Unmasking the Magic

Candle flames guttered, casting a chaotic dance of shadows across thue walls of Jacqueline's cramped study. She hunchedb over a heavy leather- tome, squinting at the cramped script scrawled across crackling ancient pages. A lingering headache throbbed at her temples from too many late nights deciphering the arcane secrets buried in Victoria's grimoires, the eldritch words blurring before her straining eyes.

Nearby, Emma and Alex huddled close on a faded settee. Though the dancers bore no outward scars from their ordeal under Victoria's control, hollowness haunted their eyes. Reliving those traumatic memories took its toll, draining their vitality with each grueling revelation.

Alex lifted his gaze to Jacqueline, brow creased with concern. "This curse research is wearing you thin. We all need rest."