Chapter 7: What Would You Sacrifice for Freedom?

Cornelius is thrown into chaos when an imp with a hauntingly familiar face—his sister Saturn's—delivers a cryptic warning: his sister’s fate and humanity’s survival are bound by a cruel choice. Desperation fuels a fierce battle, leaving Cornelius battered but determined to uncover the truth behind the ominous prophecy. Back in the safety of his dorm, his fragile world is upended when Charlotte storms in, demanding answers. A tense confrontation reveals shared scars and vulnerabilities, but her knowledge of forbidden realms raises unsettling questions. In the haze of exhaustion and raw emotion, their connection deepens in an unexpected moment of intimacy, offering Cornelius a fleeting reprieve from the shadows closing in. But as he lays beside her, the weight of unspoken truths and the imp’s chilling words linger. Beneath the fragile peace, danger looms. Forces beyond their understanding align, and Cornelius must confront a harrowing truth: freedom comes at a price, and the cost may be everything he holds dear.