The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne exchanged a knowing glance with Mr. Wolf by her side, silently communicating their shared resolve.

If it came to that, they'd have no choice but to destroy the Millennia Aegis.

Nothing mattered more than human life.

With the deadline looming, Abigail refused to wait any longer, launching a full-on assault on the two. To her, as long as they still breathed, they could serve her grand purpose; individual lives held no value. Success would absolve her of all past deeds, no matter how dark.

Percival's powers were constrained, yet the Millennia Aegis within him surged with endless energy.

Vivienne, with her powers channeled into her silver needles, joined forces with Percival to withstand Abigail.

Even within the magic circle, Abigail found no advantage.

One protected by the Millennia Aegis, the other unaffected by the circle.

Abigail's attempts to counter grew more desperate, but leveraging the circle's focal point, she narrowly evaded their attacks multiple times.

Seizing the moment, Vivienne and Mr. Wolf cornered her with nowhere to flee.

Suddenly, the sky darkened-an ominous sign.

Abigail Ephemeral ceased her attack, a strange gleam in her eyes. "Your time is up," she declared.

Vivienne and Percival, quick to react, prepared their defenses.

Percival reached for the Millennia Aegis, intending to destroy it, only for an invisible force to whisk it away.

Hovering above the circle, the Aegis radiated a soft glow.

Abigail smirked, believing the Aegis needed a chosen one to activate. Yet, within the circle, it seemed to align itself, mocking her adversaries, "Did you really think you could touch what the circle claims?" With everything in place, Abigail locked her gaze on Vivienne, aiming to harness the Aegis's power against her.

undeterred, countered

I'll kill you, then the child. Only then will she grasp the true depths of joy and sorrow." Hearing Abigail's threat towards Vivienne and her unborn child, Percival's eyes

would protect them at all

firmly behind him, knew exactly what was at stake. They had come to end Abigail's reign of terror,

together, and their future child,

won't succeed. We'll capture her and hand her

Vivienne wants her alive, we'll take

have plenty

capture Vivienne with

the last moment, a figure threw themselves at Abigail, clinging to her, preventing

a brutal counterattack from Abigail, refused to let go, "You took my

sudden intervention and

Millennia Aegis unleashed a beam of

in unison, directed all their power at the Aegis, shattering it

the final secret left by Vivienne's mentor-for emergencies, destroy the artifact to buy time, if nothing else. Nobody expected Delilah to

blood, her recently healed

free herself, a blinding fight signaled the circle's destructive retaliation, consuming

returned everything to reality, leaving no trace but

grabbed Percival's hand, "Mr. Wolf,

pale but unharmed, checked Vivienne for injuries, "I'm fine. Did you

You should have held

long as Vivienne was safe, nothing else

and Percival exchanged a glance, both equally stunned. Magic circles, it seemed, were not just the

living, breathing people had vanished right

you think Abigail just disappeared,

a chill run down his spine, "People don't just disappear into thin air. But given what we saw, even if she's

"Percival, my lady!"

"Young master!"