Alison’s POV
The walls of the Crimson archive room loomed around me, their towering shelves packed with ancient tomes that seemed to hold the weight of the world. I leaned back in the creaking chair, my fingers brushing over the worn leather of a centuries-old book. My eyes burned from the strain of scanning text that had faded over time. But I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop. Somewhere in these archives, there had to be a solution.. something, anything to stop the looming threat of war.
Xander had called again this morning. His voice, usually a balm to my frayed nerves, had only grated against my current mood.
"Alison, you're shutting me out," he'd said, the concern in his tone sharp as a dagger.
"I'm not," I’d replied curtly. "I'm just... busy."
"You’ve been busy for days. Anything
