O H FjThe moon hung low over Velmira, casting a pale glow across the temple ruins. The air was thick with tension, the kind that made birds silent and shadows stretch longer than they should.

Rosalinda stood at the edge of the courtyard, her cloak billowing in the wind. Her eyes, once uncertain, now shimmered with golden light. The training had awakened something deep within her—something ancient and untamed.

She sensed the presence before she saw it.

From the trees, a figure ...