= Amara =
The moment the rogue hit the ground, pinned beneath the deltas’ iron grips, everything shifted. His arms were twisted behind him, wrists bending unnaturally as the soldiers yanked him upright, but it wasn’t his resistance that changed the air—it was Mikael.
The forest itself seemed to pause, holding its breath as he moved. Birds fell silent, leaves hung frozen in the wind, and even the distant hum of the stream seemed to waver. His presence stretched outward, subtle but overwhelming, like a shadow that pressed against the edges of the world.
The rogue struggled, dragged forward, his boots scraping deep furrows into the dirt, leaving jagged scars in the forest floor. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, painting his grin in a vicious smear. He laughed, sharp and fractu
