Then she walked over to Nathan who were being held by Regina and raised the dagger.
"No!" Nadia screamed. Her power surged again, slamming against the suppression runes with a soundless, pulsing crack. The air snapped—just for a second. A flicker of heat. A whisper of tremor. Dust fell from the ceiling.
Helen's eyes narrowed, briefly glancing at the runes on the ground. One of them pulsed faintly. A hairline crack split through its center, but she said nothing.
Regina didn't notice. She was too far gone—eyes wide with exhilaration, dagger poised like a queen delivering judgment.
"I want you to remember this," Regina whispered to Nadia, not even looking at her anymore. "The moment you knew you were powerless. The moment your line ended. The moment I became the strongest witch this world has ever seen."
The dagger plunged.
Nadia's scream tore from her throat, raw and ragged—
but she was too late.
Blood splattered across the cold stone.
Nathan's body went still.
