I curled up involuntarily, my body trembling as I thrashed across the floor.

Hearing Haze's agonizing screams, an uncontrollable surge of pain exploded from my heart, nearly causing me to black out.

Julian stared at the woman on the ground, her face deathly pale, and a sudden tightness seized his chest.

Could the life bond Celeste mentioned be real?

"Stop!"

I didn't know when I lost consciousness.

When I woke, the first thing I saw was the cold, sterile ceiling of a hospital room.

Haze seemed to have been bandaged as well. The fox lay quietly by my leg, fast asleep.

I struggled to sit up through a splitting headache, only for a sharp jolt of pain to radiate from my wrist.

A deep, new wound had been added to the others.

Miriam walked in, looking triumphant.

Her complexion was rosy as she stroked her stomach.

"You think playing hard to get will win Julian back?

"You're nothing more than a blood bank for my child. Every time I say my stomach feels uncomfortable, Julian takes your blood to make supplements for me—even while you're unconscious."

Seeing that I remained unmoved, she pulled out the Shannaras' practice sigils and threw them at me. They were covered in layers of dust.

"Last time, I mentioned that using the ashes of one's closest kin was best for practicing spellwork. Julian actually went out in the middle of the night and brought me your parents' ashes. Didn't expect that, did you?"

A rush of heat flooded my mind.

"What do you mean? Weren't my parents' ashes supposed to be resting safely in the Thornes' cemetery?!" I practically shrieked the words out.

"Julian said since they're already dead, we might as well put them to good use. If it strengthens my power, I'm sure the two elders would be... relieved in the afterlife!"

Julian Thorne, you've gone too far!

Recalling how my parents had doted on Miriam when they were alive, sometimes so much that even I felt jealous, the sheer rage made me cough up a mouthful of blood.

"My parents might not have given you life, but they raised you as their own! Miriam Sutton, you have no heart!"

Finding a sudden burst of strength from somewhere, I lunged forward and pinned Miriam to the hospital bed, my hands locked around her throat.

Her face turned a deep crimson, and her eyes began to roll back.

"Celeste, what are you doing?!"

Julian's roar exploded in my ear, and he delivered a stinging slap to my face, his eyes bloodshot.

I didn't back down. I glared at him with murderous intensity and screamed, "Where are my parents' ashes?"

He looked genuinely confused. "Aren't they resting in the Thornes' cemetery?"

"Stop acting so damn hypocritical!" I ripped the IV out of my arm and hurled the glass bottle at him.

Julian reflexively shielded Miriam.

Just as he was about to speak, a flicker of guilt flashed in Miriam's eyes. The next second, she burst into tears.

"Jules, my stomach hurts again... What if something happens to the baby? I'm so scared. I still have to save your life with our baby..."

Julian frantically picked her up to find a nurse, completely ignoring the large spray of scarlet blood I had spat onto the bed.

A moment later, a man radiating an air of nobility arrived with a team of bodyguards and secured the room.

I was taken to a private estate to recover.

In the blink of an eye, ten months had passed.

The old phone I had brought from the Thornes' residence was ringing incessantly today.

I opened it to see a string of messages.

March 13th: [Where are you? Stop playing these disappearing games.]

April 21st: [Get back here immediately. Miriam's baby is kicking frequently. She needs your blood.]

June 25th: [My patience is limited. I'm giving you three days to crawl back here, or you'll never set foot in the Thornes' residence again.]

The final text was from June 28th at 11:59 PM.

[Celeste, don't regret this.]

I assumed Miriam had already given birth by now.

Perhaps it was someone else who should be feeling regret.

Just as I was about to toss the phone away, it rang again.

"Celeste... Celeste, please save me..."

"Argh! It hurts so much-"

Julian was on the other end of the line, howling in absolute agony.