Chapter 282 A Shard's Call

• The winds howled through the Sunlit Wastes, relentless and unforgiving, as the group pushed forward. The dry sand whipped at their faces, stinging their skin and filling their eyes. Despite the oppressive heat, a chill lingered in the air—a coldness that Ariella could feel in the pit of her stomach, an ever-present reminder of the battle she was fighting, not just against the Queen, but within herself.
• She glanced sideways at Kaelen, who was walking in stride beside her, his eyes scanning the horizon. There was something about his steady presence that comforted her, though the weight of their mission pressed down on both of them. The shard was growing heavier in her pouch, its pulse growing more insistent with each passing hour, like a constant heartbeat urging her forward.
• "Do you feel it?" Ariella asked softly, her voice almost lost to the wind.