The silver light wouldn't leave me alone.
Even when I tried to sleep, it flickered under my skin like a second heartbeat.
Alexander noticed.
He didn't say anything at first, but I saw it in his eyes — worry, mixed with something deeper. Fear.
One morning, he found me in the kitchen, staring at my hands. The light was pulsing softly, unbidden.
"Elara," he said quietly, "we need to talk."
I nodded. We sat at the table.
"The power is changing you," he said.
"I know."
"It's not just stronger. It's... darker."
I looked away. "The voice is louder. It tells me to take what I want. To stop holding back."
He reached for my hand. "Then hold on tighter. To me. To us."
I pulled away gently. "What if holding on is what breaks me?"
He didn't answer right away.
That night, the voice was ins
