Lila's P.O.V
The darkness in the crypt was absolute, a suffocating blanket that pressed against my skin like the weight of all the Blackwood secrets buried here. My flashlight beam sliced through it, casting erratic shadows on the stone walls etched with names of ancestors long gone—generations who had fought their own battles against curses and betrayals. Serena's face emerged in the dim light, pale and drawn, her eyes wide with a fear that mirrored my own. The crash from above still echoed in my ears, the tumbling stones sealing the heavy door shut with a finality that made my heart race.
"Serena? What the hell is this?" I demanded, my voice bouncing off the cold walls, sharper than I intended. But panic clawed at me—the air already felt thinner, stale with the scent of dust and decay.
