The world didn’t end after Lucien’s words.
But something inside Ivy shifted.
A quiet, soul-deep tremble.
“You weren’t born to save the world. You were born to end it—when he commands.”
She couldn’t sleep that night.
Couldn’t eat.
Couldn’t even feel the fire humming in her blood anymore.
Because if what Lucien said was true...
She wasn’t a prophecy.
She was a puppet.
Kael found her standing in the ruins of the old academy chapel, staring at the crumbled altar where students once prayed to the moon goddess.
“You’re avoiding everyone,” he said gently.
“I’m avoiding myself.”
She didn’t look at him. Couldn’t.
“What if it’s true, Kael?” she whispered. “What if I’m not the Flameborn heir? What if I’m just… his plan?”
He moved closer. “Then change the plan.”
“It’s not that simple.”
