The ruins appeared through the morning mist like a corpse rising from a grave.
Selene stood at the forest's edge, staring at what remained of her childhood home.
Eight years.
Eight years since she'd seen this place. Since she'd run through these halls chasing Isolde. Since her world had burned.
The manor was a skeleton. Blackened stone walls jutting toward the sky like broken ribs. The east wing had collapsed completely, leaving only rubble and ash. Nature was reclaiming what fire had destroyed—ivy crawling up the walls, saplings pushing through cracks in the foundation, wild grass covering the courtyard.
It looked smaller than she remembered. Less grand. Less imposing.
Just ruins. Nothing more.
Selene stepped out of the forest. Her hand rested on one of Mira's twin daggers at her belt. The other was strapped to her thigh. Both within easy reach.
Not that she expected danger here. The estate had been abandoned for years. No one came to these cursed grounds anymore.
