Elara POV
My parents should be on the road by now.
The thought refused to settle properly in my mind. It sat there, heavy and uncertain, pulling my emotions in opposite directions. I did not know whether to feel excited or terrified. I had not spoken to them in days. I did not know how they would react to the news, to the ritual, to Kael.
To me being chosen.
Before anything else, I needed to put the house in order.
The omega housing had never truly felt like home. It was temporary, borrowed, quiet in a way that reminded you that you were replaceable. Since my parents traveled, I had barely spent time there. Most nights I stayed with Maren or buried myself in work.
I packed what I could. Clothes. Small keepsakes. Things that mattered. When I stepped outside and locked the door behind
