Mira's POV
The battlefield's noise faded into a strange quiet as I locked eyes with the woman I once called Mother. Her look beside the Shadow King was a knife to my heart, each beat ringing with treason.
"Mother?" My voice shook, barely heard over the faraway crashes of swords and cries of fights.
She stepped forward, her eyes steady. "Mira, my child. You've grown into the vessel we hoped for."
"We?" The word felt bitter. "You're with him? After everything?"
The Shadow King laughed, a sound empty of feeling. "She sees the truth now, Mira. The light you hold to is a chain. Together, we can break free."
I shook my head, memories of my mother's songs and lessons clashing with the reality before me. "No. This isn't freedom. It's domination."
Cassian's words br
