Kora’s POV
When I opened my eyes, the world was quiet.
Too quiet.
The trees around me stood perfectly still, their branches frozen under a pale gray dawn. The air smelled of cold earth and smoke, and the circle of stone I lay within glowed faintly before fading into dust.
My body ached, but not from pain — from emptiness. Like something vital had been pulled out of me and hadn’t been replaced.
I sat up slowly, blinking against the light. My hands trembled as I touched my neck. The mark — the one Aaron had branded me with, the one Edward had sealed — was gone. My skin was bare, smooth, unmarked.
The Elders stood in the distance, whispering to each other in a language I didn’t understand. When I turned toward them, the pale-haired woman approached.
“It is done,” she said. “The corrupt
