Chapter 57
Kael knew he was kneeling, but he could not feel the ground beneath him. His hand was pressed against the cracked surface, his fingers digging into it hard enough to leave marks, yet none of it registered the way it should have. The only thing he truly felt was the absence in his chest. It was not just emptiness. It felt like something vital had been torn out of him, leaving behind a hollow space that refused to close.
He pressed his hand harder against his chest, as if he could force something back into place, as if the connection would return if he just held on long enough. Nothing answered. There was no warmth, no pull, no trace of the bond that had always been there. Even now, when he reached for it instinctively, there was only silence.
A sharp breath left him. "Ariana."
