Zephyra's POV
I didn't even realize I'd laughed until the sound echoed back at me from the walls.
It wasn't a real laugh, not the kind that comes from something funny. No, this one was dry and bitter, like a cough wrapped in disbelief. I sat up a little more, still holding the pillow close to my stomach like it might keep me grounded.
"So I'm going to die?" I asked, looking Astraea right in her red eyes. "You're saying I'll be put into some kind of… eternal sleep because I have weird eyes now? That's it? That's the grand punishment for something I didn't even ask for?"
Astraea didn't flinch. She just sighed—slow, deep, and tired.
"It's not fair," she admitted, "but that's how it is. The rules of the underworld aren't written with fairness in mind. They're about order and balance, and from their point of view, what's happened to you throws that balance off."
I stared at her. "But it's not my fault. I didn't do anything on purpose, and now I have to pay for it with my life?"
