"Huh? Look, the candle on the mark is almost gone," Ivy muttered, her voice barely a whisper.
The flickering flame was dying, casting shadows that seemed to stretch and twist unnaturally. But Ethan felt an increasing sense of dread.
"Are you okay?" Dylan’s eyes were sharp on Ethan, sensing something wasn’t right.
"No... only two nights left," His each word heavier than the last.
The door creaked open, revealing Lila, standing alone, her face unreadable. She silently placed down fruits and water in front of them.
"You'll need this," she said flatly, her gaze lingering a little too long on Ethan.
Ethan sneered, his annoyance thinly controlling the fear bubbling inside him. "What? Strengthening us before you finish us off?"
Lila’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t rise to his bait. "Are you gonna start again, Ethan?" she muttered.
She turned away from him but paused, stepping closer to murmur, her voice a cold, low hiss, "You’ll be all taken out before the full moon, means we only have two nights... they didn’t say where."
Ethan’s grin faltered, "You’ve spoken, but it’s still vague," he mumbled.
"Brother..." Ivy pleaded.
Lila shot her a hard look before sighing. "If I ask too much, I’ll be caught. They don’t fully trust me yet."
Ethan’s eyes burned with intensity. "Tell me, Lila. You know what’s coming, don’t you?"
Her gaze flickered over to Ivy, something like guilt flashing across her face. "It's... her fate."
"Fate?" Ethan’s voice was sharp now. "It’s always fate, isn’t it? But fate’s a choice. We can change it if we fight—"
Lila cut him off, "Easy for you to say, Ethan. But tell me, what can you do to change this fate?"
Her words hung in the air, silencing him. For a moment, he had no answer.
Suddenly, Ivy stumbled backward, her breath hitching. "Dang!"
They all snapped their heads toward her, confusion and fear swirling in the room.
"Hey! Don’t step outside the damn mark!" Ethan barked, the urgency clear in his voice.
Lila’s eyes darkened. "What did you see?" she asked, her tone was calm, as if she already knew.
"I... uh..." Ivy stammered, her eyes wide, her body trembling.
"Tell me!" Lila commanded, her voice taking on a sinister edge.
"I-I saw you... covered in blood... you w—" 
Ivy was abruptly cut off as Dylan spoke, his voice grim and laced with dread.
"Death’s Whisper."
"Death’s what?" Ivy gasped.
"Power from the realm of the dead... like a whisper or an echo from beyond the grave," Dylan explained, his voice low, as if saying it too loudly would call it forth.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "And how do you know that?"
Dylan didn’t look up. "I found it in the old journal. Buried between lines about death rituals and forbidden magic."
Lila, standing by the door, froze mid-sentence. "It’s because your soul is connected to dark for—"
Ethan didn’t let her finish. He grabbed her arm, his grip tight. Their eyes locked, a silent storm of unspoken words between them. 
"Connected to what, Lila?" he demanded.
Dylan moved toward them, his steps slow but deliberate.
"We only have two nights left," he said.
Lila yanked her arm free, her expression unreadable. "Don’t be stupid. If we don’t make a plan, we’re dead. They’re already watching us too closely." She glanced at the door, her voice growing cold. "I’ll go before they get suspicious."
"No... what if..." Ivy began, her voice shaking with worry.
But Lila silenced her with a sharp look. "What you saw can’t be changed, Ivy. It’s my fate, and I’ve accepted that."
She stepped out of the room, the heavy sound of the lock clicking behind them echoing in the silence.
Ethan clenched his fists, a low growl of pain escaping his lips. He looked down, confused, noticing fresh scratches and cuts on his arms... scratches he had no memory of getting.
Ivy’s eyes widened. "Brother... how did you get those wounds?"
"How the hell should I know?" he snapped, collapsing against the wall.
His anger was bubbling over, threatening to spill. This wasn’t like him, and Ivy knew it.
Dylan silently picked up the fruit and water that Lila had left, handing it to Ivy. His calm demeanor masked the turmoil he felt inside.
"Dylan..." Ivy whispered softly, making sure Ethan couldn’t hear.
Her eyes flickered with fear as she leaned closer to him. "He’s not himself. Something’s wrong, and I can feel it—something dark, something off."
Dylan’s gaze shifted to Ethan, who sat in the corner, fists clenched, his breath heavy with rage.
It wasn’t just his mood that was different. His whole aura was wrong... twisted, darker. This wasn’t the Ethan who always kept his head clear, who stayed calm even in the face of the unknown.
"I know," Dylan whispered back, his voice firm yet laced with worry. "But I’ll do everything I can to keep us safe."
Ivy nodded, but the tension in the room was thick, and they both knew it wouldn’t be enough. Something was coming, something far worse than they had prepared for.
Dylan open the old journal, his fingers brushing over its worn cover before carefully flipping through the fragile, yellowed pages.
His heart pounded as his eyes finally landed on a chilling revelation... it confirmed everything.
Ethan's ability to see beyond was being twisted by the dark magic. The very power that gave him glimpses into the future was now corrupting him, altering his behavior, and causing those strange, unexplained cuts to appear on his skin.
Dylan’s suspicions had been right, but the truth was more dangerous than he had imagined.
His eyes skimmed over a passage that detailed two paths. One offered a slim chance at salvation, the other… destruction.
The Hard Path... disrupt the ritual. They’d have to find the source of the dark magic tethering Ethan, destroy it, and break the connection, cutting off the poison that was slowly taking over him.
It would be dangerous and risky, and there was no guarantee they’d survive.
The Easier Path... embrace the darkness. Ethan could accept the dark magic inside him, wield it like a weapon to fight back against their captors. 
But the journal warned... if he did, there was a price. He might not come back from it. He could lose himself entirely, becoming a vessel for the evil they were trying so desperately to escape.
"Damn it," Dylan muttered under his breath, his hand trembling as he closed the journal. "We’re not fighting one enemy... but two."
Dylan’s hand trembled as he closed the journal, deep in thought. He looked over at Ivy, her eyes still filled with worry, then at Ethan, who sat quietly, unaware of the storm building inside him.
He glanced at Ivy, who sat inside the mark circle, around with candles. 
Ethan, who sat silently in the corner, unaware of the deadly storm brewing inside him.
"Hey," Ivy whispered, noticing Dylan’s troubled expression. "Did you find anything?"
Dylan hesitated, lowering his voice so Ethan couldn’t hear. "There are two ways out of this," he murmured.
"We can try to break the connection between Ethan and the magic. But it’s dangerous. We’d have to destroy whatever’s anchoring him to it."
"And the other?" Ivy’s voice was barely audible, fear lacing every word.
"The other way..." Dylan paused, struggling to find the right words.
"The other way is easier. Ethan could use the dark magic, turn it against them. But there’s a catch. If he does... the journal says he might not come back. He could lose himself to the darkness completely."
"We can’t let him become... something else," she whispered, horrified.
"I know." Dylan’s voice was firm, but his eyes betrayed his uncertainty. "But we’re running out of time. If we don’t act soon, the decision might be made for us."
Before Ivy could respond, a voice cut through the tension. "Tell me."
Both Dylan and Ivy froze, their heads slowly turning toward Ethan, who was now standing behind them. His eyes were darker, colder than they had been before. He had heard everything.
"What choices do I have, Dylan?" Ethan’s voice was calm, but there was something dangerous lurking beneath the surface, a threat ready to snap.
"Ethan, we—"
"Don’t lie to me," Ethan interrupted, "I heard enough. Just tell me the truth."
Dylan exchanged a look with Ivy, her face filled with silent pleading, before he finally sighed.
"The truth is... there’s a way to break the dark magic. We could destroy the connection. But there’s also another option... you could use the magic to fight back. But if you choose that path, you risk losing yourself."
Ethan’s jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides. He processed the words, the weight of the choice settling over him.
"So those are my choices," he muttered, "Become a monster... or fight, even if it means I might not come back."
"Brother..." Ivy’s voice cracked, full of desperation. "We can find a way to break the magic. Don’t give in to it, please."
Ethan turned to look at her, his expression conflicted. His heart ached at the sight of his sister's fear, but he wasn’t sure if he had the strength to resist the pull of the darkness.
He then shifted his gaze to Dylan.
"You know what..." Dylan started, his voice steady but heavy with conviction.
"Know what?"
"You have to do this, Ethan. Protect yourself. Fight for yourself. Because if you don’t, you won’t be able to protect Ivy."
Ethan’s eyes flashed with anger, but there was a hint of something else... understanding. 
He let out a low, bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Damn you, Dylan. I hate that I needed to hear that from you... but you’re right." His lips curled into a dark smirk. "That’s exactly what I needed."