Elena’s POV

I stood at the edge of the ancestral hall, my fingers gripping the railing as rain drummed against the roof above, blurring my view of the courtyards below.

The air smelled faintly of wet stone and incense, and the atmosphere pressed against me like a weight I could not lift.

From this vantage point, I could see the golden dragons perched above the shrine, their eyes seeming to follow every movement inside the hall.

Inside, the hall itself was vast and solemn, every inch ...