Sienna's POV
Light and darkness fought inside me. One moment I was being pulled through the book, the next I was somewhere else—a place between worlds. Not quite real, not quite a dream.
"Welcome to the final stage, daughter," said a voice I both knew and didn't know.
I opened my eyes to see a woman with my face, but older. Colder. Lyra Storm—the Midnight Queen—my mother.
"This isn't real," I whispered, trying to back away. But there was nowhere to go. We stood in an empty white space that went on forever.
"It's more real than anything," Lyra smiled. "This is the Trial of Power—the final test before you become what you were always meant to be."
I remembered Kieran's hand grabbing mine, trying to pull me free. I remembered Caius performing some ancient rite. But now they felt far away, like memories from another life.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Between worlds," Lyra answered. "The journal wasn't meant to trap me. It was meant to bring you here. To complete your training."
