The mansion's halls echoed with Hodgins' cruel voice as she leaned close to Anne. "If you do as I say, I will spare whatever is left of your friend.
Maybe she survives." The words were venom, a twisted bargain that left Anne paralyzed in grief. Her heart sank, her mind spiraled—every choice seemed to lead to loss.
Meanwhile, deep in the woods, Brittany struggled against her broken body. She tried to move her arm, but the pain was unbearable.
A scream tore from her throat, raw and devastating, echoing through the fog. She turned her head toward Lily, who lay collapsed, her chest still, her breath seemingly gone. The sight hollowed Brittany's spirit.
She whispered a prayer, desperate and trembling. "Please, God… I don't want to die. And please don't let my…" She hesitated, the word catching in her throat, before finally saying it: "Sister die." Tears streaked her face as she continued, "I promise I'll delete the hateful comment I dropped about Gina. I swear I won't call her a whore—even though she is one. Please, God, please."
Footsteps broke the silence. Brittany's heart leapt—was this God answering her? A figure emerged from the fog, tall and calm, his presence carrying a strange authority. He looked at her with piercing eyes and said, "You had better not have lied."
Before she could respond, he knelt beside her. Her arm was mangled, the bones apart, and she screamed as he touched it. From his hands sprouted blue twig-like tentacles, weaving through her broken flesh.
They released a fog—not the suffocating mist of the Chancellor's beasts, but a warm, gentle haze that soothed her pain. Slowly, impossibly, her arm recombined.
The agony faded, replaced by strength. Brittany gasped, realizing she was whole again, her stamina restored as if she had never been broken.
The man rushed to Lily next. His blue twigs wrapped around her chest, the warm fog seeping into her lungs. Lily's eyes fluttered open, her voice weak but alive. "God?" she whispered.
Brittany shook her head, smiling through her tears. "Oh no… I thought it at first. But he's not God. He's divine for me."
The man stood, his expression grave. "You need to hide. There isn't much time left."
Brittany, still trembling, asked, "Who are you?"
He looked at her, his voice steady. "I am Leo."
To be continued…