The sound of the door clicking shut made Sylvia's heart finally ease. Damon stood outside slowly. He turned to the others. "Let's get to bed…" Sylvia nodded her head while the others all looked at Damon without saying anything. Leona opened her mouth to say something but… Sylvia shook her head. She looked at Damon. "Let's go to sleep." He nodded slowly… As they walked past the dining hall, by the hearth, Sylvia subtly picked up a paper and a quill when no one was looking. She tucked it under her arm and walked quietly in the middle of her friends. Carefully, she scribbled something and shoved it into Xander's hand. He frowned a bit but wordlessly squeezed it into his arm, holding it tight without even reading its contents. He wasn't stupid—if she was handing him a hidden note, then clearly, she couldn't speak out loud. Damon and Xander stopped outside the room that belonged to the two boys. Damon looked at Sylvia. "Good night…" He unlocked the door with a tired yawn. Sylvia nodded slowly at Xander, who nodded back. The girls walked in silence to their room just down the hall—the next door over. Evangeline led, slowly opening the door. It made a creaking sound, a detail she alone seemed to register. She stood by the frame, waiting until all three girls entered. Then she slowly glanced at the dim hallway one last time before gently shutting the door. Turning around, she found the others standing still, watching her. She looked at them in silence for a few seconds. Then she whispered, "I… I'm not the only one who's noticed something weird…" Matia bit her lips. "Weird is an understatement. Bel… she's becoming more eerie. Every day." Leona's beastkin ears drooped low. "Damon… he's… he's acting weird. Not quite like Damon…" Her voice wavered. Sylvia's hands trembled at her sides. She bit her lips hard. "Bel… Bel… she's a… Beldam…" Her voice was barely audible. A whisper. She looked up, expecting fear, dread—some reaction in their eyes. She found none. Evangeline narrowed her brows. "Figures. No way a nice lady lives in the heart of the Whispering Forest…" Matia clenched her fist. "I can't believe we bought her sob story…" Leona's golden eyes burned with rage. "That's why Damon was acting weird… she must've done something to him. Or he knows—and he's pretending. He has to be…" She whispered the last part, almost as if she was praying it were true. She looked at the others. "Let's kill her." Matia raised her hand to stop Leona. "We can't. We don't know her rank…" Evangeline looked at Sylvia. "What's her rank?" "Fourth class… I'm not sure, but she's surely more powerful than us. It should be a mage class, so she may be weak to close-range and physical attacks… but we'd never get that chance…" Evangeline's face paled. Fourth class… a whole three ranks above their meager First Class strength. She could wipe them out as easily as breathing. Matia's eyes were cold. "If she's a mage type… a single spell will kill us. Maybe if we—" "No." Sylvia cut her off with a whisper. "We won't win… We need to leave her house…" Evangeline bit her lips. "What about Damon and Xander?" "I left Xander a note… we leave at midnight. She should be neck-deep in whatever she's doing by then. Grab your weapons…" Evangeline took a deep breath. Their bags were already packed—that was the easy part. "How do we intend to leave?" Leona's ears twitched. "Which way is out?" Sylvia nodded, recalling something. "We take the kitchen door. I remember she opened it once—I heard whispers from the forest… It must be the way out." Matia nodded. "Okay. We leave at midnight. Head to the kitchen… then run." Sylvia clutched her bag. Midnight wasn't far, but for them… it felt like an eternity. When it finally arrived, Evangeline opened the door slowly. The hallway was dim. She stepped out, rapier in hand. She knew it wouldn't help much against the Beldam—but still, she gripped it tightly. It made her feel safer in the suffocating dread. At the far end of the hallway, a door creaked open. Xander stepped out. Damon stood beside him, his expression blank. He walked toward them casually, unbothered by the idea of being caught. He looked at them with a frown. "You don't actually have evidence. But I'll take your word for it." Sylvia let out a sigh of relief. At least he was still himself… She smiled, knowing something had snapped him back. He turned to the others. "Hurry. Let's go to the kitchen…" Their five shadows stretched long beneath the flickering lights as they walked in fearful silence. Sylvia noted the absence of Damon's shadow. She smiled faintly. He must've sent it out to scout a path… He's back to normal… There were no obstacles along the way. The house was quiet. Too quiet. A blessing—it meant the Beldam was still busy. Still unaware. Damon led them, navigating the halls until they reached the doors to the kitchen. Seeing the doors, their hearts lightened. Escape was near. The dreadful nest of the Beldam would soon be behind them. Damon slowly opened the doors and stepped into the kitchen. The others followed—pitch black. As soon as he entered, he stopped. Turned back. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 The others had just stepped inside when his voice cut the silence. He looked toward the darkness—where a towering shape waited, nearly three meters tall. "I've brought them, Mother." Sylvia didn't scream. Her breath didn't even hitch. Her heart simply cracked—clean and quiet. At that moment, the stove lights flickered on. And the illusion shattered. There she stood—no longer wearing the skin of a beautiful woman. She had no need for it now. The Beldam. Grotesque. Her true form monstrous. Teeth riddled with maggots. Her skin sagged like melted wax. Maggots nested in the hollows of her gums. Eyes, milky and deep, blinked sideways like a lizard's. Her shadow—Damon's missing shadow—slithered across the floor, returning and fusing back with him. She smiled. A hideous smile. Sylvia's heart sank with dread. But even more than that—with betrayal. Leona's eyes widened, blazing with fury. "What… what have you done to him, you monster!" She lunged—tried to scream. But the Beldam merely waved her withered hand. "Sleep," she shrieked, voice shrill and ancient. Leona dropped first—crashing onto the floor. The others followed like puppets with cut strings. As Sylvia hit the wood, her body weak and heavy, she raised her hand toward Damon. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She whispered his name. "Damon…" Then the world went black.