Cassian's POV
Something was wrong.
Something was awfully wrong.
The moment I stepped out of the Arcanum archives, the air in Valeries City felt… off. Too sharp. Too bright. Like the neon lights were buzzing directly beneath my skin.
Magic.
Her magic.
It pulsed faintly through the ley-lines, frantic and uncontrolled—like a distressed heartbeat thudding against the city's ribs. My chest tightened.
Sarafina.
I quickened my pace, weaving through the midnight crowds. Humans brushed past me laughing, drunk, oblivious. If they could feel even a fraction of what I felt right now, they'd be running.
A tremor of starlight flickered above the rooftop skyline—barely there, but enough to make my pulse stutter.
"Not again," I whispered.
She'd flared. Hard.
Which meant…
Her seal was cracking faster than expected.
I reached the edge of the Starlit Bridge, gripping the railing as a wave of magic vibrated through the metal. Cold. Ancient. Familiar in the worst way.
Mother's magic.
