Aster furrowed her brows, leaning the map closer to her. The edges of the parchment crinkled beneath her tense grip. After scanning through each landmark, she looked up at the entranceway ahead, then back at the map.

“This doesn’t seem to be on the map at all,” she muttered, frustration beginning to gnaw at her, “I could have sworn that we were following the map correctly.”

“Perhaps we are,” Ceris...

Birds circled overhead, high above the ruins, while Myra watched them from below through the gaping hole of the castle ceiling. She continued to gasp for air as she wrapped her arm around her waist tightly, sliding herself down on the floor. Her back pressed against one of the withered walls. Then, after catching her breath, she mustered up enough courage to loosen her grip on her abdomen. She lif...