There was a tension in the air that I couldn’t ignore. The quiet had fallen over the camp again, but it wasn’t the peaceful stillness I had expected. It was thick—heavy with uncertainty, like the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Something big.
And I knew exactly what that something was.
I could feel it in my bones—the way the power still hummed beneath my skin, still pulsed in time with my heartbeat. The mark on my shoulder burned hotter now, a steady throb that never quite went away. It wasn’t just the physical pain. It was something deeper. Something alive.
And it was changing me.
The rogues had gathered around, their hushed voices flickering through the air like whispers, but I didn’t need to hear their words to know what they were thinking. I cou
