The air in the alley seemed to grow thinner as Neisa's words settled over me. Every word she spoke was a reminder of the wreckage I, or rather, the original Irene, had caused on her.
I looked at the stall where the small yet diverse collection of herbs was, and then my gaze shifted to the chipped wooden roof. This was a tragedy I had written with my own hands. In my original draft, I needed a catalyst to show how ruthless Josephine could be, so I created Neisa Kara.
I gave her a prestigious lineage. A girl born into a family of renowned sorcerers whose specialty was the delicate art of balance. From crafting everything like magical weapons for the front lines to the most intricate healing potions used in the Imperial Palace.
And then? I let Josephine take it all away.
