LOGINLucas POVI stood there for several seconds with Emily weak against my chest while the corridor remained completely still around us. The lights had stopped flickering, the shaking had ended, and the cold pressure in the air was finally gone, yet none of it made me relax. If anything, the quiet made my thoughts louder. Emily’s words repeated themselves inside my head.The others felt it too.That meant they were connected somehow.Not by sight.Not by sound.Something deeper.Something worse.I tightened my arm around Emily carefully and looked down at her. Her face had gone pale, and there was sweat gathered near her forehead despite how cold the corridor had been moments ago.“You need to sit down,” I told her quietly.“I’m fine,” she whispered immediately.“You can barely stand.”“I said I’m fine.”Her voice was weak, but stubborn enough to almost make me sigh. Even exhausted, she still tried to fight everything alone.I bent slightly and lifted her into my arms before she could pro
Lucas POVI was still holding Emily when the last trace of that thing disappeared, but my mind had already moved ahead of the moment. Her words kept repeating in my head. They felt it too. That was not just a warning. It was a fact. Whatever those things were, they were connected in a way we did not fully understand yet, and by destroying one of them, we had just sent a message to the rest.I tightened my hold on her slightly as I looked down at her face. She looked drained, far more than she had earlier. Her eyes were still open, but there was a dullness in them that had not been there before. It was not weakness. It was exhaustion. Deep exhaustion, the kind that came from something more than just the body.“Emily,” I said quietly.She blinked slowly and looked up at me, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to speak, but nothing came out at first. I could feel her breathing against me, uneven now, like her body was trying to catch up with what had just happened.“You need to re
Lucas POVI stood there for a few seconds longer, still holding Emily in my arms, my eyes fixed on the spot where the shadow had been. Nothing remained. No mark, no trace, nothing to show that something unnatural had just existed there. But I knew better than to trust what I could see. The absence of something dangerous did not mean it was gone. Sometimes it only meant it had moved.Emily’s weight shifted slightly against me, and I looked down at her. Her eyes were still open, but they were heavy now, her strength drained from whatever she had just done. Her breathing was slow, uneven, like her body was trying to catch up with what had just happened.“We need to get you back,” I said quietly.She nodded faintly, but she didn’t speak.I did not wait any longer. I lifted her properly into my arms and turned back down the corridor. The guards moved out of the way immediately, their eyes filled with questions they did not dare ask. I ignored them. Right now, nothing mattered more than get
Clarisse POVI felt it even before anyone came to tell me anything. I felt it deep inside me like a sharp pull that refused to be ignored. It was not pain, not exactly, but it was close enough to make me sit up from where I had been lying. My chest tightened as something heavy pressed against my senses, something familiar yet wrong at the same time. I had felt it once before, long ago, in whispers and fragments, in the stories I was never meant to fully understand. And now it was here again.“They’re moving,” I whispered to myself.My fingers curled slightly against the bed as I tried to focus on the feeling. It was faint, but not gone. Something had just happened, something strong enough to ripple through whatever connection existed between them. The failed ones. The empty ones. The ones that should never have been allowed to exist in the first place.Emily.My jaw tightened at the thought of her name.Of course it was her.Everything always came back to her now.I pushed myself up s
Lucas POV“Emily,” I said softly, brushing my hand against her cheek.Her eyes fluttered, but she did not fully respond.“I’m here,” I added, my voice firmer now, like I needed her to hear it.She blinked slowly, trying to focus.“I didn’t lose anything,” she whispered again.“I know,” I said.But I was not fully convinced.Not because I doubted her.But because I did not understand enough yet to be sure.And right now, not understanding felt like the most dangerous thing in the world.I lifted her carefully into my arms and turned toward the guards who were still standing far at the end of the corridor, watching everything like they had just witnessed something they would never be able to explain.“Clear this area,” I ordered.They snapped back to attention immediately.“Yes, sir.”“And no one comes near this corridor without my permission.”“Yes, sir.”I did not wait for anything else. I carried Emily back toward our room, my steps steady but fast. My mind was already moving ahead,
Lucas POVThe silence after it disappeared did not feel like victory.I stood there for a few seconds, still holding Emily in my arms, my eyes fixed on the exact spot where the shadow had been just moments ago. The corridor looked normal again. Too normal. The cracks in the walls had stopped spreading, the air felt lighter, and the cold presence that had filled the space was gone. But deep inside me, something refused to settle. This was not over. Not even close.Emily’s weight shifted slightly against me, and I looked down at her. Her eyes were still open, but she looked drained, like everything inside her had been pulled thin.“You’re okay,” I said quietly, though I was not fully sure myself.She swallowed and nodded faintly. “It’s gone… but it didn’t feel like the end.”My jaw tightened. “I know.”She leaned her head lightly against my chest, her breathing uneven. I adjusted my grip and lifted her properly, carrying her without another word. She did not protest. That alone told me
Emily’s POVThe door closed behind Lucas with a sound that felt too final, too sharp for something that was supposed to be temporary.I stood where he left me, my arms still wrapped around empty air, my body remembering the shape of him even when he was gone. The chamber felt larger now, colder, li
Lucas’ POVThe corridor was narrow, lit only by weak yellow bulbs hanging from the ceiling at wide intervals. Some flickered, others buzzed softly, casting broken shadows that moved when nothing else did. Every step echoed, even though I tried to keep my boots quiet.Behind me, Chris followed, then
Emily’s POVI didn’t know how many days had passed anymore.I sat on the cold floor of the room, my knees pulled to my chest, and my back against the wall. My wrists were no longer tied all the time, but the guards never left. Even when they stepped away, I knew they were close. Watching. Waiting.
Chris’ POVI stood outside the council hall long after Lucas dismissed everyone. The echoes of his anger still rang in my ears. His voice had been cold and unforgiving. He had drawn a line so deep in the sand that anyone who crossed it would never return.And I understood why.Once again, Joe had t







