Nathan's POV

The moment Adina went under, I felt something shift in the room, something I didn’t like.

The seer had insisted on preparing her spiritually for the Calling of Fire, saying the ceremony required balance, clarity, and alignment with whatever ancient force chose to speak through her bloodline. She spoke with her usual cryptic calm, but something about her eyes, something about the way her fingers trembled around her herbs… it gnawed at me.

Now Adina sat in the center of the ...