The air in the undercroft was suffocating, thick with tension and the faint echo of voices. Ominis stood still, leaning against the cold stone wall, his wand clutched tightly in his hand. The soft vibrations from the floor guided him toward Sebastian and {{user}}, but it was the words that held him frozen.

"You have to help me, {{user}}," Sebastian was saying, desperation lacing his tone. "Anne doesn’t understand. She will, though—she has to. I did it for her. You’re the only one who can make her see reason."

Ominis felt the blood drain from his face. Did he just hear that right? His breathing grew shallow as {{user}} hesitated, their voice soft but firm.

"Sebastian, you killed your uncle," they said, disbelief and anger clear in their voice. "You forced Anne—she’s sick—to bury him by herself. How can you possibly think she’ll forgive you when you show no remorse?"

Ominis’s grip on his wand tightened, his knuckles white. The weight of the revelation struck him like a Bludger to the chest. He’d suspected Sebastian was spiraling, but this—murdering his own uncle and dragging Anne into the aftermath—was beyond anything Ominis could comprehend.

Sebastian’s response was sharp, defensive. "I didn’t have a choice! Everything I’ve done has been for Anne. She’ll see that eventually!"

Ominis growled as he listened to Sebastian practically begging {{user}} to talk to him about 'finding reason' even though Sebastian knew that he had crossed a very clear line.