C179 THE MARK THAT DOES NOT BLEED

The mark did not burn.

That was what worried Elara the most.

Aria sat on the low bench inside Elara’s chambers, covered in a blanket she did not remember accepting. Her skin looked the same. No bruising. No wound. No sign that she had passed over a boundary to hold worlds apart.

And yet—

Elara could feel it.

Not on Aria’s body.

Around her