The second trial had changed something inside Ophelia.
Not the kind of change that others could see.
She didn't suddenly become fearless.
She didn't stop worrying.
She didn't stop caring.
She simply stopped believing that fear meant she was weak.
For the first time, Ophelia understood that courage was not the absence of fear.
It was choosing what mattered more.
And what mattered more was standing between the darkness and the people she loved.
The morning after her second trial, Raven's Creek gathered outside the Crimson Raven Lodge.
The air felt different.
Everyone could sense it.
Something was coming.
The warriors stood ready.
The leaders stood together.
The town stood united.
But Ophelia noticed something else.
They weren't standing together because they were afraid.
Th
