Selina’s POV
The world dissolved into absolute white.
The gold ember sat heavy within my ribcage, radiating a heat that sought to boil the blood directly from my veins. The pain bypassed my physical nerves, striking straight at the core of my identity. My vision filled with a blinding, terrifying brilliance that stripped away the geometric perfection of the diamond vault, replacing it with an endless, roaring furnace.
I gasped, my lungs drawing in pure, liquid fire. The human instinct to panic surged up my throat. My muscles screamed for release, demanding that I tear my hands away from the white stone altar and plunge myself back into the freezing comfort of the Harbour Nexus.
“Hold the line, Selina,” Lyra’s voice echoed through the furnace, her tone smooth and grounding against the v
