The air in the ancient chapel crackled with tension as I faced Everett. His demand echoed off the stone walls, reverberating through my bones.

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice steady despite the chaos brewing inside me.

“The last relic,” he declared with a pompous air, as if he were asking for a cup of sugar. “You’ll come with me to Orion’s pack, retrieve the last relic, and then willingly come with me to Malakai.”

I couldn’t help but let out a deep, ...