The moment the final memory returned, I understood that the war had started because of me.
Not because I became monstrous. Not because the creature beneath the seal lost control. Because I refused to surrender.
The truth crashed violently through the fractured bond between Kael and me, ripping away the last illusion the council had buried beneath centuries of lies. The collapsing world around us trembled harder beneath the weight of the returning memories while ancient power surged uncontrollably through my veins.
And this time, nothing inside me tried to reject it. Kael felt the shift instantly. His hand tightened painfully around mine despite the blood still running slowly from his mouth, his breathing uneven as the damaged bond continued tearing through both of us.
But even through
