POV: Thelma

We ran, following the trail of dark energy through the corridors of the lair. It moved fast, desperate, searching for something.

"What is she looking for?" Xavier asked as we ran.

"A host," Elena panted. "She can't exist without a body. Her physical form is destroyed, turned into that crystal. But her consciousness, her magic, it needs a vessel. She's searching for someone weak enough to possess."

We burst out of the lair into the forest. The dark magic was ahead of us, moving through the trees like smoke.

Then I heard it. A scream. Female. Terrified.

"Someone's out there!" Theo said.

We ran faster, breaking through the...