Chapter 260. A Sense of Danger

Aurora’s POV

Ashton didn’t speak at first. He exhaled slowly, rubbing his face with a hand that looked like it had seen too much of the world. His shoulders were hunched slightly, like the truth was weighing them down. “Aurora,” he said finally, voice soft but resonant, “the Earth is ancient. Older than our kind, older than magic itself. It’s a vast reservoir of energy—raw, untamed, and alive. Every root, every blade of grass, every drop of rain… all of it holds life. Energy. That’s all life really is. Energy moving in a pattern.”

He reached out, taking a pebble from next to him and throwing it at the sea. The pebble skipped once, before sinking into the waves. “I didn’t bring it back from the dead the way necromancers do. I didn’t tear it from the afterlife or anything. I borrowed it…I stopped it’s soul from entering into the afterlife. That’s all. I asked the Earth for a little piece of its energy… and I gave it to him.” His eyes met mine, solemn and sincere. “H