Chapter 290 The Heart's Burden

• The dawn broke with a somber silence, the kind that settled deep in the bones and lingered. The winds whispered across the barren plains, as though nature itself was holding its breath. The fire from last night’s camp had dwindled to ashes, and the morning’s chill lingered in the air. The group gathered quickly, their movements practiced, but there was a weight to them now that hadn’t been there before.
• Ariella sat quietly by the edge of their camp, her eyes fixed on the horizon. The Heartstone pulsed within her, a constant rhythm that seemed to echo in the hollow of her chest. She had felt its power grow since she first connected with it, and with every passing moment, its influence over her deepened. There were whispers—fragments of thoughts that weren’t her own, flickers of ancient knowledge that came unbidden to her mind.
• She had tried to push them away, to ignore them, but the more she resisted, the more insistent they became. She feared what it all meant, yet she knew deep down that there was no turning back now. She had embraced the stone, and in doing so, had unknowingly chosen a path that would change everything.