The scream had no sound.
And somehow that made it worse.
It rippled through existence like a missing heartbeat, a sudden absence where reality expected something to be.
The crystals lining the Memory Vault flickered violently.
Thousands of preserved memories flashed around them.
Faces.
Names.
Lives.
Entire histories illuminating the chamber before fading again.
The silver box continued glowing.
Waiting.
Midnight couldn't look away.
The First Queen's words echoed inside her head.
The name is a person.
Not a weapon.
Not a spell.
Not a key.
A person.
Kael stepped closer beside her.
The mate bond pulsed steadily.
The only stable thing in the room.
The throne beneath the mountain roared again.
Urgent.
The stars above Black Hollow were disappearing faster now.
They were r
