The air around the Wren estate was eerily calm after the intense battle. The shattered remnants of the Arcane Order's magic still lingered in the atmosphere, but the immediate threat had been neutralized. Claire's connection to The Source was severed, the incantation had worked, and Elias's amulet lay in pieces on the ground. But Evelyn Carter, Marcus Reed, and Claire Wren knew that their victory was temporary.
Evelyn wiped the sweat from her brow, her heart still racing from the confrontation with Elias. The adrenaline that had fueled her during the fight was beginning to wear off, leaving her exhausted and shaken. But they couldn't afford to rest.
"We did it," Claire said softly, her voice filled with a mix of relief and uncertainty. "The connection is gone."
Marcus, who had been standing guard near the gates of the estate, nodded grimly. "For now. But we all know the Arcane Order won't give up that easily."
Evelyn's gaze drifted to the surrounding forest. Even though they had broken the connection between Claire and The Source, the Order was still out there—watching, waiting for their next opportunity. Elias might have been momentarily weakened, but his ambition and the Order's far-reaching influence were far from destroyed.
"We need to be prepared," Evelyn said, her voice steady but filled with tension. "Elias will regroup, and when he does, he'll be more dangerous than ever. We still don't fully understand what The Source is capable of, and if he finds another way to unlock it…"
Claire shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Then we have to make sure he never finds that way."
Marcus nodded in agreement. "We can't just wait around for them to come after us again. We need to go on the offensive."
Evelyn considered Marcus's words, knowing he was right. They had spent too much time reacting to the Order's moves, always one step behind. If they were going to stop the Arcane Order once and for all, they needed to take control of the situation, to strike before the Order could regroup.
But as they stood there, strategizing, something strange began to happen.
Claire, who had been standing beside Evelyn only moments ago, suddenly froze. Her eyes glazed over, and her body became rigid, as though she had been caught in some kind of trance. Evelyn reached out to her, concern flooding her voice.
"Claire? Claire, what's wrong?"
But Claire didn't respond. Instead, she took a slow step backward, her expression blank, her movements mechanical. It was as though she was no longer in control of her own body.
"Claire?" Marcus called out, stepping toward her, but she didn't acknowledge him.
Without warning, Claire's body shimmered with a faint, ethereal glow. The air around her seemed to ripple, and before Evelyn or Marcus could react, Claire vanished into thin air.
Evelyn's heart stopped. One moment, Claire had been standing beside them, and the next, she was gone.
"Claire!" Evelyn screamed, running to the spot where her friend had stood. She reached out, her hands grasping at empty air, but there was nothing—no trace of Claire, no sign of where she had gone.
Marcus rushed to Evelyn's side, his face pale with shock. "What just happened? Where did she go?"
Evelyn's mind raced, her heart pounding in her chest. Claire hadn't teleported or walked through some hidden door. She had simply vanished—disappeared into thin air as though she had been pulled into another dimension.
"I don't know," Evelyn whispered, her voice trembling. "But whatever happened, it wasn't natural."
Marcus swore under his breath, his hands clenched into fists. "It has to be the Order. This has to be their doing."
Evelyn wasn't sure. The Order had powerful magic, yes, but this felt different. There was no spell, no attack—Claire had simply vanished without a trace.
"We need to figure out what happened," Evelyn said, her voice filled with determination. "We can't just leave her out there. She could be trapped somewhere, or worse…"
Marcus's expression darkened. "We'll find her. But we need to act fast. If this was the Order, they'll have her under their control by now."
Evelyn nodded, though her mind was already spinning with questions. If the Order had taken Claire, why? Her connection to The Source had been severed. What could they want with her now?
But there was no time to waste on speculation. Claire was gone, and they had to find her before it was too late.