Chapter 156

It rings.

Not like a bell—bells are crude, blunt things meant for humans who need noise to understand meaning.

This is cleaner.

Sharper.

The ley lines don’t cry out when Maren emerges. They acknowledge. A shift in pressure, a correction made after centuries of waiting. Fire answers first, of course—dragons always do—but water follows, folding itself around the signal like it recognizes its own nam