The moon hung high and sharp, its silvery glow brushing over the fortress like the cool breath of an unseen guardian. Despite the late hour, Aria couldn't sleep. Her mind refused rest, haunted by the stranger from her dreams, by the strange scroll Jonah had revealed, and the growing weight that she was more than just a leader.
She wrapped her cloak tighter around her as she walked the outer walls, footsteps light on the stone. Far below, the village flickered with firelight, quiet and safe. But the feeling in her chest told her that safety was an illusion, a delicate veil waiting to be torn.
A shadow detached from the darkness ahead. It was Kael.
"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked, his voice low, laced with concern.
Aria shook her head. "It's getting louder. The voice in my dream. The man in the dark."
Kael stepped closer. "You think he's real?"
"I don't just think," she said. "I know."
Kael let out a breath. "Then we need to know more. Before he makes his move.
