Nobody spoke.
Because sometimes fear arrives so suddenly—
your body doesn't know how to react to it.
Nancy just stood there staring at Seraphine while those words echoed endlessly in her head.
You disappear.
Inside—
Nyra had gone silent again.
Not denying it.
Not fighting it.
Which honestly terrified Nancy more than if she had screamed.
Kai recovered first.
Violently.
"That's not happening."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The dangerous kind.
Seraphine didn't flinch.
"I'm telling you the truth."
"No," Kai said sharply. "You're telling me a theory."
"It is not a theory."
The air shifted.
Tension snapped tight between them instantly.
Leo muttered under his breath:
"Well. This feels emotionally catastrophic."
"Helpful," Evan said flatly.
"I try."
Nancy barely heard them.
Because one thought kept repeating in her mind.
Nyra knew.
Slowly—
Nancy looked inward.
"You knew?"
The silence inside her hurt.
Then finally—
…I suspected.
Nancy's chest tightened painfully.
"You said nothing."
Would you have listened?
That answer hit harder than expected.
Because honestly?
No.
She probably wouldn't have.
Anger rose suddenly.
Sharp.
Fear wearing a different face.
"So your plan was what? Stay quiet until I stopped existing?"
Nyra recoiled instantly.
No.
The pain in that single word made Nancy falter.
I was trying to find another way.
Kai stepped closer immediately.
"Nancy."
Grounding her.
Steady.
Warm.
She hadn't realized she was shaking until his hands caught hers.
Seraphine watched carefully.
"The merging has already begun."
Mara frowned sharply.
"Merging?"
Seraphine nodded once.
"The longer Nyra remains connected to a human host, the more their identities intertwine."
Leo blinked.
"…that sounds deeply medically upsetting."
"It gets worse," Seraphine admitted quietly.
Fantastic.
Wonderful.
Love that.
"Nancy's emotions are already influencing Nyra," Seraphine continued. "And Nyra's memories are slowly becoming Nancy's."
Nancy froze.
Because—
the dreams.
The emotions.
The grief that sometimes didn't feel entirely hers.
Oh no.
Kai's jaw tightened dangerously.
"How long does she have?"
Seraphine hesitated.
Never a good sign.
"At the current rate…" she said carefully, "…months."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Leo stared at her.
"…I'm sorry, months?"
Evan looked like he wanted to punch reality itself.
Mara simply looked devastated.
And Kai—
Kai looked murderous.
Not emotional.
Not panicked.
Cold.
Focused.
Like his mind had already shifted into fix this immediately or destroy everything trying.
Honestly?
Fair.
Nancy felt strangely numb.
Months.
The word didn't feel real.
Months until what?
Until she vanished?
Until Nyra replaced her?
Until there wasn't a difference anymore?
Inside—
Nyra's voice came quietly.
I never wanted this.
Nancy swallowed hard.
"I know."
And the terrifying thing was—
she meant it.
Seraphine stepped forward carefully, stopping at the barrier line.
"There may still be a way to separate you safely."
Hope sparked violently through everyone at once.
Too fast.
Too desperate.
Kai spoke first.
"How?"
Seraphine's expression darkened immediately.
And there it was.
The catch.
"The Veil."
Nyra reacted instantly.
No.
Pure panic.
Raw.
Ancient.
Nancy pressed a hand against her chest.
"Nyra—"
You cannot go there.
Fear flooded through the bond so intensely Nancy almost staggered again.
Not fear for herself.
Fear for Nancy.
Seraphine's eyes softened slightly.
"The Veil is where Nyra was bound after the betrayal. If there's any place capable of untangling souls safely, it's there."
Leo looked deeply unimpressed.
"I'm hearing the phrase 'untangling souls' and somehow not loving the implications."
Reasonable.
Kai ignored everyone else.
"What's the risk?"
Seraphine met his gaze.
"The Veil feeds on memory."
Oh.
Oh that sounded horrifying immediately.
"If Nancy enters it," Seraphine continued carefully, "the Veil will force her to relive every trauma, fear, and grief connected to Nyra."
Nancy stared at her.
"…you people really never invented normal magic, huh?"
"No," Seraphine admitted.
"Clearly."
Then came the worst part.
Seraphine looked directly at Kai.
"And if the bond between them is strong enough…"
His expression hardened.
"What."
A pause.
Then—
"The Veil may force you to choose which soul survives."
Silence.
Total silence.
Nancy's heartbeat stopped.
Kai didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
Inside—
Nyra whispered something so quietly Nancy almost missed it.
…I would choose her.
And somehow—
that hurt the most.