Chapter 66 Salem City

Chapter 66 Salem City
Brea’s POV

My stomach dropped. If someone from Salem helped Seraphine design that cursed rune, then we had way more enemies than we thought.

We weren't just fighting Adrian’s tech or Isadora’s possessed soldiers anymore. We were up against an entire hidden world of dark magic.

"Elias, what exactly is Salem magic?" I asked. "Is it really that different from what you do?"

Elias looked down at the glowing chunk of red stone in his palm. "It’s extra dark, Brea. Salem witches don't just throw spells. They bind souls, manipulate bloodlines, and mess with consciousness. It's a completely different level of power." He stuffed the fragment into his coat pocket. "I'll look into it deeper when we get back, but don't expect good news."

Drake, who was resting at the corner to catch his breath, moved closer.

"You look like hell," Drake grunted, stopping a few feet away and looking between Rayne and me.

His dark eyes remained fixated on the huge, bloody tear in Rayne's shirt where Adrian's beam had pinned him to the ground. "Need a hand getting out of here? I can scout the perimeter."

"I'm fine," Rayne replied though his shoulder trembled slightly as he tried to stand up straight. He was hurt way worse than Drake. The suit beam had burned right down to his skin before the explosion snapped the current.

"We need to..." I started, turning toward Drake.

My voice instantly cut off.

My vision snapped violently to black, then jerked open into a totally different view. I wasn't looking at Drake or the ruined grounds anymore. I was standing higher up on the ridge, looking down at my own body from thirty feet away. I saw Rayne holding his side, Drake standing rigid, and Elias reaching into his coat.

A heavy pressure slammed into the back of my skull and freezed my tongue.I suddenly recognized who was watching. Isadora was looking through my mind, using my own sight against me.

MOVE, an icy voice commanded inside my brain.

My legs moved completely on their own. I took a hard step away from Rayne. I could feel my boots crushing small rocks into dust as I began walking toward a lone vampire soldier standing near the tree line.

"Brea?" Rayne’s voice echoed like it was coming from under water. "Where are you going?"

"Brea, stop!" Drake called out.

I couldn't open my mouth to answer, I couldn't blink or even slow down my own feet. My right hand slowly lifted into the air. My fingers curved into sharp claw-like hooks as my Anchor energy began pulsing hot in my palm.

The random soldier turned around, his eyes going wide with pure panic as I lunged for his throat.

No! Get out! I screamed inside my own head, throwing every ounce of my will against the cold wall inside my brain.

I shoved back violently, using the memory of Rayne’s voice to anchor my mind.

Fortunately, the dark pressure snapped. My vision returned to my own eyes with a rush of air.

I stumbled sideways and hit my knees on the hard concrete as I broke the spell. Sweat poured down my forehead, stinging my eyes as I squeezed them shut.

Rayne dropped to his knees right beside me, his hands shaking as he pulled me up to face him.

Drake and Elias were on my other side in a split second with their faces pale with shock.

"Brea! What just happened? Talk to me!"

"Someone..." I wheezed, clutching my chest as I tried to get my lungs to work properly. "Someone took control of my body."

Elias grew suspicious. "Isadora?"

I looked up at him and nodded. My lower lip trembled despite how hard I tried to stay tough. "She was inside my head. She made me walk. She…she almost made me attack that soldier."

Drake swore under his breath, taking a step back to sweep his eyes over the empty tree line as if an invisible enemy was standing right there. "She can do that from miles away?"

"I'm okay for now," I lied quickly, trying to push myself up so they wouldn't see how badly my knees were shaking.

In my heart, I panicked. I wasn't okay. A piece of that ancient monster was literally living inside my head like a parasite, and she could take over my arms and legs whenever she wanted.

Rayne wrapped a tight arm around my waist to comfort me. "I'm staying right beside you. I won't let you go through this alone."

"No," Elias interjected sharply, stepping straight into Rayne's path. "That is the absolute worst thing you can do right now."

Rayne glared at the sorcerer, his upper lip curling over his fangs. "Watch your mouth, Elias."

"Listen to me!" Elias snapped back, pointing a finger right at Rayne's chest. "Brea's Anchor is connected to your power, to Drake's dread-energy, and to the magic around us. If Isadora takes over Brea's mind while you're holding her hand, she can use that link to crawl straight into your brain too. You're giving her a back door."

Rayne went dead silent, his fingers tightening slightly on my waist before he slowly pulled his hand away like he was burned.

"Vampire healers can't fix this," Elias continued, pacing back and forth on the road. "This isn't a physical wound or a normal curse. It's magical consciousness interference. There's only one place on earth that knows how to deal with soul-weaving and possession."

"Where?" Drake asked.

"Salem," Elias said flatly.

I blinked. "Salem? Like the witch town?"

"Not the tourist trap humans visit," Elias said, shaking his head. "The real Salem exists in a completely separate supernatural dimension, hidden behind ancient wards. It's an entire city where witches have spent hundreds of years studying consciousness magic, soul-binding, soul-weaving, and energy manipulation. If anyone can scrape Isadora's fragment out of your head without killing you, it's them."

I looked at Elias, weighing his words. "Will it work?"

"It's your only shot," Elias said simply. "If you stay here, she will eventually take you over permanently."

"Then we should leave right now," Rayne said instantly, stepping forward again. "I'll rally the guard and—"

"You're not going anywhere, Rayne," Elias interrupted, his voice dropping into a serious tone. "Salem has strict ancient laws. Vampires are barred from entering witch territory. If you step through the dimensional threshold, their wards will shred you to pieces, or their enforcement coven will kill you on sight."

Rayne’s eyes flashed with fury. "I don't care about their laws! I am not letting her go into a city of dark witches alone!"

"Rayne, stop. I'll be fine." I whispered, touching his arm gently.

He looked down at me. I could tell he was terrified of me walking to a place where he couldn't protect me.

Salem was known to be incredibly dangerous, a place where dark magic lived in every household.

I felt my chest tighten as I looked at his blood-stained face.

For the first time since this whole nightmare started, I was going to have to leave him behind just to stay alive.