The stars came back.
Not all at once.
Not in some dramatic explosion of light.
One by one.
Patiently.
Like old friends finding their way home.
Each returning star illuminated another piece of the Shore of Lost Things.
Another memory.
Another life.
Another forgotten story.
The sky healed slowly.
And beneath it—
Seraphine cried.
The forgotten surrounded her.
Children.
Elders.
Families.
Entire generations standing together on the silver water.
Not accusing.
Not condemning.
Simply present.
The kind of mercy that hurts more than punishment ever could.
Midnight watched silently.
Kael's hand remained wrapped around hers.
The mate bond pulsed.
Warm.
Steady.
Neither of them spoke.
Some moments deserved silence.
This was one of them.
The throne beneath Draven Ridge puls
