The world felt eerily quiet as Selene stood at the edge of the cliff, the wind whipping through her hair. The sky above was painted with shades of crimson and orange as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, casting long shadows across the land. The weight of the decision that loomed before her settled heavily on her chest, her heart pounding like a drum in her ears.Ronan stood beside her, his presence a comforting anchor amidst the storm brewing inside her. His hand brushed against hers, a touch so gentle it was almost imperceptible, but the connection was undeniable. It was a bond that had grown between them over time, one forged through countless battles, sacrifices, and shared moments of vulnerability.“You know what this means, right?” Ronan’s voice broke the silence, low and steady, but there was an edge to it—an unspoken tension that crackled between them. He wasn’t asking for her to confirm what they both already knew; he was merely reminding her of the stakes.Selene nodded, he
The storm had passed, leaving the air thick with the heavy scent of wet earth. The landscape was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves as the wind whispered through the trees. Selene stood at the edge of the clearing, her breath shallow, her pulse quickening with each passing second. The remnants of the battle still lingered—damaged equipment, shattered arrows, and bloodstains marking the ground like a cruel reminder of their fight.Ronan was at her side, his presence a steady anchor in the chaos. But even his quiet strength couldn’t soothe the unease gnawing at her gut. Something was off. She could feel it in the air, taste it on her tongue—the scent of betrayal.“You don’t trust him, do you?” Ronan’s voice was low, almost a whisper, as though he too was aware of the same undercurrent of tension. He didn’t need to say who he meant. The wordless accusation hung between them, unspoken but undeniable.Cassian.Selene clenched her fists at her sides, the memory of his la
The night had fallen silent, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. The sky was a dark canvas, painted with scattered stars and the soft glow of the moon. Ronan sat against the stone wall of the abandoned cottage, his body still sore from the earlier skirmish. The pale light of the moon filtered through the cracks in the wooden walls, casting eerie shadows across the room. He was no longer the man who had walked in with confidence days ago. Wounds, both physical and emotional, marred him, and the weight of his secret gnawed at his mind.Selene sat beside him, her presence a quiet comfort. She hadn’t said much since they arrived, and neither had he. The space between them felt charged with something unspoken, a tension thick enough to feel tangible in the air. Their eyes occasionally met, but neither was brave enough to hold the gaze for long.“Ronan…” Selene’s voice was soft, hesitant, as if testing the waters. “We need to talk about what happened back there.”His jaw t
The night air was thick with tension, as if the very atmosphere around them could sense the impending danger. Selene’s breath was shallow, each exhale sending a gust of steam into the cold, dark night. Her heart raced, her thoughts a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.“Stay close,” Ronan’s voice was low, commanding yet laced with a protective urgency that she couldn’t ignore. She had always trusted him, had always known him to be the one person who would always have her back.But now… now, everything was different. The line between ally and enemy had blurred. Selene couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed—something more than just the chaos of running for their lives. The weight of the situation pressed down on her chest, her mind torn in ways she hadn’t anticipated.Cassian had appeared again, and despite the burning anger she still felt toward him, something inside her had shifted. His presence was like a crack in her armor, a reminder of the past they’d shared. Her loy
The silence that followed the distant rustle in the trees hung heavily between them. Selene’s heart hammered against her chest, her breath shallow as she strained to catch any further sounds of movement. The eerie calmness was suffocating, but the feeling of being watched was undeniable. Every nerve in her body screamed for action.Ronan’s grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, his body stiff with alertness. He glanced over at Selene, his brow furrowed in concern, but his voice was steady as he whispered, “We’re not alone.”Cassian, too, had drawn his blade, his eyes flicking around, scanning their surroundings with sharp precision. “It’s not just the wind,” he muttered, his tone laced with frustration. “There’s someone—or something—out there.”Selene swallowed, forcing herself to meet Ronan’s gaze. Her pulse raced, but there was no room for fear. Not now. Not when they were so close to finding the answers they needed. But something about the tension in the air felt different—more d
The forest had never been this quiet.Selene’s steps slowed as the soft rustle of leaves fell away behind her, leaving only the sound of her breath and Ronan’s labored ones beside her. The moonlight filtered in broken slivers through the thick canopy above, casting strange shadows that danced like specters in their path.“It’s too quiet,” Ronan murmured, hand on his side where the wound still hadn’t fully healed.Selene nodded, her fingers brushing the hilt of her dagger. “They’re watching.”Ronan’s jaw clenched. “How do you know?”“I don’t know,” she whispered, “I feel it.”They were a half-day from the ruins Varian had mentioned, seeking the lost seal that could either protect the realms or doom them all. But now the woods felt…wrong. As if the air itself was holding its breath. Even the usual sounds of the night—crickets, owls, the occasional scurry of small creatures—had gone silent.Cassian appeared ahead, his dark cloak blending into the trees. “We’re being followed,” he said wi
The forest was too still.Not the calm of peace—but the kind that pressed against Selene’s chest like a held breath before a scream. The mist was thicker than usual, curling around her boots as she stepped lightly over the moss-covered stones. Behind her, Ronan limped, refusing to let his injury slow him down despite the pallor in his face. Cassian trailed behind them, silent, watchful, as if sensing the shift in the air.They had followed the map Varian gave them—drawn with shaking hands and the words, “You have to go where the veil is thinnest. Where her blood calls the old power.”Selene hadn’t understood it then. But now? She felt it. Something ancient stirred beneath the roots of this forest. Something waiting.“We’re close,” she whispered, glancing at the stone markings half-buried in the undergrowth. Runes. Older than any language she knew. Her fingertips brushed against one and a sudden jolt of energy shot up her arm, making her stumble back.Ronan caught her. “Careful.”But i
The wind screamed through the broken trees as Selene stumbled forward, clutching the edge of her cloak against the rising storm. The energy in the air was different now—tighter, raw, pulsing with magic that didn’t belong to her. It burned beneath her skin, setting her nerves on fire. They were close.Behind her, Ronan’s breathing was heavy, uneven. His wound had reopened during the skirmish, and every step he took painted the snow in crimson. Still, he pressed on, jaw clenched, refusing to leave her side.“We need to stop,” she said, glancing back at him. “You’re bleeding too much.”“No,” he growled. “Not here. Not while they’re hunting us.”The magic crackled again, this time from the west. Cassian cursed under his breath, tightening his grip on his blade. “They’re flanking us. We need higher ground.”Selene nodded, her mind racing. The stranger’s warning still echoed in her head—The next attack won’t just be a threat. It’ll be a reckoning. And it wasn’t just Elias now. Something els
The world seemed to blur around Selene as Elias’s words echoed in her skull like thunder:“He was never yours to save.”“No…” Her voice came out cracked, raw. The torchlight in the cavern flickered wildly, casting warped shadows over her brother’s face. But nothing could distort the cold satisfaction in his eyes.“Where is he?” Selene took a step forward, fury tightening every muscle in her body. “Where is Ronan?”Elias smiled, slow and cruel. “He made his choice. He followed you into the fire, Selene. And like everyone who touches you… he’ll burn.”Before she could move, lightning cracked through the chamber—magic. Her body jerked as power surged toward her, but Cassian was faster. He shoved her to the side, the bolt hitting him square in the shoulder with a sickening thud. He collapsed, groaning in pain.“Cassian!” Selene dropped beside him, but he grit his teeth and waved her off. “I’m fine,” he rasped. “Get to him. Get to Ronan.”Elias raised his hand again, another spell forming
The forest was dense, thick with the scent of moss and earth. Every step the group took was muffled by the layers of underbrush, but the oppressive silence around them felt like a warning. As they traveled deeper into the heart of the woods, Selene couldn’t shake the sensation that they were being watched. The shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally, and every gust of wind carried with it the unsettling hum of something dark, waiting.She glanced back at Ronan, whose strong features were etched with something she couldn’t quite place—a quiet tension, a weariness that hadn’t been there before. Beside him, Cassian walked with his usual impassive expression, though Selene had learned to read the flickers of thought behind his eyes. He was more guarded now than he had ever been, and it only made the silence more suffocating.The three of them had been traveling for days, keeping a swift pace through the thick wilderness. The danger was palpable; the Order of Ash was getting closer, she coul
The storm had subsided, leaving an eerie stillness in the air. The sky was darkening, the last light of dusk fading beneath the horizon, and the fire from the earlier battle was now nothing more than smoldering embers. The journey ahead felt uncertain, as though the very ground beneath them was holding its breath.Selene sat on the edge of a fallen tree, her fingers tracing the edges of the strange emblem Cassian had found. It was unlike anything she had seen before. The symbol was carved deep into the metal, its intricate patterns swirling like an ancient language. It wasn’t Elias’s insignia, and it certainly wasn’t anything she could recognize.“What do you think it means?” Cassian’s voice interrupted her thoughts. He was standing nearby, his posture tense, scanning the surrounding forest as if the trees themselves might spring to life at any moment.“I don’t know,” she replied, her voice heavy with uncertainty. “But whatever it is, it doesn’t belong to us.”Ronan, leaning against a
The air around Selene was heavy, thick with the tension of what was about to unfold. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she stood before the ancient altar, the symbols etched into the stone glowing faintly in the dim light. The ritual had only just begun, and already, she could feel the power surging through her like an unstoppable force, pulling her in every direction.Ronan stood just behind her, his presence a comforting weight against her back. She could hear the strain in his voice as he muttered something under his breath, but his words were drowned out by the pulsing energy around them.“Selene,” he called, his tone tight with worry. “You don’t have to do this. We can still find another way.”But she shook her head, her eyes locked on the altar before her. The symbols had started to twist and warp, the air growing colder with every passing moment. The forces that had been bound for centuries were now on the brink of being released, and there was no turning back.“I’m the only
The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the ruins of the old temple. It had been hours since the battle ended, but Selene still couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was coming. The wind whispered through the trees like a voice calling from a distant past, and the air crackled with the remnants of dark magic.Selene stood at the edge of the temple, her hand clutching Ronan’s, her heart racing. The flickering embers of the fire they’d started earlier had burned down to mere cinders. Around them, the once-sacred place had become a battlefield, stained with blood and broken dreams. Cassian was off to the side, his gaze fixed on something in the distance, the lines of tension in his shoulders clear. His instincts were on edge—something wasn’t right.“We should’ve left hours ago,” Ronan muttered, his voice hoarse as he leaned against her for support. His wound had healed, but his body still bore the marks of their struggle. Despite his resilience, he looked worn
The air was thick with the scent of blood, earth, and something darker, something ancient that hung just beneath the surface of the world they had come to know. Selene’s heart pounded in her chest, each beat a reminder that time was slipping away faster than she could keep up. The sound of crunching leaves beneath their boots felt like thunder in the silence that had descended upon them, yet no one spoke. There was nothing left to say.They had lost so much.The night was coming fast, the shadow of the moon threatening to swallow the world whole. The storm had passed, but the damage it had left in its wake was irreversible. Selene could feel it, a gnawing presence that lurked at the edges of her thoughts, creeping into her mind like a poison. Her magic pulsed, raw and untamed, just beneath the surface of her skin. She had used it too much, too recklessly. And yet, it was the only thing keeping her alive.Ronan limped beside her, his expression strained as he fought against the weight
The wind howled through the barren landscape, a cruel reminder that even in the midst of all this chaos, nature remained indifferent. Selene’s breath came in sharp, ragged gasps as she struggled to keep her footing. The weight of her magic pressed down on her chest, a suffocating force that she couldn’t escape. Every step felt like it could be her last, every pulse of power, like a silent countdown to a final reckoning.Her fingers trembled as she reached for Ronan’s hand, her vision blurred from the exhaustion that was quickly consuming her. She could feel him beside her, a steady presence in a world that felt anything but. But even his strength couldn’t stop the storm that was brewing inside her. The fire in her veins, the force of the magic she had unleashed—it had changed her, and now, it threatened to undo everything she had fought for.“Selene, we need to rest,” Ronan’s voice was strained, his usual strength wavering under the weight of his own injuries.“I can’t,” she whispered
The air was thick with tension as they trekked through the jagged landscape, every step feeling like a test of their endurance. The storm that had ravaged the land was now behind them, but its scars remained—charred trees, smoldering earth, and an unsettling silence that hung heavy in the air.Selene could feel it—the weight of something ancient, pulling at the core of her being. She had never experienced this much power, not even when she first unleashed her flames in the chaos of battle. The power was hers, but it wasn’t hers entirely. It was something darker, something that stretched far beyond her understanding, and it called to her, urging her to give in.Behind her, Ronan moved with a visible struggle. His injury had worsened, the deep gash along his side still bleeding despite their best efforts to staunch the flow. But it was more than the physical wound that slowed him down. There was an ache in his eyes, a weariness that suggested more than just the fight he had endured. It
Her body felt different—alive with a strange, searing energy that thrummed beneath her skin, as though every nerve was lit by fire. The aftermath of the Binding Ritual had left its mark on her, but not in ways she had anticipated. She could feel it in her bones—the power that was once hers alone had become something else, something darker, and more ancient. The shadows she had once controlled now whispered to her in a language she couldn’t understand.She opened her eyes, but the world around her was blurred. The familiar faces of Ronan, Cassian, and the others were hazy, like they were far away, separated by an invisible barrier. Her heart pounded, and for a brief moment, she wondered if it had all been a dream. The ritual. The fire. The overwhelming power that had surged through her.“Selene,” a voice cut through the fog, rough with concern. It was Ronan.Her head snapped in his direction, and his figure slowly came into focus. He was kneeling beside her, his face pale, his eyes wid