Hours later, the moon hung like a pale, judging eye over the Starlight Estate, but inside the manor, the atmosphere was thick with something far more suffocating than darkness.
Rex pushed open the heavy oak doors to the master suite. This had once been the sanctum of Helena and Leonidas, a place of shared laughter, whispered plans, and the warm glow of a family that believed itself untouchable.
Now, the air in the room felt like liquid lead, heavy with the copper tang of dried blood and the ionized sting of spent magic.
Rex walked slowly through the room, his fingers trailing along the polished mahogany furniture.
"I have to admit," he mused, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling, "there is something poetic about this."
"I saved this room for last, just so that I wanted it to remain... pristine."
"Untouched by the chaos outside."
