Lilith called a war council.
We gathered in the Vault beneath the east wing. Even Lysara came—silent, uninvited.
"We're losing ground," Lilith said. "Not in numbers. In time."
I stood. "What do we do?"
She placed a scroll on the table. Crimson-sealed. Forbidden.
"The Crimson Pact," she said. "A spell to rewrite a battlefield's rules."
Seraphina stiffened. "That's banned for a reason."
Lilith looked at me. "We'll need to bind your soul to the Academy itself."
"And if I die?"
"The Academy dies with you."
Silence.
Then Yuria said, "What's new?"
And just like that—we agreed.
