Chapter 158: The Trial of Threads
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CELESTE'S POV
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
The threads weren't just glowing now. They screamed. Spun tighter, faster — ribbons of raw magic slicing the air, choking the space between us with the scent of iron and betrayal. The Queen's echo floated above the rib like a god enthroned in her own grave, and every breath she took — every word she hadn't yet said — was a weight on my chest.
"You lied to me," I said, voice cracking against the force of her gaze. "You made me believe this was a choice."
"It is," she answered, her face — my face — tilting with eerie calm. "But not yours alone."
The threads flared.
Kael fell to one knee, jaw clenched, the burning red of his thread turning crimson-black as it fought to pull free from his chest.
Darius's hands gripped the air like he was trying to catch something unseen — but his thread pulsed erratically, like a dying star, flickering between silver and shadow.
