Logan and Madison had retreated to their separate corners, perhaps expecting an explosion that never came. But the absence of chaos was not peace. It was the calm before the storm. I spent the night planning, each detail meticulously considered, each action calculated to reclaim the power that had been stripped from me.

At dawn, the first light of a new day seeped into the room, casting away the shadows of the night. I rose, fueled by the clarity that only comes after a long night of contemplation. There was a new determination in my step, a certainty that had evaded me the previous day.