36 Years Ago
Grace ran, clutching her five-year-old brother to her chest, the cold night air biting at her skin. Every nerve screamed at her to keep moving, but the chaos of the pack behind her forced her feet to carry her faster. She glanced back only once, and the sight of flames and destruction burned itself into her memory.
And then… she saw her.
Ophellia stood in the moonlight, poised like a goddess descended from legend itself. Her long, golden hair shimmered with an almost ethereal glow, each strand catching the moonlight like molten gold. Her sky-blue eyes pierced the darkness, bright and alive, yet calm—like the sun daring to rise in the dead of midnight.
Grace froze. Even in her panic, she felt a pull toward Ophellia, a strange combination of fear, awe, and something she cou
