00:00stunned, deathly silence. The guards freeze for a sickle second, their eyes darting from the
00:04screaming Corvus to me. The guard captain roars, instantly kicking Corvus to the ground and
00:09dragging him away like a dead dog. The apprentice are thrown into chains, wailing for mercy. Elena
00:14doesn't spare them another glance. She turns her back on the chaos, her dark cloak swirling as she
00:19walks toward the exit, but after three steps, she pauses, not turning around. I look down at the
00:26glowing wolf cub in my arms. Under the terrified, rerential stares of the remaining soldiers,
00:31I take a step forward, leaving the soot and the coal mines behind, forever. The carriage door slams
00:37shut. The heavy vehicle jolts, starting its long journey back to the Duker estate. Inside,
00:42the atmosphere is freezing. I sit on the velvet bench, feeling incredibly awkward. In my left arm,
00:48the newborn shadow wolf cub is curled into a black, fluffy ball, snoring softly. In my right hand,
00:53I'm still holding that second, ugly gray stone. Across from me sits Elena. She is staring straight
00:58out the frosty window, her jaw set, her arms crossed. Her entire body is radiating a terrifying
01:03silent pressure. She doesn't look at me. She doesn't acknowledge I exist. She is throwing
01:07a literal royal tantrum, but keeping it perfectly dignified.
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