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The call came like a whisper across the soul.
Aria’s eyes snapped open. The guest chamber was awash in pale silver light spilling through the balcony doors. Her heartbeat thrummed fast and uneven, not with fear but with an otherworldly pull she couldn’t name.
A shadow moved outside.
She slipped out of bed and padded to the balcony, the chill of the night air biting at her bare feet. Kael stood at the edge of the terrace, shoulders squared, his gaze fixed on the full moon. The silver light carved the angles of his face into something both beautiful and unyielding.
“You feel it,” he said without turning.
Aria’s voice was barely above a whisper. “What is it?”
“The Moon’s Trial,” he replied, finally facing her. His eyes were not just golden now — they shimmered with an inner glow, l
