Chapter 100
No one moved for a second after Cassian spoke. The clearing held in a tense stillness, as if everything inside it had paused to adjust to his presence. The storm around Kael tightened instead of spreading, and even the darkness around Ariana flickered, reacting in a way that felt uncertain.
Cassian did not rush forward. He stood where he was, his attention fixed entirely on Ariana as if the chaos around her was the only thing that mattered. "You've let it go too far," he said, his voice calm but carrying easily through the pressure in the air.
Mira's expression hardened as she turned toward him. "You should not be here."
Cassian didn't look at her. "And yet here I am," he replied, and the quiet certainty in his tone made the space feel sharper.
