AYLA – POV
The moon had barely set by the time the ash from the destroyed Seer creature had faded into the lake.
We didn't speak of it.
Kael stood at the edge like a silent sentry. Rylan paced behind us, muttering calculations. I just watched the stars blink out one by one as dawn crept forward, slow as guilt.
It had spoken through me.
Not the creature. Her.
The First Luna.
I still felt her voice curling in my chest like smoke behind ribs. Not whispering, not screaming. Just... waiting.
"We have to go to the Bone Grounds," I said finally.
Kael turned. "That's Seer territory."
I nodded. "And the only place the Council fears to step."
Rylan stopped pacing. "You think it's real? The original Luna tomb?"
I looked down at my hands.
The runes were gone.
But I could still feel them beneath the skin.
"I don't think," I said. "I know."
