Chapter 7 - The Sovereign SunriseSix months after the prison doors slammed shut behind Luke, the world outside my window looked brighter, crisper, and infinitely more alive than I ever remembered it being.
My skin had healed, leaving faint, silver traces of scars that I no longer hid under heavy long sleeves, but wore instead like battle armor—proof of a war I had survived and won. Elena walked out onto the veranda holding two steaming mugs of coffee, handing me one with a warm, proud smile before wrapping her arm around my shoulders as we watched the morning sun paint the ocean in brilliant shades of gold and amber. "What are you thinking about?" she asked softly. I took a slow sip of my coffee, looking out toward the endless horizon where the waves rolled steadily against the shore. "I was just thinking," I replied, my voice steady and filled with sovereign peace, "that the monsters only have power over you as long as you stay in the dark. Once you turn on the light, they have nowhere left to hide."
