Chapter 27

• Day after day, training after training, I kept my distance from Dorian. He tried to get me to talk, tried to figure out what had changed, but I was done with his lies. I gave him the same rehearsed response every time—I’m fine—but the truth was, I had only one goal now: to become stronger and leave this place for good. To never see his face again.
• Every night, I walked to the lake, and every night, I saw the same cloaked figure standing across the water. We watched each other in silence, neither making a move. There was an odd sense of calm in those moments. A strange safety.
• Tonight, I left a note for him, deliberately placing it on a rock where he would see it. I’m ready to learn more. And then I walked away.