Meanwhile, while Soren was still facing the weight of his parents, Eve was lost in her own thoughts one quiet afternoon.

She stood by the window of her room, fingers tracing the cool glass, eyes fixed on the sky above. Clouds drifted lazily across the horizon, pale and fragile, yet persistent. She let herself sink into the memory of everything that had brought her to this point—the battles, the pain, the moments of quiet triumph that no one else would ever see.

Her mind wandered back to ...