POV Elyzara
The dream started slowly, gently as though afraid that rushing would chase it away, leaving me alone again in the dark.
Mist rolled across a battlefield lit by the pale moon. Bodies and banners lay forgotten in the mud, the aftermath of violence so quiet now it seemed almost peaceful. The moon watched silently, glowing softly in the velvet sky, and I stood beneath it, dressed in black armor etched in silver flame. My hair flowed wild and unbound, heavy with memory.
Across the broken earth, through the mist and shadow, I saw her.
Velka.
She approached slowly, the light catching in her midnight eyes, making them gleam like polished obsidian. Her armor was dark as night, each line of metal perfectly fitted to her slender form, a black cloak flowing behind her like liquid silk. Her expression was soft, vulnerable in a way I'd rarely seen. Her gaze found mine and held it.
A breath. A heartbeat.
"You shouldn't be here," I whispered, my voice trembling.
