Chapter 15 The Echo Of War

• "In the darkest of nights, when shadows creep in and the world crumbles around us, true strength isn't found in resistance but in the quiet decision to stand firm against the storm."
• -Lara Volkov
• I lie sprawled across my bed, exhausted. The softness of the sheets beneath me feels like it's pulling me down, like they might swallow me whole if I let them. The room is dark, except for the thin strip of moonlight sneaking through the curtains, casting long, eerie shadows on the walls of Volkov Castle. Every creak of this old place sounds louder, sharper in the heavy silence. It's like the building itself is mocking me.