The next morning, I woke up alone again. The bed next to me was cold—a sign that Eryon had gotten up long ago. Perhaps he hadn't even been here when I fell asleep. The thought left an unpleasant pang in my chest, but I quickly pushed it away.

Novana was nowhere to be seen either. The room seemed strangely quiet without her constant presence.

It was only 7:30 in the morning this time, and even though I hadn't slept much, I felt awake enough to get up. So I pulled myself together, went to the bathroom, took a shower, and got ready.

When I returned to the room, Novana was...