The night after the whisper faded, Aria couldn't sleep. The air around her kept humming, like the world itself waited for her next move.
She sat on the floor beside the broken window, staring at the lights below. The city looked peaceful, but she could feel the tremor under its skin. A war was crawling toward her.
Elias watched her from across the room. He hadn't said a word since she mentioned Sebastian's name.
Finally he asked, "What if it's really him?"
She didn't answer. Her fingers traced the edge of the window frame, cold and sharp. "Then I'll finish what I should have ended years ago."
He nodded, but his eyes stayed uneasy. Something about his silence made her chest twist. He'd been distant lately, slipping out at night, returning before dawn. When she asked, he said he was looking for allies. But each time, his voice sounded less like truth.
