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But she was already fading, her form dissolving into the shadows until there was nothing left.

And then I woke.

“Niram!” I shouted as I gasped, as the remnants of my dream vision hung onto me like cobwebs. My skin was damp, and my head spun as I tried to sit up.

A firm but gentle hand pressed against my shoulder, urging me to stay down.

“Easy,” a tender voice said.

I blinked and looked up to find a woman kneeling beside me. She was older, with silver-threaded hair woven into intricate braids, her face lined with age but striking in its sharpness. Her eyes were pale gray, almost translucent, and they pinned me in place as if she could see straight through me.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

She dipped her head slightly. “I am Rowena,” she said, her voice steady but not unkind. “And you need to rest.”

I flinched, glancing past her to where Lucas and Kael stood a few feet away. Lucas looked tense, his arms crossed and his jaw tight, his eyes fixed on me like he was afraid I’d disappear if he so much as blinked. Kael stood farther back, arms resting at his sides, though his expression was unreadable.

I tried to push myself up again. “No… I can’t rest. You don’t understand.”

Rowena frowned, her hand pressing more firmly against my shoulder. “You’re weak. You’ve lost too much blood. Whatever it is can wait.”

“No, it can’t!” My voice cracked, and I shook her off, sitting up fully this time despite the way my head spun.

Lucas was already moving, closing the distance between us in a flash. His hands caught my face, his eyes dark and searching. “Annika—what’s wrong? What happened?”

I gripped his wrists, trying to steady myself. “I saw her,” I said, the words rushing out of me. “The witch. My ancestor. She’s gone now, but before she disappeared, she told me that we don’t have much time.”

I stopped, forcing a breath. My pulse was racing, my chest tight. Rowena reached for me again, but I shook my head.

“We could see that ourselves,” Kael frowned with concern. “If he rises, we’re all dead.”

Rowena finally spoke again, her voice quieter this time. “Are you certain of this? Visions can be… deceptive.”

I met her eyes, my heart still pounding. “This wasn’t a vision. It was real. I could feel her and her power fading. She’s gone, but what she left behind...” I swallowed hard. “It’s on me now.”

Lucas’s grip shifted, his thumb brushing against my cheek. “We’ll stop this,” he said, but even as the words left his mouth, doubt flickered behind his eyes.

“No, you don’t get it,” I said, shaking my head. “We can’t just stop it. We have to destroy him before he rises. She told me—” I hesitated, the weight of her words still heavy in my chest. “She said I’m the only one who can do it.”

Rowena’s pale eyes narrowed. “The blood of the witch.”

I nodded.

Lucas stiffened, but his voice was steady when he spoke. “Then we fight.”

Kael didn’t look as convinced. “We don’t even know where to start. I mean, how do you kill the worst of the undead?”

Rowena finally rose, brushing her hands down the front of her robes. “I may be able to help with that.”

All eyes turned to her, but my chest still felt tight. Even with her help, even with Lucas and Kael by my side, the fear wouldn’t let me go.

I swallowed hard and pushed back the rising panic, focusing on Rowena. “What do you mean you can help?”

Her pale eyes flicked to mine, steady but unreadable. “There are spells. Wards. Old protections that may still hold power if we can find the right place to anchor them.”

Spells. Magic. Things that sounded more like myths than tools I could actually wield.

I shook my head. “That’s not enough. You don’t understand—he’s already waking. I saw it, felt it. He’s strong. Too strong for us to contain with words and symbols. If we don’t stop him before he rises fully—”