Night fell with a strange calm. The hut was quiet. Will had fallen asleep with his back against the wall, but his hand was still in mine. I closed my eyes to the sound of his steady breathing. The warmth of his skin remained like a promise on my own.

  But the darkness came quickly. And with it—the dream.

  I stood in the forest, but it wasn't like our forest. The trees were taller, their bark silver-white, the branches blooming with pale gold. The ground beneath my feet was soft like moss, and the air smelled of... safety. The light was warm, dancing like sunlight through water.

  "Tracy."

  The voice came from nowhere, but it was beautiful. Clear. Almost like music.

  I turned around.

  She stood there.

  Dressed in white, barefoot, with long hair glittering with frost. Her face was soft, her eyes bright—so bright I couldn't tell the color. She looked at me like a mother looks at her child.

  "You've come far," she said. "Farther than most. You are strong."

  I said nothing. I couldn't.

  She took a step closer. The ground sang beneath her feet.

  "You carry something beautiful, Tracy. A power you haven't yet understood. I can show you."

  I wanted to ask who she was, but the words died in my throat. I already knew. Somewhere deep inside, I knew.

  Sacra.

  "You are not alone," she continued. "All the darkness you've faced... it was necessary. But now the time has come to see the truth. Come."

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  She reached out her hand.

  Behind her, the forest opened—a path of light, leading to a glade I couldn't see the end of. It was beautiful. Safe. Inviting.

  But when I looked at her hand... I saw something else.

  The fingers were too long. Pointed. The shadow on the ground didn't match her movements.

  I stepped back.

  Her smile faltered. Just for a moment. But it was enough.

  "Tracy," she said again, but her voice sounded different now. Still beautiful—but with an echo, like from a deep well.

  I took another step back.

  And then the world shifted. The trees withered. The light faded. The ground turned cold.

  I woke with a start. My heart pounding.

  Will was already sitting up, his gaze on me. "You were dreaming," he said. "I saw you moving."

  I nodded. Tried to breathe. "It was her."

  "Sacra?"

  "She's trying to lead us. Or... pretend to lead us. She thinks we don't know."

  Will held my hand tighter. "Then we keep playing along. Until we know more."

  I met his eyes. And for the first time, I didn't feel fear—only clarity.

  "She doesn't know we've already seen through her."

  Will was still holding my hand as I tried to steady my breath. The warmth of his skin was the only thing that felt real right now.

  "She was there," I said. "Not as a shadow. Not as an enemy. She looked... radiant. Almost holy."

  Will was silent for a moment. "But it wasn't real, was it?"

  I shook my head. "No. She said I carried something. That I had a power. That she could help me understand. But when she reached out her hand... there was something wrong with her fingers. Too long. Shadowy. And the ground sank beneath her feet."

  He nodded, serious. "She's trying to deceive you. She thinks you don't know who she is."

  "She thinks we still believe she's dead," I whispered. "That we follow her as some guiding light. That's why she appears like that—beautiful, good, almost like a goddess."

  Will leaned closer. "But you saw through it."

  I nodded. "Thanks to Vaelmark. The words he spoke to me that time, through Sac... they're still with me. 'You carry the future in your hands.' And: 'You must choose your own path, not theirs.'"

  Will looked at me for a long time. "You're the link between us and the truth, Tracy. She's trying to reach you because she knows you're dangerous."

  I swallowed. "Then it's time we tell them. Niva and Rex need to know."