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Ronan

ONE YEAR LATER

I stand beside my Queen.

Not alive. Not dead.

Just not quite human anymore.

A shadow tethered to this world by something stronger than flesh and bone. A whisper of what once was.

I watch her, not from a distance, but close enough that I can feel her heartbeat in the air. I could, in theory, leave at any point, but something keeps bringing me back here. It’s like a tether that only gets heavy when I’m not near her.

I can only assume that it’s that oracle. The raven skull that hums beneath her skin, drawing me closer to her like a silent call.

Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss a single second of watching her continue to build her empire, hoping that I’ll be able to come back to her fully one day.

Her eyes find me sometimes. They don’t fear me. They see me for what I am, her ghost, and her protector. The one shadow she never asked for but now commands.

She didn’t stay alone either. She brought her best friend with her to live in the dark.

And Ash has stayed busy.

Tending to forgotten souls, the lost spirits no one else noticed. Moving through the dream villages with potions brewed from moonwater and whispered spells.

A healer, she calls herself.

And the Dreamworld has healed beneath her touch.

And Aisling… She is Queen now. That spark in her so ul lights this darkened realm, bringing balance where there was once only pitch black.

She’s everything Lilith couldn’t be.

A ruler of shadow and light.

And me, you ask?

I’m here to watch. To protect.

I will guard her kingdom with this broken shell until she calls me home.

Until then, I’ll watch.

I’ll wait.

I’ll endure.

Because I am hers.

And even in death, I am her shadow.