Silas stood frozen, his hand still outstretched, as the remaining demons retreated back through the portal. The vortex continued to swirl, its pull now gentler but still present, as if inviting Silas to follow.
The choice before him was clear and terrifying. Step through the portal into the unknown, risking everything to save his mother, or stay behind in the relative safety of the known world. The portal pulsed gently, awaiting Silas's decision.
Silas's hand trembled, inches from the portal's shimmering surface, when a voice pierced the tension.
"Wait!"
He spun around, startled. A girl in an elegant ball gown, now adorned with glasses and an apron, rushed towards them. It was the same girl Jace had rescued earlier.
"You can't just leap in blindly," she panted, her eyes fixed on the swirling vortex. "I want Professor Winterbourne back as much as you do, but we need a plan."
Silas's brow furrowed. "You know my mother?"
