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“Get. Out.”

Brilliant cerulean flames erupted around him before surging outward, consuming the demons who refused to leave. The fire curled and crackled, then—

They were gone.

Magically banished, scattered back to whatever hellish Circles they had crawled from. Oleander didn’t much care where they ended up.

The only thing that mattered was that they were no longer here.

He slumped to the floor, exhausted. Wisteria and Hemlock rushed up the stairs toward him. Before he could react, Wisteria let out a breathless laugh, her eyes wide with incredulous joy as she tackled him in an embrace.

Hemlock knelt beside them, scanning Oleander’s face with worried eyes before a sly smile tugged at his lips. Oleander mustered a weak grin in return.

Hemlock signed, >That was one way to get them to leave.How did you get a ring of Leviathan’s breath? I thought they were all gone.Apparently not.We don’t have long. He can’t be banished forever–this is still his home, after all. I’m sure mom is somewhere upstairs sick, so we should let her rest. Let’s go to Thistle Cottage.Can you walk?Not well,I have to go.There’s nowhere for you to go,What do you suggest then? Pretend everything is normal?Maybe! Just as an evasion tactic. It’ll buy us time to figure something else out.They want Wisteria to sacrifice her life.Her soul.Why?It doesn’t matter. I’m not doing it.But I heard them say that they can’t sacrifice me until after my next birthday. It takes years after Ascension for both soul fragments to unite completely.I won’t let them kill me.Can I help?Absolutely not,I can help!Don’t get wrapped up in this if you don’t have to.<