Elara POV
I woke to silence.
Not normal silence. The kind that felt wrong. Heavy. Like the whole mountain was holding its breath.
I sat up slowly. My body ached. The trial had drained me more than I realized. The cracks in my skin were healed but I could still feel them. Faint lines of silver running under my flesh.
Permanent scars from refusing both bonds.
I reached for Kaelen through the bond. Found nothing. Not empty. Blocked. Like he'd closed a door between us.
That scared me more than anything.
I got dressed. Tried the door. Locked from the outside.
Prisoner again.
I paced. Tried to think. Tried to understand what was happening.
Then the Moonfire came back.
Not physically. It was still night. But I felt it. Inside me. Burning. Searching.
The trial wasn't over.
I'd survived the first night. But the fire had found something. A lie I'd been telling myself for so long I'd forgotten it was a lie.
Who are you?
The question echoed in my head.
