章 99: Shadows of the Heart  

Victory's relaxation became fleeting. The Architect's defeat was costly, and Avery should feel the weight of it on her shoulders. She and Lucas had just begun to recuperate when Russo approached them with a sad expression, carrying a historical, leatherbound e-book with a strange image stamped on its cover.

"Avery," she added, her voice tinged with concern, "there is something you want to recognize. The architect... He inflicted a final curse on you, a vestige of his power that clung to your very existence."

Avery's blood became chilly. "A curse?"

Russo nodded, her expression stern. "It's poison, but unlike anything else. "One with a view to smash you from within, seeping deeper and deeper until it consumes you completely... until someone can take it on themselves."