2026-04-29 02:00:51
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CHAPTER 157
Author's POVThat night, they gathered at the Sanctum.It wasn't for a meeting or training. They were there just to be together, in the space that had shaped them, the space that held the memories of Aeris and the horrors they had overcome.Maya wanted to come, as she always had, now excited to think of her brother as some kind of superhero. But Zayan had told her to stay home with Marcos and Zenna, and had promised they could watch a movie instead. It was an evening meant for just five of them. To process the things they had achieved, and that which they had yet to conquer.Charis was also there, with Astoria and Samvel. The old generation observing the new, with just as much worry and pride mixed in. "The woman you stopped, she's talking." Charis had spoken, her voice resonating across the common area. "Not much yet, but she admitted being paid to take the girl. She has not yet been named by whom, but we're working on it.""Sophia Cross," Wilder stated. It wasn't a question.Cha
CHAPTER 156
Author's POVEilish had never been happier to be taken seriously in her entire life.The conversation with her grandparents had changed something fundamental. Not just with the investigation, though it had helped there too, but to her sense of what family really was.Samvel and Astoria hadn't tried to placate her or patronise her. Coo her into overlooking things she clearly couldn't help understanding.Treat her like a damaged foster kid whose paranoia could be managed. They'd listened. Believed. Acted. And in three days, they had the first real lead.Astoria's connections to the Watcher network went back centuries, to people who remembered what was unrecorded in any official histories, people who could trace bloodlines and identify individuals across generations.And when she'd begun her subtle inquiries among them about women matching Sophia Cross's description appearing in cities across decades, the returns had been almost immediate.Almost too immediate. This indicated others had
CHAPTER 155
Eilish's POVI was doing so much better.That was what everyone kept telling me, and most days I actually believed it.But I was managing it. Learning to recognize the warning signs when the darkness started creeping in.Learning to ask for help instead of suffering alone.Therapy helped. My therapist, Dr. Chen, had been working with me twice a week for a month after the convergence. She specialized in trauma and PTSD, understood that my struggles went deeper than normal teenage angst.The sessions were hard. Talking about sixteen years of foster care, about the scars on my wrists, about the suicide attempt that had nearly ended my life before I'd even discovered I was Etherwind.But they were helping. Slowly, incrementally, I was learning to process the trauma instead of just carrying it.Living with Astoria and Samvel helped too. Having a home that felt permanent. Having grandparents who showed up to my dance recitals and cried with pride.Having a room that was mine, with a bed that
CHAPTER 154
Wilder's POVUnless she was immortal.Like Samvel and Astoria Aristarkh. Like the monarchs of the Obsidian who had lived for centuries. Like other Etherwind descendants who had found ways to extend their lives indefinitely.What if Sophia Cross wasn't Dr. Raymond Cross's partner, colleague, or random person with an unfortunate last name?What if she were his daughter? And what if she'd been alive for over a century, changing her appearance when needed, operating in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to act?My hand was shaking as I grabbed a pen and wrote a question mark on the photograph.I needed to confirm this. Needed to verify whether this was actually possible, whether the woman Morrison's new partner was searching for could actually be over a hundred years old.But first--First, I needed to sleep. My eyes were burning, my head pounding. I'd been awake for nearly thirty hours, and my body was demanding rest.I placed the photograph in my research folder and stood up, my
CHAPTER 153
Wilder's POVBut I would investigate. Privately. Quietly. I would once again search the files, checking everything about Sophia Cross, her background, her transfer, and her connection to this investigation. I had a feeling about her, a nagging, unwelcome feeling. And I was determined to discover why.Across the room, Rune’s head twitched, and his gaze met mine. He’d heard me; I’d forgotten my mental shield, and he had access to my every internal thought concerning Morrison’s partner."We'll discuss this later." His thought was flat, not condemning or even judgmental. It simply acknowledged the facts, and we’d address the situation in private.I offered a small nod and shifted my attention back to Morrison."We have four more victims, all teenagers," Morrison stated, no preamble needed. "Twelve to sixteen years old, all disappeared within the last forty-eight hours. We found fingerprints and DNA traces at one of the crime scenes matching that of Dr. Raymond Cross."Charis walked over
CHAPTER 152
Wilder's POVSomething was wrong.I couldn't describe it, couldn't even point to one particular bit of detail or thing to observe that made me start feeling colder, more uneasy in my chest. But every instinct I had built up over months of fighting corruption was howling in my mind to listen to it.The training with Tiago went well. Actually, it was going extraordinarily well.For the past two hours, we had been inside the basement of the library, reading up on texts about seal reinforcement and how it can be used, comparing old Etherwind techniques with modern magical theory.Just had to appreciate all his efforts. Tiago was very methodical and patient. He was really trying to help, even though I was scrutinizing his every move like a hawk, expecting manifestations of corruption that hadn't shown themselves in months.Even cracking a joke. A really bad joke, something about ancient sorcerers having bad handwriting, and I nearly laughed. Nearly.But as I left the library into the late
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