Chapter 24 · No More Resets

“Drop the knife, Mara. Now.”

Cael didn’t ask. He snarled. He slammed Seline against the cold bronze wall of the inner bell chamber, his forearm crushed against her throat. He pinned her so hard her heels barely touched the floor.

I didn’t drop the knife. My hand shook, the blade vibrating against my palm, but I held on. I couldn't look away from the glowing rift in the center of the room. The heart of the bell-net.

And inside that light, there was a face.

“Mara! Look at me!”

It was Ian. Not a whisper, not a ghost in my head. *Him*. Messy hair, stubborn jaw—exactly how he looked the day he vanished. But he was translucent, flickering like a dying candle, hands pressed against an invisible wall.

“He’s lying to you!” Ian screamed, his voice ringing with a metallic echo. “Cael isn’t protecting you! He’s the one who—”

“Shut up!” Cael roared. He didn't even look at me; his eyes were locked on Seline. “Don’t listen to it! It’s a projection, a memory trap. Seline’s using him to keep you from the switch!”

Seline didn’t struggle. She just smiled. A thin, jagged thing.