions at the mention of the Order. Who were they? They had been observing her for how long? And why did they think they owned the Nexus?
As Zara walked forward, her resolve was strengthened by the memory of their combat, and her hands clenched around Kael's knife. She refused to give in to the Order's demands.
Zara arrived at the forest's edge as night fell and came out into a stony plain with old ruins scattered across it. As Mirela's pendant grew brighter, it led her to a dilapidated building that was partially submerged in the ground.
As though the power of the Nexus still resided in the stones themselves, the air seemed different here, charged with electricity. Zara stepped forward w
