IRIS’ P.O.V
The ground cracked beneath my feet as the light from the portal began to fade behind me. The air here was wrong. Too still. Too heavy. It clung to my lungs like smoke, pressing down until every breath hurt. My body trembled from exhaustion, but I forced myself to stand tall.
Then, in a blink, the space shifted. Eos had moved us. She had teleported us to a different, darker part of the Veil, away from Irene, Clara and Adrian.
Eos was still there. Perfect. Untouched. Her golden hair shimmered against the shadows, and the creatures around her bowed low like worshippers. The sight made my stomach turn. She looked like a goddess, yes, but her beauty was cruel; sharp around the edges, hollow at the core.
She tilted her head slightly, eyes locked on me, as if I were a puzzle she h
