Levina did not hesitate.
"There was thunder," she began. "But not the kind that comes and goes with a passing storm. This was… different. It shook the very foundations of the palace. The walls trembled. The windows rattled as though they might shatter at any moment."
Aurelia's brows furrowed.
"And the lightning," Levina continued, her voice lowering, "struck again and again, so close it felt as though the sky itself had descended upon us. And it did not feel distant—it felt like it was just right above us, pressing down, as though something beyond our understanding was trying to break through."
Aurelia stilled.
"And that was not all," Levina added, her gaze locking onto hers. "Every torch in the castle—every single flame—reacted. They did not flicker. They did not waver with the wind. Instead… they flared."
She leaned closer.
