Page 144 of Bound to the Dreadlord

The further I go, the lighter I feel, as if I am shedding something with every step.

Regret.

Pain.

The remnants of who I used to be.

I hear nothing but the whisper of my own breath and the rustling leaves above. The battle, the voices, Veylan—they are all behind me. Gone.

He did not stop me.

He did not even try.

I do not allow the sting of that truth to touch me. It does not matter. Nothing matters except what comes next.

I am no longer a prisoner.

I am no longer a pawn.

And I will never let anyone control me again.

I walk for miles. Hours.

The ruins vanish behind me, lost to the mist that clings to the valley, to the darkness that spreads as the night deepens.

I do not stop.

My body does not demand rest. I’m oozing with my newfound power.

There is a river ahead, silver under the moon, reflecting the sky like a blade. I crouch at the edge, staring into the water, expecting to see myself.

I do not recognize the woman staring back.

Her eyes—too bright, glowing faintly in the dim light. A shimmer of unnatural gold bleeding into the silver of her irises. Her skin—pale, almost ethereal, like something not meant to exist in this world.

Her presence—wrong. Not human.

I reach out, my fingers brushing the water. The reflection ripples. The moment shifts.

The magic in my veins hums.

I exhale slowly, watching the way the river bends toward me.

It listens.

The night wind picks up. The trees sway. The world feels different.

The power inside me is different.

For the first time since my death and rebirth, I smile.

I was never meant to be a captive. Not to my captors.

Not to the brothers.

Not to Veylan.

I belong only to myself.

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