Chapter 405 One Element Left

• Aurora’s P.O.V
• The night was quieter than usual. The stars hung above the treetops like scattered lanterns, their soft glow casting long shadows across the damp forest floor as Caleb and I made our way to the old greenhouse at the edge of the estate. It had once been a place of life and bloom, but now it was Alice’s makeshift lab—dark, filled with the earthy smell of herbs and the sharp tang of metals and spell-bound runes. I could feel the tension buzzing in the air, thicker than the fog that was starting to crawl along the ground. My pulse quickened slightly as I opened the rusted door and saw Alice hunched over her workbench, candles flickering around her as she arranged vials and handwritten notes.
• “Are you sure this is safe?” Caleb asked, his voice low, a little hesitant, even though he was trying to sound confident.