Morning light spilled through the high windows of the hall, casting long shadows across the polished stone floors. The air scented of roasted meat, fresh bread, and spiced tea, yet Aurelia barely tasted the food on her plate. The conversation from the night before still echoed in her mind.
The Krutviks were real. And worse they had never truly left.
Across the table, Achilles sat in silence, his fingers drumming against the wood.Hades, ever composed and stoic merely observed, while Astrae, seated at the head of the table, seemed lost in thought.
It was she who finally broke the silence. "Aurelia." She started. "Your training must continue."
Aurelia swallowed the bite of bread she had been chewing and straightened. "Of course."
Astrae's golden gaze locked onto hers. "Lator will intensify your regimen. You must be ready to fight if the need arises."