Kora’s POV
The morning mist clung low to the earth, softening the jagged edges of the burnt forest. For a brief moment, if I didn’t look too closely, the world almost seemed peaceful again. But the flame inside me didn’t rest. It pulsed steadily, like a heartbeat that wasn’t entirely mine.
Seraphine’s warning from the night before still lingered in my mind. “The next war won’t be fought for power or revenge. It will be fought for the right to exist.”
Those words sat heavy on my chest as I walked to the stream. The ashes from the forest had mixed with the water, turning it the color of pale rust. I crouched at the edge, watching the ripples catch faint glimmers of gold from the light in my skin.
“Can’t sleep?”
Edward’s voice drifted toward me, steady and warm. I didn’t turn at first; I
