The moment the realization settled in her chest, Selara felt it not as a thought, but as a presence brushing against the edges of her consciousness. It didn't strike or invade; it observed. Patient. Intentional. Alive in a way that made her skin tighten with quiet warning. Her breath slowed, not from fear, but from a deep, instinctive recalibration. This was no longer just about power or survival something within her had awakened, something that did not entirely belong to her alone.
