The silence that followed Darius's departure was immediate and profound, broken only by the faint, receding sounds of the search party's retreat. I waited until the last sound of iron and hoofbeats faded into the distance. Only then did the iron knot in my chest loosen slightly. I was alone, but Elian was safe, tucked away in the very cage that had hunted me, protected by the man who was both my trauma and his father. I had bought time.
I rose from the cold floor, running a trembling hand over the splintered wood of the door. The immediate, suffocating danger was removed, but the underlying threat remained: the sealed Eastern Forest. I had to move immediately, or Darius would realize my strategic intent and send silent scouts back to reclaim me.
My goal now was the Hunter's Outpost, a true sanctuary deep in the Eastern territory—a location only the real Aria, raised near the forest, would have known. This abandoned cabin, where I stood now, was merely a starting marker.
