Chapter 21 The Storm Trials

• The aftermath of Kael’s betrayal left a bitter taste in Ava’s mouth as she stood before the towering gates of the Storm Citadel’s inner sanctum, her heart heavy with confusion and doubt. The winds howled louder here, the air electric with a raw, untamed power that seemed to pulse from the very stone beneath her feet. The Storm Trials awaited within, and though Kael’s words continued to haunt her, there was no turning back now.
• Lia and Finn stood on either side of her, their faces pale but determined. None of them spoke about Kael—not yet. There was too much at stake, and the betrayal would have to wait for another time. Right now, they needed to focus on surviving the trials and claiming the Storm Relic before the Void or the Stormborn could.
• “This place feels... alive,” Finn muttered, glancing up at the swirling storm clouds overhead. “Like it’s watching us.”