The unleashing of Mira

 (Chapter 39:Mira's Pov) 

 The air was heavy, thick with the remnants of Callidus's presence. Even after he had gone, his words echoed in my mind like a curse.

 "You are more than what they've told you, Mira. You will see soon enough."

 My breath came in shallow gasps as I pressed my hand to my chest. My heartbeat was no longer the same—it was too steady, too controlled, as if it no longer belonged to me.

 I turned to the old woman, the one who had sheltered me since my escape. She stood in the doorway, watching me with quiet understanding.

 "You feel it, don't you?" she asked.

 I swallowed hard. "Something's wrong."

She shook her head. "Not wrong. Different."

 The candlelight flickered, casting shadows that twisted along the walls. The once-familiar warmth of the small cottage now felt like a cage. My skin burned with an energy that wasn't my own, a force stirring deep within me, waking.