Chapter 11: The Ancient Bloodline

The days following the battle were a strange, suspended reality. The manor, scarred but standing, became our private fortress. The shared victory had irrevocably altered the landscape between Kaleb and me. The tentative understanding in the dungeon had solidified into a fierce, unspoken alliance. We were partners, bound by spilled blood and a survival that felt like a defiance of fate itself. Kaleb’s physical strength returned with a rapidity that astonished me, fueled by the bond and his...