|| Lilac's POV ||

The dungeon air clung to my skin like a second shadow, thick with the scent of damp stone and something bitter— rosemary, I realized. Endora had been here recently.

My footsteps echoed against the narrow corridor, each one heavier than the last. I clutched the vial of truth serum so tightly my knuckles ached. It was a desperate move, coming here. But I was out of options.

Aurora’s cries still haunted me— not the normal whimpers of a child, but ...