*Charles POV*
Under a pitch-black sky, silence cloaked the old, secluded cabin. Silence hung heavy, the calm before the storm. Here, in this choking stillness, my patience frayed, unraveling quickly.
Fists clenched, breath steaming in the cool air, silent witnesses to the ancient rage boiling within. It coursed through my veins, fueled by the incantation that echoed through the trees.
Crimson tensed, eyes narrow, muscles coiled and ready as tension vibrated through the air. She moved swiftly, her intent clear: to restrain and remind me of the plan we had painstakingly crafted.
“No, Charles!” Crimson’s voice sliced through the silence, a desperate plea. Her warning disappeared, drowned out by my thundering heartbeat, pulsing loud enough to silence the reason.
I could hear her—Celeste,
