The first thing Selene felt was warmth.

Not the burning kind that came from battle or magic, but the kind that seeped into her bones, gentle and calm. It pulsed through her chest, spreading like sunlight under her skin. Slowly, her breathing steadied. The darkness that had once surrounded her faded into a soft, silver glow.

She blinked.

The world was quiet. She lay on smooth stone, the air around her filled with a faint hum, as if the earth itself was whispering. A soft beam of moonlight ...