Aurenya’s POV
The silence after Lyssara’s words didn’t feel empty.
It felt sealed.
Like something had clicked shut in the air, locking all of us inside the same moment.
“…From them.”
No one moved.
Not Rhydan.
Not Kaelor.
Not even Draven.
And that was the first time I understood something terrifying.
Draven wasn’t controlling this anymore.
He was following it.
A low sound came from outside the broken window.
Not a step.
Not a voice.
A resonance.
Like the world itself was acknowledging a change in ownership.
Rhydan tightened his grip on me instantly. “Aurenya—don’t listen to it.”
But I already was.
Not by choice.
The bond wasn’t pulling now.
It was settling.
Like a wound being pressed into place.
Wrongly.
But permanently.
Arinya shifted beside us.
Slow.
Unsteady.
