Marked Against My Will
The settlement moved with a careful rhythm, almost reverent, as though every stone, every lattice, every hum held a memory of past mistakes. Mara led the inner circle through corridors that hummed faintly underfoot, the warmth of the conduits pulsing like veins carrying life through the stone. She could feel the bond stretching slightly, alert and tense, as though it knew what had happened yesterday and refused to forget. The tremor that had shot through the northern lattice lingered in her awareness — faint, subtle, a warning etched into the foundation of the settlement itself.
Sikat na Kabanata