<b>It wasn’t like a memory, not truly. It was too foreign, too distant, yet it felt </b><b><i>real</i></b><b>. She saw a man—tall, with sharp features and piercing eyes—who bore an uncanny resemblance to Sean. He stood beside a woman who looked exactly like her, though there was something different, something regal in the way she carried herself. They were speaking in hushed yet urgent tones, their words curling through the air like whispered promises.</b>


    <b><i>"For the greater good of the kingdom,"</i></b><b> the man said gravely. </b><b><i>"This is the only way to protect our people from Niobe."</i></b>


    <b>Niobe. The name sent a strange chill through Irene’s bones, as if it carried the weight of something long buried—something dangerous.</b>


    <b>But before she could grasp onto the details, the vision shattered.</b>


    <b>Darkness. Cold stone beneath her palms. The dim glow of candlelight flickering in her periphery.</b>


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    <b>"Irene?" Madeline’s voice was suddenly closer, edged with rare concern. "Are you alright?"</b>


    <b>Irene blinked rapidly, disoriented. She was on the ground, her pulse thrumming in her ears. Madeline was kneeling beside her, one hand hovering near her shoulder as if deciding whether or not to steady her.</b>


    <b>"I''m fine," Irene muttered, though the words felt unconvincing even to herself. There was a dull ache in her skull, a lingering static that crackled in her thoughts.</b>


    <b>Madeline studied her, her feline-like eyes sharp and calculating. "Mind runes can be overwhelming. They bring memories to the surface—sometimes ones you don’t remember having." Her tone softened, just slightly. "Are you sure you’re alright? We don’t have to do this spell now."</b>


    <b>Irene exhaled and rubbed her forehead, pushing away the remnants of the vision. "No, I’m fine," she insisted, forcing herself upright. "Let’s just get this over with."</b>


    <b>Madeline hesitated for a moment, then gave a small, knowing smirk. "If you say so," she murmured, but there was a flicker of something else in her expression—satisfaction, perhaps.</b>


    <b>As if she had been expecting this all along.</b>