Chapter 169

• Zara’s POV
• The morning after graduation broke softer than I expected. No loud bells, no rushing feet down the dormitory hallways, no announcements echoing through the Academy speakers. Just silence. The kind of silence that didn’t feel empty, but full—like the world was holding its breath for something new.
• I stood by my window, the curtains brushing against my arm as a breeze slipped inside. The sky was painted with faint streaks of gold and rose, the sun just beginning to stretch its light across the grounds. For once, I didn’t feel the familiar weight pressing down on me, the whisper of curses or shadows from the past.