The final words stayed inside the reflected Book.
IT WAS THAT HUMANITY MIGHT TEACH HIM HOW TO CHOOSE.
Luna stared at them.
Around her, Blackwood Manor slowly recovered from the return of Time.
Clocks ticked out of rhythm.
Snow blew through shattered windows.
Warriors moved through the corridors, checking injuries and rebuilding the boundary.
Life had started again.
But beneath their feet, Lucian was teaching an ancient monster how to become a person.
Darius turned toward the sealed staircase.
This time, Isolde didn’t stop him.
She just asked, “What are you doing?”
“To talk to him,” Darius said.
Mason stared at him.
“Talk?”
“Yeah.”
“To Lucian?”
“Yes.”
“The guy who kidnapped half the people in this house, stole the Book, controlled Serena, trapped Alphas for centuries, and
