Chapter 22

• Elyra
• The moonlight filtered through the narrow gaps in the stone walls as I crept through the darkened corridors of the palace. My heart raced in my chest, the echo of my footsteps muffled by the ancient stone beneath me. The royal archives, the one place in the palace that no one dared to enter. But tonight, I had no choice. My suspicion of Elvira's possible survival pressed down on me like a heavy storm, darkening every thought.
• I had heard the rumors of the "Soul Echo" ability, but it was discussed in hushed tones, often avoided by most of the palace staff. No one truly understood it, and anyone who had seen it in action was either long gone or too terrified to speak—that’s what I heard. The idea that Elvira might be connected to it—might be the one to possess it, was something I couldn’t ignore. Because why can I feel her pains when we’re only half-sisters.