Lucien
The bond is evolving faster than expected.
That is the problem.
Not the kingdoms. Not the prophecy. Not even the creature beneath the mountain.
Those things are predictable.
Fear always follows power. History already proved that.
But the bond?
The bond changes every hour.
And I no longer fully understand it.
We leave camp shortly after sunrise. Cassian leads automatically, moving through the forest with the quiet precision of someone born
to command battlefields. Kaelith stays near Aria.
Of course he does.
Eryndor walks slightly behind the group, pretending to be relaxed while glamour magic stretches invisibly through the trees around
us.
And me—I watch the bond.
Because someone has to.
It shifts constantly now. Subtle emotional exchanges pass between all five of u
