Chapter 76

Viona's POV

The night air was thick with silence, broken only by Sally's unsteady breaths as she stumbled behind me. Her heels caught on the grass, her fear slowing her steps, but I didn't stop until the towering wall of Edenvale rose before us. Beyond it stretched the dark forest-silent, endless, forbidden.

Every student knew the rule: step into the forest, and you're expelled immediately. No questions asked. No exceptions.

I turned slowly, pinning Sally with a gaze sharp enough ...