Ariane:
I swallowed hard, heart pounding—not just from fear or exhaustion but from the strange comfort of Evie’s quiet presence at my side.
Beneath that softness, I sensed an unyielding strength wrapped in velvet.
Evie turned to me, her eyes sparkling with something I couldn’t quite read.
With a steady hand, she pushed the gate, opening it the rest of the way. It shimmered, then finished parting like a curtain of mist. Beyond was a vast training ground, stretching as far as the eye could see—a place of stone walls, practice dummies, and countless weapons hung on racks like waiting soldiers.
“This will be your world for the next few weeks,” Evie said, stepping through. Her voice was soft but carried a steel edge that alerted my nerves. “You’ll learn to fight—not just to survive, but to
