"Don’t do it."
My voice trembles as I reach for his hand, but he pulls away.
He knows. I know. There’s no stopping it now.
"Mom," my daughter whispers, standing beside me, her face pale as she watches her brother, my son, stepping forward.
I can feel the darkness stirring around us. The air is heavy, suffocating with the weight of a choice none of us should ever have to make.
"You said you’d protect them," I remind myself, but the words taste bitter on my tongue. "I promised them both."
My heart aches as my son stands before us, the force of the third darkness swirling at his feet like a storm.
"Don’t do this, Brayden," I say again, even though I know it’s too late. His eyes, full of courage and sorrow, lock onto mine.
"I have to, Mom," Brayden replies, his voice steady despite the
