Chapter 40. At Moonlit Lake

The stronghold slept.

Behind its stone walls and vaulted arches, the fortress exhaled into darkness, its torches burning low, their light flickering in soft, rhythmic pulses that cast the long corridors into golden shadow. The silence was not empty, but alive—hushed, heavy with the kind of stillness that only came when a thousand breaths had finally stilled and the walls themselves could rest.

Mira followed Kaelen like a shadow cut from his own, her bare feet brushing the cold floor as they moved through a narrow side passage. He held her hand with a grip that was firm but careful, like he was afraid she might vanish again if he didn’t anchor her there beside him. The air changed as they moved deeper—from the perfume of stone and smoke to something colder, sharper, cleaner. A breath of wildness waiting beyond the walls.

When the final door creaked open and they stepped into the open night, Mira drew in a long, involuntary breath.

The world outside was wide ag