[Emma's POV]
The silence in the wake of Cain’s declaration was more than an absence of sound; it was a vacuum, sucking all the air, all the hope, from the room. The living, shifting sigil on my back felt like a separate entity, a parasite of pure power feasting on my terror, its subtle movements a constant, chilling reminder that I was no longer just my own. Without a word, his face a grim canvas of resolve and dread, Cain turned on his heel and vanished into the hallway. We all knew his destination: the forbidden, triple-locked archives deep beneath the manor’s foundations, a place rumored to hold truths that could shatter minds.
Left in the oppressive stillness with Jaxon, Ryder, and Maddox, a new sensation began to itch at the periphery of my consciousness. It wasn't the searing pain
