Kat couldn't stop shaking.
The scroll's pulse had faded, but the memory it left behind still clung to her like smoke. She sat in Sage Ethan's study, wrapped in a blanket Aria Norman had handed her, staring at the flickering candlelight. The others were quiet, each lost in their own thoughts.
Junior Sebastian hadn't spoken since they returned. He sat across from her, elbows on his knees, eyes locked on the scroll wrapped in cloth. His silence wasn't cold—it was protective, like he was holding something back to keep her safe.
James Williams broke the silence first. "So… we've got a haunted scroll, a possessed principal, and a city that's basically one giant fog machine. Anyone else feel like we're in a cursed group project?"
Aria gave a soft laugh, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Sage didn't smile. "This isn't a joke anymore. The scroll's reaction to Kat confirms it—she's bonded to it. And that bond is deep."
Kat looked up. "What does that mean?"
Sage hesitated. "It means you're not just a vessel. You're a carrier. The seal lives in you now."
Junior finally spoke. "That's why it showed you the memory. It's trying to awaken something."
Kat's heart pounded. "Awaken what?"
Sage leaned forward. "The original order believed that the seals could be passed through blood. If that's true, then your connection isn't just spiritual—it's genetic."
James frowned. "So Kat's got ancient magic DNA?"
"Possibly," Sage said. "And if Junior's mother was part of the order, and Kat's reacting to the scroll…"
Aria's eyes widened. "Then maybe they're both descendants."
Kat felt the room tilt. "Wait. Are you saying Junior and I—"
Junior stood abruptly. "We don't know anything yet."
Sage nodded. "Not yet. But we need to find out."
---
They spent the next hour combing through Sage's archives. Old books, scroll fragments, even faded photographs. Kat found herself drawn to a leather-bound journal with a cracked spine. Inside were notes written in a delicate hand—Sage's grandmother, a former guardian of the cathedral.
One entry caught her eye:
"The Levi bloodline was always unstable. Too much flame. Too much memory. We tried to separate them, but the bond was stronger than the seal."
Kat's breath caught.
She flipped the page.
"Sebastian's line was purer. Wolf-bound. Loyal. But when the Levi child vanished, we feared the worst. If they ever reunited…"
She stopped reading.
Junior was beside her, reading over her shoulder.
"Levi," he said quietly. "That's your last name."
Kat nodded slowly. "And Sebastian's yours."
They stared at each other.
James looked up from his book. "Okay, someone explain before my brain explodes."
Sage took the journal gently. "This confirms it. Kat and Junior are from the two bloodlines that were meant to remain separate. Levi and Sebastian. Flame and memory. Wolf and vessel."
Aria whispered, "They're siblings."
The word hung in the air like a curse.
Kat stepped back. "No. That's not possible."
Junior's face was pale. "My mother never mentioned a sister."
Sage flipped through the journal. "It says the Levi child vanished. Taken from the order. Hidden."
Kat's voice cracked. "My parents never told me anything. They're detectives. They don't talk about the past."
James stood. "Okay, but even if it's true… you didn't know. You couldn't have known."
Aria looked at Kat, her eyes full of sympathy. "But you felt it, didn't you? The connection."
Kat nodded slowly. "I thought it was something else. Something… romantic."
Junior turned away.
---
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Kat stepped outside, the fog wrapping around her instantly. It felt colder than before, sharper. Like it knew what she'd just learned.
She walked to the edge of the courtyard, staring at the cathedral spire in the distance.
Junior joined her minutes later.
"I didn't know," he said.
Kat didn't look at him. "Neither did I."
They stood in silence.
Then Junior spoke again. "But I felt it. The pull. The way you calmed the scroll. The way you looked at me."
Kat turned to him. "So did I."
He met her eyes. "Does it change everything?"
She didn't answer right away.
Then: "It changes the rules. Not the feeling."
Junior stepped closer. "Then we rewrite the rules."
Kat's heart ached. "People won't understand."
"They don't have to."
She looked at him. "We're siblings."
He nodded. "And we're more."
---
Back inside, Sage was pacing.
"We need to be careful. Vandal feeds on emotional conflict. This revelation—it's exactly the kind of fracture it wants."
James sat on the edge of the table. "So what do we do? Pretend it didn't happen?"
"No," Sage said. "We accept it. And we protect each other."
Aria nodded. "We're stronger together. Even if the world says we shouldn't be."
Kat and Junior reentered the room, hand in hand.
Sage looked at them. "You're sure?"
Kat's voice was steady. "We're not breaking. Not for this. Not for Vandal."
Junior added, "We're bonded. That's what matters."
James exhaled. "Well, if we're rewriting the rules, I vote we add a clause about not dying."
Aria smiled. "Agreed."
Sage lit the candle again. It burned gold.
"Then let's begin," he said. "The scroll is waking. And so are we."