Jacob's grip on his blade tightened as the cursed ones advanced. Their movements were slow at first—almost hesitant—but Jacob knew better than to be fooled. The moment they struck, it would be with terrifying speed.
Lisa steadied her breath and summoned her power, golden light crackling at her fingertips. But doubt gnawed at her. They couldn't let these creatures hold them back.
"We can't fight them all," Jacob muttered. "Not like this."
Lisa knew he was right. If they wasted their strength here, they wouldn't last long enough to save kol.
Then, the cursed ones lunged.
Jacob was the first to move, his blade slicing through the nearest one, but instead of falling, the creature twisted unnaturally, reassembling itself as if time had reversed. Lisa unleashed a blast of light, vaporizing two of them, but more kept coming.
Jacob swore under his breath. "We need to run."
Lisa hesitated. If they ran, they were leaving Kol behind.
And yet, as she met Jacob's gaze, she knew they had no choice.
She clenched her fists, then turned on her heel and bolted, Jacob right beside her. The cursed ones pursued them, their hollow eyes glowing through the darkness. Lisa pushed herself harder, willing her legs to move faster.
Suddenly, the air shifted. A deep, powerful force surged through the forest, stopping Lisa and Jacob in their tracks. It was a presence unlike anything Lisa had ever felt before—heavy, suffocating, absolute.
And then she appeared.
A woman stepped into view, her long red hair flowing behind her, her black cloak barely touching the ground. Her mere presence sent a ripple through the cursed ones, and for the first time, they hesitated.
Lisa's breath caught.
Jacob stiffened beside her. "That's
Jacob whispered the name, barely believing it.
"…Elizabeth."
Elizabeth's golden eyes flickered toward them, but she said nothing. Instead, she raised a single hand. The cursed ones reacted instantly, but it didn't matter. A pulse of golden-black energy erupted from her fingers, swallowing the entire battlefield.
Lisa shielded her eyes. When she looked again, the cursed ones were gone. Not destroyed—erased.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Lisa's heart pounded as Elizabeth turned to them.
"you can't go back ," she said simply.
Jacob narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
Elizabeth's expression was unreadable. "Because he has to be stopped."
Lisa swallowed hard.
Kol.
She had tried to leave him, to distance herself from his fate. But deep down, she had always known it was impossible.
Jacob hesitated, torn between instinct and logic. But when he looked at Elizabeth he knew better than to argue.
He exhaled sharply. "Then let's go."
Lisa " I can't leave him" , her hands trembling.
The storm hadn't just come.
It had arrived.
And Kol was at the center of it.