I woke to silence.
Not the silence of an empty room. Not the silence of holding your breath. The silence of absence. Of something fundamental missing from the world.
My eyes opened slowly. I was lying on cold marble. The Pool chamber. The crimson water had returned to black, perfectly still in its basin. Above me, the ceiling stretched into darkness.
I tried to sit up and agony lanced through my entire left side. My arm. The burning. Luna's price for honesty.
I looked down at my wrist.
The Blood Moon mark was different now. Not just a simple crescent anymore. The fire had changed it, made it more complex. The moon was still there, but now it was surrounded by intricate patterns that looked like flames frozen in silver. And beneath the mark, I could see the faint outline of bone.
The fire had burned all the way through. Just like Luna promised. Seared the truth into the deepest parts of me.
But I'd survived.
