The boy in white vanished, leaving four women staring at one another in stunned silence.
Ethan's mother, the Lord of the Underworld, wore a strange, unsettled expression. The boy's final display had been nothing like his earlier demeanor, and that voice that followed—ancient, weary, and distant—still echoed in her mind.
Beside her, Amber Zane and Rainie Chen looked just as bewildered. It was clear they had no idea why they had been brought here, as though they had been pulled out of their own worlds against their will.
"Lyla… who is this? What happened to us?"
Amber finally dared to speak. She turned toward Lyla Silverwood and noticed that, like herself, Lyla's body was faintly translucent. Her gaze drifted toward the black-armored woman in the distance, confusion written across her face. Until this moment, she hadn't been brave enough to meet Lyla's eyes.
