Pain hit before thought. The shadow’s energy surged through me, twisting my chest, splintering my focus. Viole’s scream tore through the lab, a knife in my chest. Every instinct screamed to resist, but the entity pulsed inside me, intimate and invasive. Fear, jealousy, and pride all collided into a suffocating spiral. I can’t break. I won’t fail them.
Vordon’s voice thundered, cutting through the chaos. “Veronica! Fight it!” His grip on my hand tightened, knuckles white. Pride lanced through me; he trusts me, even now, even like this. Jealousy flared briefly, bitter, at how effortlessly he risked himself for Viole, for them, while I fought for all of us.
I clenched my jaw. “I’m not losing! Not like before!” My words trembled, raw with fury and fear. The shadow hissed back, a sound that s
