The cavern had grown quieter, the crystalline frost shimmering faintly in the dim light. I sat near the heart of it, staring into the intricate patterns of ice I’d created—a delicate but unyielding testament to the power coursing through me. I was still learning to wield it, to master the instincts it awakened within me.
A faint disturbance in the air behind me made my skin prickle. Before I could turn, the voice I thought I might never hear again echoed through the icy expanse.
“Lux,” Ash said, his tone somewhere between a whisper and a growl.
I whirled around, my heart racing despite myself. There he was, standing at the cavern entrance, his crimson eyes glowing faintly against the darkness. His expression was unreadable, his presence as commanding as ever. But something in his gaze
