جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 110

Kael's POVThe path felt like it went on forever.Or perhaps it was the forest spreading out into infinity, challenging me to continue moving forward.I had walked since dawn. Each muscle in my body resisted as I moved forward with each step. My ribs still stung every time I drew in breath too sharply, while the cuts on my wrists were painful reminders that I wore a shirt. Lira's pack was slung over my shoulder and was far too heavy considering how little I had eaten from it.Finally, I came to a halt next to a dead tree. I took out a piece of meat and looked at it for some time before taking a bite. It was like dirt, like chewing on old bark. I swallowed anyway.Mira would've complained had she seen me going without food.She would've crossed her arms, looked disapprovingly at me, then stuffed the food into my hands herself all the while pretending not to be concerned.A smile nearly opened my lips.Nearly.But it didn't.She was gone now.That was the harsh truth about losing so

Rebecca’s POV The city refused to decay. Morning light was up across the streets as we ventured deeper, and the ruins looked less like ruins and more like something preserved deliberately. Buildings that should have collapsed centuries ago still stood tall, their walls should have cracked down but nothing had happened to them. Wooden doors didn't rot, insects didn't even spoil them. Metal frames too stayed firm, untouched by rust. The air felt fresh and familiar. I was still thinking about how I could have possibly been here before when Matthew's voice brought me out of the thinking. “Cities don’t survive like this.” Nobody disagreed. We got to a place that looked like a public square. The ground was uneven, stones shook and shifted, but in the center, the remains of a monument was standing. Only the part below survived, its upper half shattered long ago. I moved closer, noticing carvings made into the stone that were now a little faint. My eyes tried to trace the lines,

Rohan's POV Morning arrived differently now, not with silence, but now with life.I slowly opened my eyes and squinted the eyes through the weak light that shone through the tiny windows of the healing room. There was the scent of ground herbs and the smell of freshly baked bread from somewhere deep inside the mansion.At first, I merely listened. Pounding. Footfalls. Laughter from somewhere outside.It was a little quiet, after weeks of screams and mourning...It was beautiful. I felt something, then I understood why my right arm would not move.Lira.She was sleeping again beside my bed.Her head was resting on my shoulder, her black hair falling over my arm. One hand of hers was holding mine, her fingers entwined in mine as though even in her sleep, she did not want me to leave. A smile curled at the edges of my lips.I did not feel anything in my arm anymore.I did not even care much about that.I preferred not to feel anything than wake her up.She looked...peaceful.I'd a

Rebecca's POVNobody made a move.Before us, the second door was standing open, made of black stone that absorbed all the dim light coming from behind us. There was cold air silently going out of the door, without any noise, without any smell—just silence.This was not the silence I was used to in the forest. This one felt patient. As if the city had already been unlocked a century ago... and been just waiting for someone to come inside. It was Matthew who broke the silence first."If anyone ever came through here before us..."His voice reverberated faintly from the stone walls."...then either they never came back."He studied the darkness beyond the doorway for a long moment before finishing quietly,"...or they're still inside."Neither possibility offered much comfort.Tyler tightened his hold on his weapon without uttering a single word. Ezekiel continued staring at the carvings around the entrance, as if still looking for any answer hidden within the rock formation.I took

Jeremy's POVPeople often confused power with control. They believed the strongest man in the room was the one who ruled it. They were wrong.Strength was temporary. Fear faded. Loyalty shifted.True control was far quieter. It was convincing people they still had choices long after those choices had already been taken away.That was control.The corridor leading to the prison welcomed me with familiar silence.Cold stone stretched endlessly under my feet, illuminated only by iron lanterns mounted high along the walls. Their flames were burning with steadiness that felt unnatural, casting long shadows that never seemed to move.The deeper I walked, the heavier the air became.Rot.Iron.Old blood.Corruption.It had its own scent now.Almost alive. The guards straightened as I approached the final door. Neither spoke. They simply stepped aside. The thick iron gate groaned open. Elias remained exactly where I had left him.Heavy chains held his wrists above his head, black vei