The forest had stopped burning, but the flames still lived in Aria's blood.
She sat at the edge of the stream near the heart of the Flameborn encampment, her bare feet submerged in the cold water, steam curling where it met her skin. The battle had ended only hours ago, yet her body still trembled with raw energy. Power pulsed under her skin—bright, foreign, alive.
She didn't know who she was anymore.
Behind her, the bond tugged gently. Even when she wasn't touching them, she felt the triplets. Their emotions rippled through her like whispers on the wind—Dorian's tension, Marcus's heavy silence, Tobias's roiling thoughts.
Everything was louder now.
Everything was closer.
The bond wasn't a thread anymore.
It was a heartbeat.
"Thinking about running again?" Dorian's voice came from behind, quiet but sharp. He stood with arms crossed, his shirt half torn from battle, shadows under his eyes.
Aria didn't turn around. "I can't outrun what's inside me."
