The forest trembled beneath Aria’s boots.

Not from any quake, nor beast’s footfall—but from the pulse of power echoing from the cracked Mirror Gate behind her. Each heartbeat was a drumbeat of warning. The gate had not closed after the last confrontation. It remained—wounded, humming, and leaking threads of spirit magic like blood from a torn vein.

Mara was near. Too near.

And the sky felt too quiet.

Caleb caught her hand before she could walk away again.

“Tell me what you’re ...