The silence after the storm was never truly quiet—not when the storm came from within.
Aria stood at the edge of the Moonstone Cavern, the sacred pool still rippling with echoes of power. Behind her, Caleb watched her carefully, his expression unreadable. The kiss they'd shared minutes ago still clung to her lips like a dream she couldn't wake from—too tender, too raw, too real.
But none of it mattered now. Not when Rowan was missing. Not when a piece of her soul was gone.
The darkness that had erupted from the mirror gate now pulsed faintly inside her chest, like a heartbeat that wasn't hers. She clutched the pendant Solene had once given her, its glow fading as if sensing what had been taken.
"Talk to me," Caleb said softly, stepping up beside her. "What happened in there?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. I thought I had control. I thought the shadow version of me—whatever she is—was just a vision. A remnant from the trials. But now…"
She turned to him, voice hollow.
