Round 86

The tower's silence stretches heavy and expectant, broken only by the scrape of Merrin's careful climbing against ancient stone and the soft sound of Halie's charcoal scratching across parchment. Jeane stands guard at the gate, her eyes never leaving the ominous runes that writhe like hungry serpents etched into the rock face. The sorceress's fingers twitch with the urge to unleash fire and fury upon them—but she knows her magic would only feed their power, not break it down. The stillness inside the tower feels deliberate now, a predator waiting for its prey to make the first move.