The seal inside Liss's chest—the glass mirror that held Ling Kushi—
cracked again.
Not broken.
Not shattered.
Just one long split…
and it pulsed with power that smelled like madness.
They had three days of peace.
Three days where Liss smiled without bleeding the sky.
Where Naia taught Elyse to dance.
Where Korrin pretended he wasn't building a backup realm.
Where Thessaly and Liss slept back-to-back.
Breathing in rhythm.
Even when Liss didn't dream.
Then came the blood rain.
And the whisper:
"She's waking it."
"The Devourer is remembering."
"The prison is melting."
And in the heavens above,
a god burned her own name out of history rather than face what was coming.