Ardyn POV

The lake had stopped shining by morning.

What was once white and still now shimmered red, faint ripples moving across its surface even though no wind blew. It looked alive like blood remembering how to breathe.

I stood at the edge, my reflection trembling in the water. The moon’s broken light still painted half the sky crimson. I felt its pull deep in my body, the same place where the goddess had once whispered.

Kael’s hand brushed my shoulder. “It’s changing again,” he ...