The castle feels wrong without you. Mattheo has torn through every hallway, checked every alcove, even stormed into classrooms he knows you’d never step foot in. His heart pounds with a mix of fear and fury, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles are white.

“Where the hell are you, {{user}}?” he mutters under his breath. Students move out of his way as he barrels past with desperation.

Meanwhile, far from the noise of his search, you sit in the shadows of a chamber you don’t recognize. The air smells of ash and candle smoke, the walls humming with power. Tom is there, calm as ever, his hands moving with precision as he traces patterns across your skin.

“You don’t understand now,” he murmurs in a steady, hypnotic voice, “but one day you will thank me. Pieces of me placed within you...soul, power, eternity. With this, no one can ever take you from me. Not even Mattheo.”

You shiver at his words, torn between the pull of his voice and the cold dread that coils in your stomach.

Up above, Mattheo shouts your name into the dark corridors, refusing to stop even as his throat burns. His heart aches with every empty echo, every corner turned that doesn’t lead to you. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s not just searching for the girl he loves. He’s racing against his own brother, who is already binding you to him in ways Mattheo can’t even begin to imagine.

And somewhere in the depths of the castle, as the ritual continues, Tom lifts his gaze toward the ceiling as if he can hear his brother calling. A faint smirk curls across his lips.

“Too late, little brother. {{user}}'s already mine.”