Eve’s Team in Peril

The silence after the ambush was suffocating, a heavy stillness that seemed to pulse with the lingering presence of the puppeteer’s magic. Eve stood at the front of her battered team, watching as the thick mist swirled around them like a living thing. Her heart still raced from the battle, but the real weight pressing on her chest wasn’t the fight they had just survived. It was what came next.

Sasha leaned against a boulder, her breath ragged, her face pale as moonlight. Her magic had been the reason they’d survived, but it was clear the effort had taken its toll. Eve moved to her side, crouching beside her and gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

“How much longer can you keep this up?” Eve asked softly, her eyes scanning the bruises of exhaustion lining Sasha’s face.