Fen.
The soft light of the moon filtered through the curtains, casting a silver glow over the room. I stood at the balcony of our bedroom in the castle, my eyes fixed on the garden below, where the winding paths and meticulously trimmed hedges were bathed in the gentle light. The air was cool, carrying the scent of night-blooming jasmine and the faint, comforting fragrance of freshly cut grass.
I'd been here before.
I'd been here with Elsbeth in this very room, standing in silence, watching the same garden, feeling the same weight settle in my chest. The weight that had become a constant companion over the countless loops. The weight of helplessness. Of knowing what would come next, even as I struggled to prevent it.
"Fen?"
Her voice broke through my thoughts, a soft whisper in the stillness of the room. I didn't turn to face her, not yet. Not with everything swirling in my mind.
