"What do you mean...?" Avey's voice cracked, barely a whisper as a cold shiver ran through her spine. Her body stiffened, heart hammering against her chest. Max's words… they weren't just words. They hit. Like a dagger wrapped in truth.
"Avey..." Max's gaze lowered, shadows dancing over his expression. His voice carried a weight a heaviness that only bad news ever wore. "...if Lucian doesn't die, the world will."
"What?!" she snapped, voice rising with disbelief and desperation. "What the hell are you saying? What kind of twisted logic is that?!"
Max didn't flinch. He looked straight at her, not as a god, not as an old friend, but as someone who knew what was coming and hated it.
"I'm saying this is the choice." His voice was colder now. "Your parents. Your friends. Every innocent soul kids who've never even had heard Lucian name... they all will die."
Avey staggered back like she'd been slapped.
