The cold air outside was bracing, a sharp contrast to the suffocating tension within the estate. I unfolded the first letter, Mark's familiar handwriting scrawled hastily across the page. Each word dragged me deeper into the chaos I'd left behind in Grishar.
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Mark's Letter
Milo,
Sabrina is with me. Before you say anything, I didn't ask her to. She claimed it was her responsibility to support me, especially given the risks we knew were involved. She argued well enough that I let her come along—though I should have seen her true reason was her worry for the twins.
We were ambushed. No mistakes, no delays—it was as if they knew our every move. Sabrina fought fiercely. But eventually, we were both caught by a higher up in the cults rank. We escaped nonetheless, by a margin of luck but aren't safe yet. We've also recovered the twins by aid of a stranger who plans go lead us safely to Ethos.