Dawn hadn’t broken yet, but the sky was already loosening its darkness.
A thin strip of pale light was spreading over the horizon, like someone had taken a knife to the night and slit it open.
The wind at the rooftop was cold and high, tugging at Selene Aurelius’s long hair, making it stream behind her like a black banner. She stood on the edge of the tower as if she’d grown out of the concrete — calm, steady, rooted above the world she had built.
She didn’t turn at first. Just watched the faint line of light grow a little brighter.
Only when she heard his footsteps — uneven, heavy, soaked in blood — did she finally look back.
Her gaze settled on Gael.
There was no surprise there. No shame. Just a depth so dark it felt like looking into a flooded crypt.
“So,” she said quietly, as if
