The silence of the cursed forest lingered like a held breath. Smoke from Selena's earlier offering to the Crone still clung to her skin and hair. Cassius walked beside her, tense and alert, glancing over his shoulder as though the trees themselves might turn against them. The Crone's words echoed in Selena's mind: "The Crimson Brotherhood watches. They always have."
They returned to the ruins of the Valerio estate, where Dante waited, seated against the cold stone wall. His skin was paler than before, the silver seal on his chest flickering like a flame battling to stay alive.
"Did she give you anything?" he asked, voice hoarse.
Selena nodded slowly. "A name. The Crimson Brotherhood."
Dante stiffened. Cassius's expression grew grim.
"You know it," Selena said, reading the change in them.
"It's not just a name," Dante said. "It's the root. The Brotherhood is the curse."
