The moment we crossed the invisible threshold into Morvalis, I made a decision.
Not a heroic one.
Not a noble or selfless one.
A coldly practical one.
I was going to survive this place.... no matter what it took.
And to survive, I needed someone stronger than me. Someone who could stand in front when everything inevitably went wrong. Because deep down, I knew it would. Danger didn't whisper in places like this; it waited with open jaws.
I wasn't stupid enough to pretend otherwise.
My eyes moved slowly across the group, calculating, measuring, weighing each person like pieces on a deadly chessboard.
Ivy would have been the obvious choice.
Strong. Composed. Always alert, with sharp instincts and a steady hand in a crisis.
But Ivy didn't like me.
That much was painfully, crystal clear.
