Freya's voice echoed through the hallway, loud and firm, as she repeated herself with all the defiance she could muster. "I said no, Father!"

The shock on Elder Elias's face was almost satisfying. She had never dared defy him like this, not once in her life. But this time, she felt something fierce and unbreakable inside her, a warmth and strength she couldn’t ignore. Was this what freedom tasted like?

The silence that followed her words was thick and tense, like the air before a storm. Elder Elias’s eyes narrowed as he processed her defiance, and for a brief second, Freya saw a flicker of something dark in his gaze—something...