Evaline:
The words hung in the air long after Marcus finished speaking.
The Great Evil.
For a moment, I did nothing but breathe.
That name sent a cold ripple down my spine, not because it was unfamiliar, but because it wasn't. I had heard it before. Whispered. Weaponized. Used like a threat sharp enough to make people bleed money and silence.
Marcus had used it.
Against other students of his group.
Back then, we had assumed it was nothing more than a fear tactic. A fabricated monster born from greed and cruelty. A lie meant to extort money and obedience.
But now…
Now I realized Marcus hadn't invented the name at all.
He had borrowed it.
Stolen it from a truth far darker than we had imagined.
I tilted my head slightly, schooling my face into neutrality even as my mind raced ahead, weaving threads together at a terrifying speed.
"The Great Evil," I repeated calmly. "What exactly do you know about it?"
Marcus hesitated.
