Chapter 19 · Shattered Mirror

"Get away from him, Mara!"

Noah’s voice didn't sound like his. It was flat, metallic, and stripped of everything that made him my little brother. He didn't just stand there; he stepped forward, his boots clicking against the stone floor of the Black Core chamber, a jagged ward-blade humming in his hand.

I didn't move. I couldn't. Lucan was slumped against the altar, his breath coming in ragged, wet gasps. The curse was visible now—black, vein-like fractures crawling up his neck, pulsing with a rhythmic, hungry light.

"Noah, look at me!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "It's me! It's Mara!"

Noah didn't blink. He didn't even seem to see me. His eyes were clouded, a milky silver film covering the iris. "The Heir is a parasite," he droned. "The Core must be purged. Step aside or be purged with him."

"Purged?" I snapped, stepping between them. "He's a person, Noah! Not a parasite!"

"He is the blight," Noah replied. He lunged.

It wasn't a clumsy swing. It was a precision strike, the blade whistling toward my shoulder. I twisted, the edge grazing my jacket, and slammed my shoulder into his chest. He didn't budge.