Adrian felt it the moment Rhea crossed the threshold.
Her body fell unconscious in his arms—
But her mark pulsed like a heartbeat.
Golden.
Alive.
Connected.
He held her against his chest, brushing hair away from her pale face.
"I've got you," he whispered.
The candles around the ritual circle flickered violently, as if reacting to the shift in the garden.
Then suddenly—
The air changed.
A coldness swept through the mansion, unlike anything before.
The walls groaned.
The floorboards creaked like something heavy walked across them.
Adrian's muscles tensed.
"Rhea… something's coming."
Her fingers twitched faintly.
Her breathing hitched, almost as if she could hear him from the other side.
Adrian tightened his grip.
"I won't let anything touch you."
But the mansion's temperature kept dropping—so fast Adrian could see his breath.
Then—
CRACK.
Every candle went out at once.
Darkness swallowed the hall.
Adrian's heart pounded.
He placed Rhea gently on the floor, stepping protectively in front of her.
"Show yourself."
At first, there was only the echo of distant footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Mocking.
Then a shape materialized at the edge of the dark corridor—
tall
thin
floating rather than walking.
Lilith stepped forward, her form half-transparent, her gown trailing like smoke along the floor.
Her eyes—empty holes of darkness—locked onto Adrian.
"You."
Her voice was layered—hundreds of voices merging together into one horrifying sound.
Adrian didn't flinch.
"I won't let you near her."
Lilith tilted her head, lips curling.
"And what are you, human anchor?
A toy?
A broken man pretending to be strong?"
Adrian's expression didn't change, but his jaw clenched.
"Try me and find out."
Lilith laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally through the hall.
"I don't need to kill you, Adrian."
She drifted forward, circling him like a predator.
"I only need to snap the thread that holds her to this world."
Adrian stepped in her path, blocking her from reaching Rhea.
"You won't touch her."
Lilith's face twisted.
"She defied me."
He took a step closer.
"She's not afraid of you."
Lilith's grin faded.
The floors trembled.
Shadows slithered down the walls like black snakes.
Adrian squared his shoulders, refusing to back down.
Even though his knees threatened to give out under the crushing pressure she was radiating.
"You can crush me," he said, voice firm.
"But you'll never break her connection to me."
Lilith's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Then I will break YOU."
A violent burst of shadow energy slammed into him.
Adrian was thrown several feet back, crashing into a pillar with a sickening thud.
His vision blurred.
Pain shot down his spine.
But he forced himself to stand—his legs shaking.
"Is that all you've got?" he said through clenched teeth.
Lilith's fury crackled through the air.
"You are nothing.
A mortal.
A weak, fragile man."
She lifted her hand.
Shadow tendrils shot forward—
sharp, black, spear-like vines racing toward him.
Adrian dodged the first—
blocked the second with his forearm—blood spraying instantly—
But the third one—
SLASH.
It cut across his ribs, tearing through skin, burning cold.
Adrian gasped but stayed upright.
Lilith floated closer, delighted.
"You bleed easily.
Humans always do."
Adrian wiped the blood dripping down his side.
"Yeah," he said breathlessly.
"But we love harder too."
Lilith's smile died.
He pointed behind him—at Rhea's unconscious body glowing faintly from the ritual.
"That woman is fighting you right now.
And as long as I breathe, I won't let you win."
Lilith's expression twisted into pure hatred.
The entire mansion shuddered as her power surged.
"THEN STOP BREATHING."
A massive wave of black energy shot toward him.
Adrian braced himself—
But just before it hit him,
A golden shockwave exploded from Rhea's body.
BOOM—
The hall filled with blinding light.
Lilith shrieked, thrown back into the shadows.
The golden energy pulsed again—driven by Rhea's mark—connecting her soul to Adrian's.
Adrian dropped to his knees, gasping for air.
Rhea's lips parted faintly—
and the softest whisper escaped:
"Adrian… don't… let go…"
Lilith screeched in frustration.
"NO!
I WILL END THIS!"
But the golden barrier around Rhea held firm—
driven by her trust,
her bond,
and the connection she refused to let break.
Adrian forced himself to stand again, blood dripping down his side.
He faced the shadows, voice hoarse but steady.
"You can't win."
He jerked his chin toward Rhea.
"She chose me."
Lilith screamed—a sound that shook the chandeliers—before dissolving into a furious cloud of black mist and disappearing deeper into the mansion.
Adrian collapsed beside Rhea, breathing hard.
He touched her cheek gently.
"I'm right here," he whispered.
"You just keep fighting.
I'll handle everything out here."
Her mark glowed faintly in response.
The anchor held.
But Adrian knew—
Lilith wasn't done.
And Rhea was still trapped inside the nightmare garden… running straight into Lilith's next trap.