ASHLYNN POV
The world smelled different. Not stronger. Clearer. Every scent carried its own story. Blood. Fear. Magic. Rain gathering beyond the mountains. Fresh earth where claws had torn through the battlefield. Smoke drifting from shattered stone. Burning timber. I could smell every living creature around me. Hundreds of heartbeats echoed through my mind. Every one distinct. Every one alive. Every one carrying its own emotion. Terror. Hope. Determination and even grief. And among them… One heartbeat pulsed like poison. Vex.
I opened my eyes. Only… They were no longer my eyes. The world stretched endlessly before me. Colours I had never known existed shimmered across the battlefield. Magic itself had become visible. Golden threads flowed through every witch. Silver light burned inside
