Aurenya’s POV
The room went silent again.
Not normal silence.
The kind that settles after something shifts permanently.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
My breathing sounded too loud in my own ears.
Waiting for you to remember who locked it away.
I stared at Draven.
“You’re saying someone trapped it.”
His expression didn’t change.
“Yes.”
“And that someone wasn’t my father.”
“No.”
Cold settled into my stomach.
Because if my father didn’t create the seal—
Then what exactly had he done?
I looked toward the doorway again.
The figure was still there.
Still watching.
But it felt different now.
Less distant.
Like it had stepped closer without moving.
Its shape flickered slightly around the edges.
Smoke trying to become solid.
Kaelor noticed my focus.
“It’s still there?”
I no
