Something inside me had started to break. Not all at once. Not with noise.
It was silent. It started with dreams I couldn't remember and then came the thoughts that weren't mine. Ideas, memories... feelings that came from nowhere. Anger. Shame. Pain. Regret. But not my regrets.
In the first few days, I thought it was just exhaustion. But it grew, and it grew a lot.
I would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and with burning eyes. During training, I lost control of my magic — a rune would come out crooked, an explosion stronger than it should be. In front of others, I pretended to be in control. But inside, I felt it. Something was wrong.
Varian noticed first. She always does.
"You're acting strange," she said one morning as we crossed the training courtyard. "You're... sharper."
I didn't answer. Because she was right. But I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't even know where to start.
