Round 61 Transcript

As Jeane's hand tightens on the door knob, her eyes flicker to the others, a mixture of desperation and pleading in their depths. Silra's gaze lingers on the book on the worktable, her hand still resting on the hilt of her blades, while Halie's expression is a mask of concern and wariness. Hera, still pale from her earlier unease, takes a step forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "Wait, Jeane, what if we leave now? We can try to find a way to undo this binding before Zha'thik returns." The book on the worktable pulses more frantically, its energy crackling with an otherworldly power that seems to be urging them to flee.

I wrench open the door, my wings beating with panic that I can't fully hide. "Move now!" The book's energy surges again—loud enough for them to hear its wrongness this time—and I feel Zha'thik's attention snapping toward us like a predator finally hearing its prey's screams. "I don't care if you trust me," I snap over my shoulder, already sprinting down the corridor with no guarantee they're following despite every instinct screaming at me to check. "Trust your survival instincts instead—because Zha'thik is coming and he will devour us whole if we're still here when he arrives."

I grab Hera's hand instinctively, pulling her with me as I sprint after Jeane—trusting her urgency even if I don't trust her motives. The wrongness of that book pulses through the air behind us like a physical force pushing at my back, and I have to bite down on my lip hard to keep from praying out loud against whatever ancient evil we've stumbled into. "Keep moving," I gasp between breaths, trying to ignore how every step feels like running in place while this binding tightens around all of us whether near or far.

I don't even look back—I'm already moving toward the suite's main door while my hand slides inside my coat to grasp a blade hilt. The book's energy pulses behind us like a predator's heartbeat getting louder, and I have no intention of being here when whatever ancient horror Jeane summoned decides we're worth investigating. "This is exactly what happens when you fuck around with powers that could erase reality," I mutter as my fingers tighten on the blade. "Okay—everyone out now, and if anyone tries to slow us down or start asking questions about 'the plan,' I'm cutting ties literally."