Lucas

I sat alone in my chamber, drenched in silence so thick it pressed against my skin. The shadows seemed to watch me, judging, knowing what I had done.

The healer hadn’t shouted. He hadn’t threatened. He just looked at me, as if peeling my soul apart one layer at a time.

And that single word—killer—still rang in my ears like a curse etched into my bones, a brand I could never wash away.

I had tried to laugh it off, to scoff at him like I always did with those who challenged me. But my voice had cracked, betraying the fear that coursed through me.

He saw it. I...