~LENORA'S POV
"You will watch him fall piece by piece as he destroys himself trying to protect you, and when the dark finally closes in, it will be your existence that leads him to his doom."
I have replayed those words so many times that they no longer sounded like words. Instead, they sounded like something carved into my mind.
I sat upright on what seemed to pass for a bed here, pulling my knees to my chest while staring at the faint crack in the wall opposite me.
The room was quiet, but my mind was not.
Why did the shadow speak to me?
If it wanted Alaric to fall, why not go to him directly?
Why did it speak like the future was already decided?
The worst part was not the threat. It was the certainty in its voice. It didn't sound angry or rushed. It sounded sure that what it had said was bound to happen.
Beside me, the weight of a body moved.
"You're awake," Azalea said softly, sleep evident in her voice.
