Chapter 8. The Reckoning

The moment Kaelen left the tent in the cool morning air, the reprieve shattered. The solid, steady warmth that had insulated Mira from her inner turmoil vanished, and the dull ache beneath her ribs returned with savage force. It swelled instantly into the familiar, throbbing pressure behind her eyes. Mira pressed her palms against her skull, tasting metallic panic.

She knew this pain. It was the sound of the old binding fracturing one hairline at a time. The pressure behind her eyes built until it pulsed with its own frantic heartbeat, confirming the terrifying truth. The silver glow that ripped through her veins wasn’t a blessing; it was the power tearing its way back through the cracks, leaving her body broken.

The terror wasn’t just physical; it was primal. She realized that the intensifying pain wasn’t just weakening her—it was signaling her location. If the binding’s weakness truly acted as a beacon for Magnus’s forces, she risked bringing ruin not just to herself,