For a moment, everything went silent, motionless...

I locked eyes with Enzo, bracing myself for the pain that was sure to come.

"No!" A gut-wrenching scream pierced the quiet, cutting through the heavy tension. It was my sister's voice.

Slowly, I turned my head toward the sound and saw her fighting her way through the crowd, rushing toward the dais. "How could you reject her? She'll die!" she cried out, her face twisted in anguish.

I gave her a weak smile, but then it ...