Chapter 56

• LYDIA
• Strangely, the battle hasn’t reached this far. The air feels almost calm here, though I know chaos is raging not too far away. The statue of the goddess stands tall and untouched, her stone eyes watching over everything with a kind of silent judgment. In front of her, a monument tells a bit of her story, and right beside it, resting on a black marble pedestal, is the silver dagger that will end everything.
• For a moment, I can hardly breathe. It doesn’t feel real. I’ve seen this in my dreams so many times, walked this very path in visions that felt too vivid to forget. But being here now is nothing like I imagined. My heart beats painfully fast, and suddenly, a deep ache bursts through my chest. My vision swims, and through the blur, I see Baron lift Dex into the air, twisting his body as if to make him suffer longer.