[Clarissa Rutherford's POV]
"Immortality," my father whispered, his voice laced with a chilling fervor that sent shivers down my spine. His grip on my shoulders eased, but his eyes remained locked on mine, burning with a mix of desperation and obsession. "Do you understand, Clarissa? The power to transcend death itself. To rule for eternity. To protect our family, our legacy, forever."
I stared at him, horrified. The weight of his words sank in slowly, like a stone dropping into the pit of my stomach. Immortality—an ambition so dangerous, so fraught with peril and dark consequences. The idea was intoxicating, but it was also a path littered with ruin and despair. I had read enough ancient texts to know that immortality came at a price too high to bear.
