The Haven loomed in the distance, majestic and haunting as ever. I hadn’t seen it in months, yet it looked exactly the same, like a painting that never aged.
Towering archways. Polished stone walls. The great iron gates still bore the crest that used to symbolize pride but now only triggered unease.
I stared through the window, my fingers curled around, heart thudding. My old world. My former home.
But it didn’t feel like home anymore.
Aiden stood on the shoulder of the winding road, and we both sat in silence. The sky above had begun to gray, faint clouds rolling in from the horizon, a perfect mirror to the weight sitting on my chest.
“You okay?” Aiden asked quietly, his hand finding mine.
I nodded, though my eyes never left the school.
“I thought I wanted to come here. To… face it
