The Key to Ruin

Evelyne's breath caught in her throat.

The key to tearing it all apart.

Varian's words lingered in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning.

She tightened her grip on the ancient book, its cover rough beneath her fingers. She hadn't even deciphered the full truth yet, and already, the weight of it pressed down on her like a storm cloud ready to burst.

Her heart pounded. "What do you mean?"

Varian exhaled slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "I mean that this so-called pact was built on something far more fragile than the world was led to believe. If what you've uncovered is what I suspect… then knowing it alone puts you in more danger than you realize."

Evelyne's skin prickled.

She had already felt the hands of unseen forces trying to silence her. The spirit's warning. The collapsing archives. The way the darkness itself had recoiled when she reached for the truth.