Anaya caught it instinctively. Her body moved before her mind could catch up. She pointed the jade pendant at the swarm.
And then....silence.
Time itself froze.
The skeletons halted mid-lunge, the wind stopped blowing, even the leaves stilled in the air. It was as if the world had been locked in place and only Anaya remained in motion.
Around her, the ruined pack twisted and shimmered. The purple hue of otherworldly magic wrapped around the city. The buildings dissolved, replaced by hundreds of mirrors floating in the void. Each one reflected Anaya, her figure multiplied in every direction. Rhys and the skeletons were gone.
"Rhys!" Anaya screamed, collapsing to her knees. Tears streamed down her face, her heart thundering in her chest. "Rhys, where are you?!"
"You should forget about him now, Princess," said a voice, chilling and eerily familiar.
