Kora’s POV
By the time we reached the edge of the forest, the sun was already low, burning a molten path across the horizon. The world below the mountain looked deceptively peaceful—rolling hills blanketed in snow, streaks of silver rivers catching the last of the light. But I knew better. Peace like that didn’t last. Not in our world.
We found shelter that night in the ruins of an old watchtower. Half the stone walls had crumbled, and ivy crawled over what remained, frozen in brittle green tendrils. Edward set a small fire in the center, and the flicker of the flames cast shadows across his face.
I sat beside him, watching the fire, feeling how it bent toward me even when I wasn’t touching it. My magic had changed—more subtle now, but deeper. It pulsed with a rhythm that didn’t feel en
