The moment Caroline plunged into the darkness, the world warped around her.
The shadows moved, alive and restless, coiling and twisting like a living entity trying to consume her whole. The air turned thick, suffocating, pressing against her skin like unseen hands. She could barely see—only brief flickers of movement, Zenia’s figure shifting between the darkness like a specter.
Then the attack came.
Caroline barely managed to twist out of the way as a spear of shadows lunged toward her, striking the stone floor with enough force to crack it. Dust and debris exploded into the air. She coughed, blinking through the haze.
Zenia’s voice echoed through the cathedral, smooth, taunting.
"You can’t fight the dark, sister."
Caroline’s grip tightened around her dagger.
"Then I’ll fight you in
