The aftermath of the Trial should have brought peace.
But peace was a lie.
Ivy could feel it in the silence between council meetings.
In the guarded looks from instructors.
In the way even the walls of the academy seemed to hold their breath.
Something was coming.
And for once, it wasn’t just inside her.
She sat alone in the training hall, obsidian dagger in hand, repeating defensive movements over and over. The blade sang through the air, gold fire licking its edge, but her mind was far away.
Back in the Trial.
Back in the moment she almost took her father’s hand.
She hadn’t told Kael that part.
Not yet.
“I’ve never seen someone recover from the Trial of Truth like that.”
Ivy turned sharply.
Sorenna stood at the edge of the hall, arms crossed, face unreadable.
No mockery.
