The next morning, the air in the office was thick with tension.
Matthew had left early for the Summit of Shadows, and the weight of his absence hung heavily over me.
The silence in the office felt different now—charged, as if something important was waiting to unfold.
I sat at my desk, staring at my computer screen, but my mind kept drifting back to the conversation we had last night.
The key. The Vault of Thorns. Ruelle. Every detail clung to me like a shadow, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something monumental was about to happen.
Suddenly, the door to my office opened, and Julian strolled in, his usual smirk plastered on his face. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said, his tone teasing but with a hint of concern.
