Sarafina POV
Cassian's voice still lingered in the air after the door sealed itself again.
Soft.
Frayed.
More broken than I'd ever heard it.
"I'm here."
I pressed my palm to the cold stone, wishing I could touch him through it.
Wishing I had answers.
Wishing any of this made sense.
But the more I remembered… the more the world stopped feeling like mine.
Thalen watched me with those unreadable eyes of his, arms folded behind his back.
"You should rest," he murmured.
I shook my head. "Rest won't stop whatever's happening to me."
"No," he agreed quietly. "But it may give you clarity."
I was about to argue when something glimmered in his hand—
a crystal sliver, small as a teardrop, glowing faintly with soft white light.
My pulse stumbled.
"What is that?" I whispered.
Thalen approached slowly, as though the object might bolt if startled.
"Your mother left you many things," he said. "Most cannot be given yet. But this… this is yours by right."
He extended the shard.
