Chapter Twenty three:When heaven burns
The sky does not return to blue. It stays thin. Fragile. As if something enormous is pressing against it from the other side. Aurelia feels it before anyone else does. She wakes before dawn, breath sharp, heart hammering—not from fear, but from awareness. Heaven is moving. Not whispering. Not testing. Moving. She rises from Malachai’s side and walks to the balcony overlooking the stronghold. The air hums against her skin. Her silver-streaked veins flicker faintly. Then she hears it. Not with her ears. With her blood. A chorus. Thousands of wings beating beyond the veil. Her chest tightens. “They’re coming,” she whispers. Behind her, Malachai is already awake. The bond transmitted her alarm instantly. “How many?” She swallows. “Enough.” Deep in the forest, Nysera kneels
- Writer
