Chapter 20 · The Price of a Ghost

"Don't you dare let go, Mara! Look at me!"

Cael’s voice was a raw scream, barely audible over the roar of the void. He had her pinned against his chest, arms locked around her like iron bands. Around them, the world was a shattered mirror—shards of the palace and streaks of white light colliding in a suffocating pressure.

Mara clawed at his jacket, her fingers digging into the heavy fabric. "Leo! Where is he? Cael, where is my brother?"

"He's gone, Mara! The Core broke!"

"Bring him back!" she shrieked. She thrashed, fighting the current of the white abyss, but Cael slammed her back against him. His breath was hot and jagged against her ear.

"Listen to me!" he barked. "If we hit the reset point now, we can jump back. We can find the anchor. We can get him back."

"How?"

"The Brand," Cael gasped, his grip tightening until it bruised. "It’s not just a leash. It’s a bridge. But the cost... Mara, the cost is everything."

Then—*snap*.

They hit the ground hard. No crash, just a violent jolt back into reality. The white void vanished, replaced by the cold, damp concrete of the Sealed District.