Night fell, and the stars, like diamonds scattered across a deep velvet curtain, twinkled with a mysterious and distant light.
The moon hung high in the sky, its cool, silver light spilling across the land, draping the Bone Forest in a glow as thin as gauze.
The trees in the forest swayed with the night breeze, their leaves rustling.
The young man and woman ran through the woods, their shadows stretching long in the moonlight.
Sophie suddenly felt as if the chains that had always bound her had been broken. She heard the phantom sound of locks opening—CLANG, CLANG—as all the heavy shackles were cast off behind her.
In truth, Lian had removed the physical Shackles from her a month ago, freeing her from the need to wear any restraints to control her Magic Power.
But while the Shackles on her body were gone, the ones on her heart had remained firmly in place.
