Chapter 17: Ashes and Echoes

The Grove was quiet again.

But it wasn’t the same quiet as before.

The trees no longer leaned in curiosity. They stood still, reverent. The moss beneath Aria’s feet pulsed faintly, not with anticipation—but with memory. The air was thick with echoes, and every breath she took felt like it stirred something ancient.

She sat near the fire Kaelion had built, her knees drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Luna slept beside her, curled into a nest of vines that had woven themselves into a cradle. The child hadn’t spoken since the Reapers vanished. She hadn’t cried. She hadn’t asked questions.

She had simply… glowed.

Aria watched her daughter’s chest rise and fall, her small hand twitching in sleep. The mark on her wrist had deepened overnight—no longer a faint shimmer, but a living rune that pulsed in rhythm with the ley lines.

“She’s changed,” Aria whispered.

Kaelion sat across from her, sharpening his blade with slow, deliberate strokes. He didn’t look up.

“She’s awakening.”