While Lillian collapsed in front of Herakim, she opened her eyes on her bed, and a worried Blaine took a deep sigh of relief.
When Lillian saw that she was back to life and someone was by her side, she immediately sat upright and hugged Blaine tight.
"You're gonna be okay," Blaine whispered gently, patting her back.
He released himself from the hug. "You look thirsty. Let me get you water."
He stood to leave, but Lillian held him back.
"Stay… please," she said softly, her voice cracking. "I still feel sleepy right now, so you have to stay."
Blaine listened and sat down beside her.
"It all started the day before my signing event. The dreams were very strange and scary. But the day I slept in your room, I didn't have any strange dreams, so I thought it was just a nightmare. Today is the second time I had a nightmare again. Though the two dreams are different, I know they are connected, but I don't know why or how." Lillian stared at the painting in front of her.
"It was scary. What you did in reality, right here in front of me, was very scary. I didn't know what to do, and you looked like you were gonna die!" Blaine's voice grew teary, but he inhaled and looked at Lillian. "If me staying can help you not have these nightmares anymore, I'll continue to stay until they finally leave." He gave a reassuring smile.
Lillian smiled back and lay down. A few minutes later, she was asleep while Blaine watched over her.
---
In the morning, Blaine—who had fallen asleep sitting upright—woke first and noticed that Lillian had a high temperature. Without thinking, he grabbed his car keys, went outside the castle, and drove off.
Moments later, Lillian woke up. She looked around but couldn't find him.
"Blaine!" she called out, but no one was home to answer.
She stood up. When she was about to step out of her room, she heard a whisper of her name. She looked back and stared at the balcony as if hypnotized. She walked toward it and opened the glass door. She was ready to jump when she heard the front door slam open.
She snapped back to her senses and gasped. I almost committed suicide.
She left the balcony and walked out of her room. Her legs were too feeble to stand for long, so she sat down on one of the staircases.
Herakim saw her and came closer.
"Did you ever wonder why I said they should find a way to bring you into the castle that night? It's because Hudson, an ex‑vampire hunter, surrounded it with Schracula, and I surrounded it with Panthera—a plant I turned into powder and mixed with were‑panther blood."
Lillian sighed as if exhausted. "What are you doing here?"
"You asked me to save you," Herakim replied sharply.
"Me? I never told you that."
Then she heard a sharp sound. She covered her ears in pain, groaning. When the sound faded, she removed her hands—but her ear was now bleeding.
"What's happening to me?" she asked, confused.
"Voices. That's what you told me to save you from. You're supposed to hear voices at first, but it wouldn't make you like this because you would have been strong enough to overcome them."
"So what are you saying?"
"I am saying something strong in this castle triggered the voices. Combined with them, it's trying to kill you within days."
He paused. "Now tell me—what did you see in your dreams that made you call for my help?"
"A woman in white screaming, creatures calling my name, and me falling into a hole," Lillian replied wearily.
"A woman in white screaming is a banshee—a supernatural creature that knows death or danger is near. It is also telling you that those voices will lead you to fall from a high place to your death."
Herakim looked around.
"What can you do to save me?" Lillian asked, her voice cracking.
"I find the thing that is triggering the voices to do more than they should, and then I burn it."
He walked up the stairs. When he reached Lillian, he looked down at her.
"You could have died last night, but you healed yourself—just like a werewolf would. Now your body can't take it. If I don't find it, in the next few hours you'll die, and we will lose our Savior."
Lillian stared at him in shock. Herakim went upstairs.
---
She forced herself to stand and went to the kitchen to take a knife.
It's their fault. If I'm not supposed to save them, I'd be living the life I worked so hard for.
She mumbled angrily and walked to the living room. Then she fell to her knees, her hands trembling as she held the knife.
Blaine walked in and saw her on the floor, crying silently, a knife in her hand.
"Lillian!"
She slowly looked at him, anger all over her face.
"Do you know how much I worked to get here? Do you know how hard I worked to be someone people look up to?" Tears streamed down her face as she tried to fight them. "So why? Why should I save you?!"
Blaine came closer, knelt in front of her, and hugged her. His veins turned black as he absorbed her pain—both emotional and physical.
But Lillian stabbed him.
"I want to kill all of you for bringing me pain," she whispered.
Blaine didn't stop hugging her, even though it was painful.
The voices grew louder in Lillian's head. She cried while Blaine groaned as the pain was too much. Then Lillian stopped crying.
Blaine felt something was wrong. He released her and saw that she looked lifeless, blood coming from her ears and mouth.
He could still hear her heartbeat. He held her hands and removed the knife.
"Keep holding her hands until I find the thing that wants her dead," Herakim said and went back upstairs.
How did he know to come here? Blaine wondered, but he focused his attention on Lillian.
---
Moments later, Herakim entered Lillian's room and immediately saw the painting the vampire had given her. He quickly took it and came downstairs.
"Blaine, bring her to the yard!"
Blaine obeyed. Herakim led the way. When they reached the yard, Herakim dropped the painting.
He poured liquid Schracula on it and set it on fire.
---
In the building of the vampires and were‑panthers, a smoky haze erupted from an identical painting.
The Herakim of the vampires was shocked. He was alone with Drake.
"Herakim, what's happening?" Drake asked in confusion.
"The werewolves' Herakim found out. It has been destroyed."
"You told us that no one would know. So how did he find out?" Drake asked furiously.
"I never expected him to find out," Herakim replied.
Drake ground his teeth in anger.
---
Back at the castle, Lillian started trembling again.
"What's happening to her?" Blaine asked worriedly.
"She'll be fine." Herakim handed Blaine an amulet. "When she wakes up, give her this. It was made with vervain. In Egypt, it is called the Tears of Isis. It will block the harmful voices—the ones that tried to make her jump. But it will not block warning voices. If a banshee or another spirit needs to warn her, she will still hear them. And vampires will not be able to come near her."
Herakim left.
Blaine carried Lillian in his arms, the amulet in his hand, into her room. He cleaned the blood from her ears and mouth, then placed the amulet around her neck.
He laid her down gently on the bed. He sat beside her and slowly fell asleep.
---
Lillian opened her eyes in the dream world. The woman in white sat on a rock, staring at nothing.
"A banshee?" Lillian whispered.
She walked closer. The banshee didn't look at her, just stared into emptiness. Lillian reached out and touched her shoulder.
The banshee's head snapped toward her.
"They'll kill him," the banshee said, her voice hollow. "They're looking for him. The one who is with you will die. Those who are after him are stronger."
Lillian's blood ran cold.
Who do you think will die? Drop a power stone to see what happens next.