The forest doesn’t feel the same anymore.
Not after the truth.
Not after her truth.
Morning light filters through the trees, but it doesn’t bring warmth.
It brings clarity.
And clarity, right now, is dangerous.
Samantha stands alone in the clearing.
The same place where everything shifted.
Where the seal cracked just enough to reveal what she truly carries.
Her hands are steady.
But her mind isn’t quiet.
An ancient demonic queen.
The words echo.
Not like a memory—
Like a presence.
“You’re up early.”
Jack’s voice breaks through her thoughts.
She doesn’t turn immediately.
“I didn’t really sleep,” she admits.
He walks up beside her, close enough that she can feel the heat of him, the steadiness.
Grounding.
Always grounding.
“You should have woken me,” he says.
She gives
