Aria's POV
Days have passed since my last encounter with Victor in the moonlit garden. Seven long nights where sleep has eluded me, where every shadow outside my window seems to hold his silhouette. Tim watches me like a hawk now, his protective instincts sharpened to a dangerous edge. He never leaves my side, never lets me wander alone through the temple corridors.
Yet even with my sworn knight's constant presence, I can feel Victor out there. His energy wraps around the sacred grounds like invisible chains, heavy with frustration and longing. The bond between us pulses with his anger at my absence, his desperation for me to return to him. But I cannot. I will not. This path leads nowhere but destruction.
"Are you listening to me at all?" Audrey's sharp voice cuts through my wandering thoughts. "You have been staring at nothing for nearly an hour. We need to leave soon."
