"Some tides return no matter how far we run from the shore because fate always remembers what the heart tried to forget."
LYSANDER'S POV
The night was not quiet, and for once, the Pearl Castle had many silences, but none of them were peaceful. The sea never slept. It hummed through the walls like breath, as if the ocean itself waited, watching, listening. Since the last battle, its voice had grown louder. Restless.
I stood at the highest terrace, the stars above me choked behind veils of cloud. The air was thick with salt and something sharper, something ancient. The aftermath of power reclaimed. Morkai, my king, my friend… my god now. The revelation still echoed in the marrow of my bones.
