The rain drifted softly across the sleeping city while Elara stood beneath the shelter lights with her hands folded tightly against her arms, and a strange sensation continued moving through her soul as though an invisible thread stretched between her existence and something ancient that had finally awakened beneath the earth. The feeling refused to fade. The feeling refused to weaken.
Far across the ruined districts of downtown, Eryndor remained motionless at the center of distorted streets while shattered glass reflected fragments of his golden gaze, and despite the distance separating them, he could sense her presence with absolute certainty. The connection felt familiar. The connection felt inevitable.
A pulse of energy moved through the city like an unseen heartbeat traveling beneath stone and steel, and Elara suddenly lifted her head while her breath caught within her throat because the sensation no longer felt distant. It felt close. It felt personal.
