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142. The Last Breath of Thornhall

Author: Priyal Dessai
last update Last Updated: 2025-06-01 17:33:18

[ELARA]

It feels like the end of something.

Not the kind that’s loud or shattering—but the quiet, inevitable kind. Like a candle burning itself out, or a final breath that leaves the body too softly to be mourned.

The gates of Thornhall stand open now, and still, it feels… odd.

Thornhall is cloaked in pale winter light. The courtyard crunches beneath boots and hooves, hard-packed snow refusing to thaw even as the sun stretches its long fingers across the stone.

I stand just outside the main entrance. People murmur goodbyes, servants scurry with last-minute packs, and still I linger. My fingers curl around the folds of my cloak as I watch the blue roses blooming across the onyx walls. Something in my chest whispers: You won’t see this place again.

Lila doesn’t deny the feeling either. She’s not sure, but she feels it too.

And the strange thing is—I’m not entirely sorry about it.

It should be a comfort, shouldn’t it? To be free of this place. This wretched palace of slithering whisper
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