Rose stepped into her room, the door easing shut behind her like a sigh. The world outside still crackled with tension—the remnants of war, loss, and prophecy—but here, silence reigned. Moonlight spilled through the tall windows in fractured patterns, soft and silver, brushing over the covers she hadn’t touched in days.
In her hands, she carried a book. Old. Bound in green leather that shimmered faintly in the light, like leaves caught in the wind. She’d found it buried in the farthest corner of the castle’s library, hidden behind a row of forgotten tomes about fairy politics and obscure rune-crafting. It had called to her—not with magic, but with something gentler. Familiar. Like a memory she didn’t know she had.
She moved toward the center of the room and placed the book carefully on t
