Chapter 173 Elara, The DoppelgäNger

• ~ Elara ~
• Frustration gnawed at my every nerve as I sat hunched over the ancient books. Pages covered in incomprehensible symbols taunted me, their secrets just out of reach. I’d been at it for days, pouring over every fragment, every obscure passage, and I was still no closer to deciphering the markings on the sigil’s bracelet. Each dead end was like a thorn digging into my side, reminding me of how much was at stake and how little time I had left.
• Claire had been patient, offering quiet words of encouragement and assisting where she could. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing was enough. My eyes ached from the strain of reading by candlelight, my body tense with the knowledge that Draven was out there, gathering strength, while I struggled to even understand the basics of the power that could stop him.