Helena's POV
Reality crashes back into me like broken glass. The acrid smell of smoke fills my lungs, and ash coats everything around me. Where the temple's flames once raged, only charred stone and twisted shadows remain.
I struggle to my feet, palms scraping against the cold marble floor. My eyes search desperately for any sign of Victor, but there's nothing. Just empty space where he made his final sacrifice, marked only by a thin layer of silver dust that catches the dim light.
The sacred dagger has vanished too.
My chest tightens as I try to breathe. For one terrifying moment, I think I'm completely alone in this devastation. Then a voice slices through the eerie quiet, dripping with malice and bitter familiarity.
"Well now," Elder Lewis emerges from behind the crumbling altar, his presence like a disease spreading through the air. "The deed is finally done."
