Theo
The manor was silent, the kind of silence that pressed against the walls like a held breath. I had sent Sofia to rest upstairs, though I doubted she was truly sleeping. The encounter at Moonveil had shaken her more than she let on. It had shaken me, too. Moonborn. The word clung to me like smoke, refusing to leave.
In the library, the scent of aged parchment and leather filled the air. My family’s collection of ancient scrolls and tomes sprawled across the long oak table. Some had been collected by my ancestors, others stolen, traded, or salvaged from ruins long forgotten. If there were answers about the Moonborn, they would be here.
I lit a lamp, the golden glow spilling across the brittle pages. Shadows clung to the corners of the room, making the tall shelves feel alive, like wa
