Stella
Not stronger.
Smarter.
That was the only thought steady enough to hold onto as I stepped into my own mind.
The shift was immediate. The world unfolded the way it always did — the vast, echoing hallways plagued with flashes of memories. It was like walking through fog.
Only it wasn't right.
The air felt different. Muted. The fog was thicker. We moved without sound.
Kael stepped in beside me, solid and warm at my back. He didn't speak at first. He scanned. The horizon flickered. Not dramatically. Just a tremor, like heat rising from stone.
"It's already been here," he said quietly.
I swallowed.
The memories were further set back than I remembered.
No — not further. Gone.
Eaten.
Something had taken pieces out of them. The edges weren't jagged like destruction. They were
