Ivy had barely slept since returning from the Shadow Realm.
Not because she couldn’t.
Because the fire inside her wouldn’t let her.
She tossed, turned, and burned—sometimes literally. Her sheets had scorched twice. Her fingertips now glowed faintly even when she wasn’t using her magic.
At night, she dreamed of her mother’s voice.
“You must unite them, Ivy. Wolves. Witches. Fire and fang.”
By dawn, she was up again. Training.
Not because the council asked her to.
Because she had no choice now.
She was the warbringer.
The academy had changed.
Students no longer whispered about Ivy behind her back.
They watched her openly.
Some with awe.
Some with fear.
And a few… with hatred.
Kael noticed it first.
Two enforcers cornered him outside the council hall—both were loyal to Elder
