Chapter 41
Elijah sat in the forest behind the school, staring at nothing.
The late afternoon sun barely reached him through the thick canopy, casting shadows that danced with the wind.
The air smelled of damp earth and fallen leaves, but Elijah barely noticed.
His entire world had shrunk to the pain hollowing out his chest.
He was supposed to be training.
He was supposed to be growing stronger.
But instead, he sat there, empty.
Tears rolled down his cheeks, though he barely registered them.
His hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms.
His breath came in short, uneven bursts, as if he had forgotten how to breathe properly.
It felt like something was crushing him from the inside, a black hole swallowing every thought, every feeling, every ounce of will he had left.
"Why did you stop me?" Elijah roared into the empty sky, his voice cracking.
Silence.
His chest heaved.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, but it did nothing to ease the ache.
