Chapter 13. The Shatter-Soul

They ran without speaking.

The trees didn’t behave like trees anymore. They pulsed—forward, back, as if the forest itself had become a heart on the brink of rupture. The roots twisted underfoot, trying to drag them back into the memory-fog. And above, the sky shimmered with cracks like broken glass holding back another realm.

Aria gripped the shard in her chest not with her hands, but her will. It tugged at her, called to the forest’s ancient places. But she ignored the pull, focused on the path ahead. She wouldn’t look back. Not yet.

By the time they reached the perimeter, the barrier stones were dark. All magic had fled them.

Solin collapsed first. Blood trickled from his nose, a bruise blooming across his jaw. Jules knelt to check him.

“We’re losing time,” Rhea said, eyes scanning the shadows. “We need to get him out of here. We need wards. We need fire.”

“No,” Aria said, standing still, hands trembling. “We need a soulbinder.”

Jules look