The temple was silent when Ivy arrived.
No guards.
No priestesses.
Just Ember and the shadow-veiled woman who had agreed to perform the severance.
They stood before the altar—carved into the bones of an ancient beast, glowing faintly with forgotten runes.
“I’m ready,” Ivy said.
“No, you’re not,” Ember whispered. “But you’re doing it anyway.”
Ivy didn’t argue.
She stepped into the circle.
The priestess drew the line with a blade dipped in ash and flameblood.
“From this moment, you surrender the bond. The seal will remain, but the link to the shadow vessel—Kael—will break. The prophecy will shift. The future will splinter.”
Ivy gave one nod.
The priestess raised the dagger.
“Begin.”
Pain.
It wasn’t the kind that tore the flesh.
It was deeper.
Like every part of her that had
