The room was heavy with unspoken expectations. The Circle of the Shattered Bond had gathered around the stone table, their eyes locked on me, their silent observation making the air thick with pressure. I stood at the edge of the gathering, feeling the weight of their scrutiny, but there was more, something darker beneath their watchful gazes. It was a force that pulsed in the room, as though the very bond I carried was both connecting and dividing us.
I had always thought of strength as something physical, muscles, speed, power. But here, in the presence of the Circle, I began to understand something else: true strength was control. It was in the mind, the heart, the choices we made when faced with impossible odds.
The rogue who had led me to this point stepped forward, his eyes glintin
