The knock came again. Soft. Deliberate. Three slow taps from beneath the glowing water. The crowd around the old well recoiled as one. Several children burst into tears. A woman clutched her son's shoulders and hurried him away, whispering frantic prayers under her breath. The silver light grew brighter. It climbed the stone walls of the well like living vines, illuminating faces frozen between disbelief and terror. No one dared move closer. No one except me. "Aflira." Kael's hand caught my wrist before I reached the edge. His grip was firm, but not painful. "You don't know what that is." I looked at the glowing water. "No." The connection pulsed quietly. "But it does." His jaw tightened. "I don't care what the connection wants." "I do." Our eyes met. For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. The fear in his expression wasn't for Blackthorn. It wasn't for the gates. It was for me. "I can't keep watching you walk toward things that could kill you." His voice was
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