The wind howled through the shattered landscape. Aurelia stood at the edge of the cliff, her eyes scanning the horizon, where nothing but chaos spread out before her. A storm unlike any other was brewing, and she could feel it in her bones. The world itself was trembling, as if it knew that everything was about to break.
She’d been here before. On the precipice of everything she knew, teetering on the edge of a choice that could destroy everything. The first time, it had been a choice of love, of loyalty, of survival. The second, it had been the choice of power, of self-forging, and of embracing the unknown.
But now, the choice was different. More final.
Behind her, Kane’s voice broke through the wind. “Aurelia, we need to go. Now.”
She turned to him, her heart heavy. His face was etch
