Carmen extended her senses across the vast ethereal space, threads of her perception dancing out like rays of light, scanning for a trace—anything—that might tell her where the others had gone. But it was like grasping at fog. Everything felt muffled, muted, as if the world itself had swallowed her awareness whole.
Ethan had allowed them into this world—his world—but in doing so, he had severed their links to each other. The bonds they shared, strong as they were, had been veiled, disconnected just enough to keep them from interfering. It wasn't cruelty. It was intention.
He was playing his game.
A game of desire and emotion, of chaos and understanding.
While Athelia… figured out what she wanted to be.
Who she truly was.
Carmen's eyes narrowed, her aura flickering with quiet frustration. "You always have a plan," she muttered to herself. "But so do I."
And then—everything went dark.
No sound. No light. Just a weightless drift through silence.
