Jake's heartbeat thundered in his chest as fear seeped into every bone.
He'd followed Alex's instructions without much thought, taking the spiritual stones and a handful of elixirs, believing it was little more than a harmless errand. He never imagined it would end with so much blood, or that Alex—the one who'd orchestrated it all—would be dead at Ethan's hands.
"S-senior Brother Ethan, I don't know anything else!" Jake stammered, nearly babbling as the Moonflood Scythe pressed harder at his throat and blood welled in a thin red line.
"Alex found me, offered spiritual stones, a few elixirs. He just asked me to, to remind you to go to the tomb after dark tonight. That's all! I don't know any more, I swear!"
Ethan's eyes narrowed, voice low.
"That's all?"
The blade pressed deeper and Jake gasped—the pain was sharp, real, and cold panic overtook him.
