A man who looked remarkably like Jack sat at a worn wooden table.Marcellious and Olivia were there. The three of them engaged in quiet conversation, their expressions grave.
The image flickered, morphing again?—
Olivia’s face twisted in terror as Balthazardrovea blade through Marcellious’ abdomen.
Blood. Shock. A harsh gasp.
Balthazar turned to Olivia and Emily, his lips pulling back in a wicked snarl.
“You’d better run,” he roared. “Run for your lives, ladies. And I’ll be right on your tail.”
The vision branded itself into my mind, searing me with the truth—I could watch, but I couldn’t change anything.
I bolted to my feet, my chest heaving. “I’m going todestroyBalthazar!”
The scene warbled again, shifting—this time, Olivia and Malik appeared inside a grand mansion. The sight of them together doused my rage, replacing it with confusion.
What is she doing there?And why is she with Malik?
A memory from last night’s dreams washed over me—Malik and I racing across the plains on horseback, our bond fierce and unbreakable.
Then his voice echoed through my mind—I am a monster, but you treat me like a brother.
My own words followed, unspoken yet inevitable—You might have been born a monster, but you will never die as one. Even the darkest monsters can transform. One day, you will change and be the hero.
The images unraveled, dissolving into golden dust motes drifting through the air.
And I was left standing there, fists clenched, my mind reeling.
A grandfather clock ticked steadily from the other room, its rhythmic pulse an eerie contrast to the chaos inside me.
The scent of bacon and coffee still lingered, grounding me in the present, but I felt a thousand miles away.
Jack clutched my forearm, his grip tight. “What did you see?”
I shook my head, unable to form a meaningful sentence. My heart lay crushed beneath the revelations.
My brother is gravely wounded or dead.
My wife—broken beyond recognition.
And I was stranded in a different time, unable to reach her, unable to do anything but bear witness.
“Tell me,” Jack pressed. “Tell me what you saw.”
His bony fingers dug into my flesh, desperate for an answer.
Lee exhaled heavily and answered for me. “The baby is gone.”
Thewords hung in the air, suffocating.
Jack staggered back. “Oh, God…” His voice splintered. “My grandchild… My daughter… What have we done, Lee?”
His hands pressed against his cheeks, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “I should never have listened to you. We should have told her sooner. We should have trained her the right way instead of hiding the truth from her. Now she’s wounded, broken, suffering because of our secrets.”
Lee’s gaze met Jack’s, guilt weighing heavily in his eyes. “I know, Jack. I know. We should have prepared her. We thought we were protecting her, but instead, we failed her. And Balthazar found her because of it.” He ran a hand down his face. “What are we going to do?”
The fury inside me ignited like dry brush in a wildfire.
