Kora’s POV
The snow fell softly that night, quiet and endless, covering the remnants of the battlefield in a fragile blanket of white. What had once been a valley of fire and shadows now lay still, the blackened earth slowly surrendering to the cold.
I stood at the edge of the ruins, watching the smoke drift toward the horizon. The fortress was gone—nothing but shards of obsidian and ash remained—but the silence it left behind felt wrong. Too heavy. Too final.
Edward stood a few feet away, his back to me, his cloak fluttering in the wind. “You should rest,” he said, not turning around.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“You haven’t slept in two days.”
“I said I can’t.”
The words came out sharper than I meant, and guilt followed instantly. He didn’t deserve my temper; he was as exhausted as I
