The Crown Of Ash and Silver
Her breath quickened.
It was not pain at first. It was ecstasy.
She saw everything, the city, the people, the sky itself, alight with perfection. Every impurity burned away, every shadow cast aside.
But beneath that brilliance, something stirred.
A flicker of silver. A whisper like distant thunder.
For a heartbeat, she saw Seraphina, kneeling in darkness, eyes open, calm and unafraid.
The Light shuddered.
Elysia gasped, clutching her chest. “No.”