The hall never fully recovered from the explosion.
Dust still hung in the air like a stubborn fog, turning the enchanted lights into hazy halos. The scent of scorched stone mixed with fear, sweat, and the metallic tang of magic torn open too quickly. Warriors shouted over one another as they moved the injured. Healers knelt beside the fallen, hands glowing, voices tight with urgency. Delegates who had arrived in polished dignity now stood disoriented, robes dirtied, composure shattered.
In the middle of it all, Kaden carried Aria.
He didn’t remember lifting her. One moment she had been sagging in his arms, breath shallow, the next he was on his feet, moving with a single, focused goal—get her away from the damage, away from the open space, away from whatever threat still lurked in the s
