I stopped a few feet away, letting the space between us stretch just enough to make the tension solid, tangible. The wind stirred faintly, carrying the scents of blood and earth and distant smoke from the chaos behind me, a reminder that war had not paused for my understanding, had not waited for my decisions, had not once cared for me, for Darius, for any of us. And yet, here I was. Standing. Alive. Present. A weapon, a key, a force I barely recognized in myself. And yet, I was walking willingly into the epicenter of everything that had been planned for me, everything that had been crafted, everything that had been orchestrated since before I could even remember.
“You’re here,” he said finally, his voice calm, low, deliberate, carrying none of the surprise or urgency I had expected. It w
