The breaking of chains.

"He's waiting for you."

The words echoed in Haelyn's mind as she walked through the banquet hall, every step feeling like it carried the weight of the entire moon.

The moment she stepped back into the vast chamber, she felt it….the shift in the air. It wasn't just anticipation anymore. It was predatory hunger.

Zareth stood at the far end, his presence commanding, his silver eyes burning into her with a storm of unreadable emotions.

Nyx stood beside him, arms folded, her smirk eerily calculated.

Arthur, Helen, Layla, and Malcolm were positioned like vultures….watching, waiting, itching for blood to be drawn.

On the other side, Cerius, Archer, Artemis, Rowena, Seraphis, Marlyil, and Erin flanked Haelyn like guardians of war.

Two sides.

Two forces.

And at the center of it all….her.

Zareth took a single step forward. The entire banquet seemed to still.