The cell reeked of rust and blood.
I woke with my wrists shackled, my skin raw from struggling. The last thing I remembered was Ravian's men dragging me into the darkness.
A single lamp buzzed above me, casting shadows across the walls—shadows that seemed to move, watching me.
And then I heard it.
Footsteps. Slow. Certain.
The door creaked open, and Ravian stepped inside, his cold smile lit by the dim light.
"You should have never come back," he said. "You were supposed to stay dead."
I spat blood to the floor. "Then kill me. Or are you afraid I'll outlive you again?"
He laughed softly. "You think this is about fear? No, Nyra. This is about finishing what began years ago. You were never chosen—you were made."
His words sent ice down my spine. "What do you mean made?"
Before he could answer, the walls shook with a deafening explosion. The light shattered. Smoke filled the room.
Through the chaos, a familiar voice rang out—Celeste.
"Nyra! Duck!"
A blade sliced through Ravian's arm, forcing him back.
The smoke cleared, and Celeste stood in the doorway, her sword dripping red. Behind her, Kai appeared, his face torn between guilt and fury.
For the first time, all three of us stood together—me, Celeste, and Kai—against the one who had haunted every shadow of my life.
And I realized... this was only the beginning of the end.
---