The pitch black wrapped around everything, promising anything but peace.Instead, the darkness was a ledger, each shadow a tallied debt. Selene woke ahead of the searing agony an unusual grace. For a fleeting breath, she dared to believe she might be whole. But then the vile taste of spent magic swirled in her blood, like ashes polluting fresh water, and the sweet delusion cracked.Her connection to whatever that was, the thing that shared her soul, was muted now. The link was still there, a tangible presence. It hadn't gone away completely. It was more like a beast in a gilded cage, a leopard pacing with frustrated silence instead of roaring bloody murder. It was waiting.Carefully, she sat, testing her equilibrium. Her tent swayed slightly, or maybe the wobbling came from deep inside. Outside, she could hear voices, a low hum of hushed anxiety. The others in the camp were as sleepless as she was.Like tremors before the Big One, crises didn't announce their arrival with fanfare. The
Last Updated : 2026-01-22 Read more