Mira’s POV By the time I woke up the next morning, I felt different in a way that was almost unsettling. The pain that had gripped my chest the night before was gone, replaced by a strange lightness that made me lie still for a moment, just to make sure it was real. I stared up at the ceiling and took a slow breath, then another. For the first time in days, my lungs didn’t feel tight, and my thoughts weren’t tangled. The constant pressure that had been sitting at the back of my mind had eased, leaving everything sharper, quieter, and somehow more under my control. I didn’t know if it was what the Elder woman had done or if it was simply the effect of finally making a decision, but either way, I held onto the feeling carefully, like something fragile that could disappear if I moved too quickly. After washing up and getting dressed, I was tying back my hair when a knock came at the door. Before I could respond, it opened, and the Elder woman stepped inside with the same calm, measure
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