The return from Eryndor was silent.
Even the wind—usually so talkative in the high passes—seemed hesitant to speak.
Sophia didn't ask questions.
Noah didn't offer words.
Naida trailed behind them, frowning as if caught between fear and fury.
And within Sophia, something churned.
The truth—or something dressed as it—had been offered in a place where shadows lived and memories wore faces. But the worst part wasn't the lies.
It was the maybes.
What if Kaelvar hadn't always been a monster?
What if her mother hadn't been a savior?
What if Sophia wasn't meant to save the world—but reshape it?
⸻
When they reached the Fire Kingdom's outer gates, the guards bowed deeply, but Sophia barely noticed them. Flames burned low in the towers, as though the pyres sensed her uncertainty.
Elira a
