Egry stirred.
Her breath was steady now.
Her hair—once tangled and dim—shimmered with soft gold.
She placed her palm on the cold stone floor.
The roots beneath the mansion pulsed.
She could feel them.
Anne. Brittany. Lily.
They were in the forest.
They were in danger.
The roots whispered their location.
Egry's eyes narrowed.
She was ready.
Anne's grip on the fake lamp trembled.
The air was thick—like breathing through velvet soaked in ink.
Brittany, bruised and bleeding, stepped forward.
She grabbed Anne's hand and shouted:
"Back off, you freak! Moan anywhere else—this weirdo's not going anywhere!"
The Chancellor sighed.
He slid off the beast's back, licking his lips.
"I was hoping this wouldn't be easy."
Brittany muttered, "Yep. He definitely looks like a pornstar."
Lily blinked.
Something shimmered behind the Chancellor.
Then—
five beasts jumped out of corners of their eyes .
Claws. Smoke. Teeth.
Anne and the others dodged.
But it was chaos.
The Chancellor laughed.
"How much can one dodge?"
The forest became a battleground.
But only the beasts struck.
Anne rolled through the dirt.
Lily cast fog—but it was swallowed.
Brittany threw a flame—but it fizzled mid-air.
They were bruised.
Bleeding.
Slipping.
Then—
A beast caught Anne.
Its claws wrapped around her waist.
She screamed.
Another grabbed Brittany—lifting her like a doll.
Lily tried to run—but her legs gave out.
The Chancellor stepped forward.
"I don't kill," he said, voice smooth and cruel.
"The beasts do."
He gestured.
"They suck the life out. They consume the soul."
Anne watched in horror.
From the beast's palms—
Lily and Brittany's eyes turned white.
Their bodies began to deplete.
Skin pale.
Energy drained.
Anne screamed.
She cried.
She reached out—
And then—
Everything went dark.
To be continued…