Aurora’s P.O.V
I wake up to a pounding headache, the kind that makes my skull feel like it’s splitting open from the inside out. My body is heavy, unresponsive, as though I’ve been drugged or drained of every ounce of strength. A dull, distant sound fills my ears—muffled at first, then sharpening into something unmistakable.
Crying.
It’s all around me, surrounding me like a thick fog. Different voices, different tones—some are shaking with terror, others gasping between desperate sobs. My pulse stutters in my veins, and I force my eyes open, expecting darkness. Instead, I see… stone. A rough, uneven surface beneath me, cold against my bare skin. My arms are stretched wide, bound at the wrists, and a sickening realization settles in my stomach—I can’t move.
Panic surges through me, and I struggle, pulling at the restraints, but they don’t budge. My breath comes in sharp, shallow gasps as I tilt my head, trying to make sense of my surroundings. That’s when I see them.
My half-siblings.
All of them, bound just like I am, their arms outstretched, their bodies pressed against the same massive stone structure. I can barely comprehend what I’m seeing at first, but then the shape of it registers. A human figure—massive, carved from stone, lying flat on the ground. We are bound to it, each of us connected by our outstretched arms, forming a grotesque, human-shaped circle with an empty space at the center.
The crying intensifies. Someone is muttering prayers under their breath, begging for mercy. Another is whimpering, repeating a name—perhaps their mother’s, perhaps a god’s. I turn my head as far as I can, searching for familiar faces, for some explanation, for anything that makes sense in this nightmare.
“W-what’s happening?” My own voice is hoarse, barely more than a whisper, but someone hears me.
“Aurora…” The voice is weak, trembling. I turn my head as much as I can and meet the wide, terrified eyes of my half-brother. “I don’t know—I don’t—” His voice breaks, and he squeezes his eyes shut as though trying to block out reality.
I feel my stomach drop, the cold dread washing over me like a suffocating tide. Whoever did this… whatever this is… they bound all of us here together. And that empty space in the middle—it’s deliberate.
I don’t want to think about what it means. But the sheer terror in the air, the way the voices whisper prayers to any god that’s listening, the heartbreaking sobs…it’s all an indication.
Something is coming.
And I don’t think we were meant to survive it.
The cold, damp stone beneath me sends a shiver through my body, and I gasp, struggling to push myself up, the bindings on my wrists digging into my skin. I try to focus, blinking away the dizziness, but the moment I do, my breath catches in my throat. It isn’t just me.
My heart stutters as I take in the scene—women. Several of them. All tied up, their bodies slumped against the cold stone walls. Their mouths are gagged, the muffled sobs of helplessness filling the air. Some are older, some younger, but all of them are terrified, eyes wide, faces pale from fear and confusion. Tears stream down their faces, and I can feel my throat close up. I’m not alone in this hell.
"Maggie?" I call out, my voice shaky, panicked. "Ashton? Avery? Violet?"
My voice breaks as I utter Violet’s name. A lump rises in my throat when I hear the faintest whimper from across the room.
Violet.
She’s the youngest of us, only twelve, and I can already hear her crying, the sound piercing through the air. My heart aches for her, for all of us. I try to get to my feet, but my body feels weak, trembling from the shock of whatever this is. I glance over to Ashton, his eyes wide with confusion as he also begins to stir. He looks at me with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Aurora... What the hell is going on?"
"I don’t know," I whisper back, my chest tight. "But we’re going to get out of here. We have to."
I try to turn my head towards Violet, my breath quickening as I hear her sobbing uncontrollably. She’s just a child, her hands bound like all of us. “Violet, it’s okay. We’re going to get out of here. Just breathe, okay?” I try to sound reassuring, but I know she’s terrified, and I can’t even begin to imagine how she feels.
Ashton turns to face me, his face hard with determination as he give a small nod. “We’ll figure this out, Violet. You’re not alone, okay?”
But we can’t see what she’s going through as her cries growing more desperate. She doesn't understand. She doesn’t know how to make sense of this nightmare, and neither do I. But I can’t show her my fear. I can’t let her see how badly this is unraveling me.
And just as I think maybe—just maybe—we’ll find a way out of this, a voice chills my blood.
“Don’t bother,” Lucas sneers from the doorway, his voice dripping with malice. "There’s no way out. Not until I’m done with you all."
I freeze. Every inch of me tenses, a rush of cold fear coursing through my veins. I don’t dare look at him, but his presence fills the room, suffocating and oppressive. His cruel laughter echoes through the space as the walls seem to close in on me.
“We’re not just toys for your amusement, Lucas,” Ashton spits, his jaw clenched. He struggles against his binds, trying to keep his voice steady, though I can hear the tremor in it. “This won’t last. We’ll get out, no matter what you do.”
Lucas steps closer, his voice mocking as he speaks again, his words cutting deep. “Oh, how sweet. You think you have a choice? You’re all just pawns in my game. But trust me, it won’t be long now. The ritual is about to begin.”
I feel my stomach drop, the panic swirling inside me, but I force myself to take a deep breath. I can’t fall apart—not now. Not in front of the others.
Violet’s sobs grow louder, and I know I need to be strong for her. For all of us. I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to keep my voice steady as I look back at Violet, who looks so small and fragile in the middle of this nightmare.
I looked up to find Lucas pacing the room. He had changed into black robes now, and there was a certain presence about him that made my skin crawl. He was standing in front of the captives—people who, like me, were caught in this mess, this nightmare that he’d crafted. The sharp, steel glint in his eyes told me everything I needed to know: there was no escaping this.
“Let them go, Lucas,” I demanded, my voice tight, but firm. I couldn’t let fear control me, not now. We had to get out of whatever twisted nightmare this was.
His eyes flickered toward me, a cruel laugh escaping his lips. It sent a shiver down my spine. “Let them go?” He chuckled again, the sound unnervingly low. “You think I’m just going to walk away from this? After thirty years of planning, of waiting… of sacrifice? You really think I’m going to give it all up now?”
I felt the weight of his words hit me, my stomach sinking. Thirty years. Thirty long years of whatever twisted game he’d been playing, and I had no idea. I thought I had figured him out, that he was just some kind of psychotic stalker and a witch who liked to experiment. But I had it all wrong. This was much more than that.
“What are you doing, Lucas?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. I hated how weak my voice sounded, how I could barely hold myself together as I stared at him. “All of this… what’s it for? What do you want? What’s your endgame?”
Lucas straightened, the air around him suddenly thick with something darker. His expression, though, was unreadable. “I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “Waiting for the right time, the right conditions. And now?” He let out a breath, his lips curling into a grin. “Now is the moment when everything changes. No more hiding. No more playing by your rules.” He stepped closer, and I could feel the weight of his every word press against me like a physical force. “I’m not stopping now. Not when I’ve come this far.”
His words hit me like a punch. What exactly was he planning? What was all this even about. No matter what happened, I had to find out what he was really playing at.
“And what do you plan to do to us?” I asked. “What happens now?”
He stepped closer, too close, and I felt a knot of fear twist in my chest. “You really want to know?” His eyes bore into mine, and for a moment, I saw something I hadn’t seen before: the raw hunger, the obsession. “Because this is bigger than you. Bigger than all of them. This is about power. About control. About making sure that no one ever tells me what to do again.”
I shook my head, my heart pounding in my ears. I wanted to walk away, to run, but I couldn’t. We were all bound and helpless, pawns in his twisted game, and yet, we hadn’t found out what this was all about.
“I won’t let you do this,” I whispered, but I didn't even believe the words. What could I do against someone like him?
Lucas smiled, and there was no warmth in it. “You’re too late, Aurora,” he said softly. “The pieces are already in place. It’s already done. There’s nothing you can do to stop it now.”
I felt a chill settle deep in my bones. Something big was about to happen, and I felt helpless to stop it.