The return to Shadowmoon Academy was not a triumph. It was a weary, bloodied march under a sky that refused to grant them mercy.
Kai Thorn carried Elara Voss as if she were the only thing keeping him anchored to the world. Her body was limp in his arms, her head resting against his chest, her breathing shallow and uneven. The silver light that had once surrounded her like a living aura had dimmed to the faintest shimmer along her fingertips flickering weakly, like a candle fighting against the wind. The sacrifice she had made on the ridge had taken more than a piece of her soul. It had left a quiet void inside her, a hollow place that no healing rune or potion could fill.
The strike team moved in a tight, protective formation around them. Lila’s copper wolf ran at Kai’s flank, her brothe
