Sylvara POV
I didn't sleep much that night.
Every time I drifted off, my body jerked awake again, nerves buzzing under my skin. My bruises ached when I tired to shift, and my mind wouldn't stay quiet. The fight replayed over and over. The moment I almost gave up. The strange heat that had risen inside me instead.
Something was changing.
I felt it.
Morning came slowly, grey light creeping through the curtains. I lay there for a while, staring at nothing, listening to the palace wake again. Voices. Footsteps. Distant laughter. The trials had turned Velkorin into a living thing… restless, hungry for blood and spectacle.
Today wouldn't be easier.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood carefully. My body protested, but I welcomed the pain. It reminded me I was
