Cassian’s POV
"She’s becoming something else…"
Lila stands at the edge of the woods, looking at me like I’m not her friend anymore. The wind pushes through her dark hair, but she doesn’t blink. Her claws twitch at her sides, uncertain. Her face is a mix of hesitation—and maybe fear.
“Lila,” I say her name, but my voice doesn’t sound like my own. It echoes through the air like something ancient. Something buried.
She flinches. “You’re not her,” she says. “Not anymore.”
Cassian steps closer but doesn’t reach out. He just watches me with those serious eyes that always seem to know more than they say. “She’s becoming what she was meant to be,” he tells Lila. “What they tried to crush before she even had the chance.”
Lila shakes her head. “She’s glowing,” she mutters. “She’s… burning.”
