Eliana POV
It started in my dreams.
And my ever-burning shadow Scarlet danced a twisting and endless death, flicking in and out of smoke and silence. She stood at the verge of touch, staring, silent-mouthed. I stretched my hands out and my trembling finger only touched ash.
She didn’t speak.
She just stared at me. Silent. Accusing. A ghost in red.
And then… she vanished. Just like that.
I jerked upright with a gasp, my dreams cling to me like cobwebs. It was cold sweat that had my skin slick and sheets a tangle about my legs. I stood like a statue trying to calm my heart that was beating heavily like a drum. But something was wrong.
The room was still.
Too still.
Not the peace of early morning silence. No. This stillness felt deliberate. Tense. Like the air itself was holding its
