-LILIAN-
The days after the garden incident were strange. My body healed, slowly but surely. I could walk a little now, leaning heavily on Elara, taking shaky steps, the promise of freedom a burning light. But my mind was still caught on the impossible miracle of the flowers, the terrifying secret power that had awakened within me. I practiced my words with Elara, trying to make them less clumsy, less broken. I felt a subtle change in my connection to the earth, a faint hum beneath my skin.
Alexander still didn't come to my room. His absence was a relief. The castle was still tense, humming with his rage towards others, a silent reminder that the monster was still there, just not for me. I wondered if he felt the shift too, the odd energy that now seemed to cling to me.
Then in the afte
