The warmth that had once wrapped around the chamber was gone.
I felt it in my bones—the joy siphoned from the air, leaving behind a weight thick enough to crush every breath.
Even Celeste had pulled back, her energy shrinking, withdrawing into something that felt too rehearsed—like she had done this before, like she had learned how to brace herself for what was coming next.
And then—the shadows came.
They slithered from every corner, threading through the cracks in the stone, crawling together, merging into something dark, deliberate, unstoppable.
I stiffened, my pulse hammering against my ribs as the swirling mass settled, twisting into something that should not have been able to exist in this place of celebration, this room of joy.
Yet—it was here. And it was real.
At the far end
