The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The butler lay on the ground, a victim of a vicious attack.

Someone had been here.

They had taken her children!

Vivienne followed the scent trail outside with urgency. She had sprinkled her children with a special blend of spices, leaving a trace wherever they passed. The trail ended at the base of an old hill.

This was the same place where Abigail had set up her ritual circle years ago, inviting Vivienne and Mr. Wolf into its snare.

Now, Abigail stood at the center, holding fragments of the ancient artifact known as the Millennia Aegis, chanting incantations that seemed to belong to another world.

The ritual was ready, with Vivienne's twin children placed at the very heart of it, lying on a crimson cloth.

Silent and observant, they watched everything around them without a fuss.

Sensing Vivienne's approach, Abigail's lips curled into a triumphant smile. "You really thought I needed your heart to complete my plans, but alas..."

Her gaze fell upon the two children, a boy and a girl, and she laughed, "My true goal was always them!"

"Twins are naturally aligned with darker forces, and now, with the ritual, not only will I achieve immortality, but I will also gain the power to obliterate anything in my path. From this moment forth, none shall stand against me. I, Abigail, will reign supreme over this realm." "After all, you should be thanking your children. Were it not for them, you would be the one lying here."

"You plan to use my children as conduits for this power without my consent?" Vivienne's icy stare bore into the madness that had overtaken Abigail, her eyes simmering with danger.

"You?" Abigail scoffed. "Once I possess this power, you'll be nothing but an ant to me. I can snuff your life out in an instant."

Vivienne simply gave her a meaningful look, her tone cool, "Is that so?"

something off about

been activated before Vivienne's arrival, and now, all that was left was to repair

gifted individuals, tasked solely with ensuring the ritual's completion and, if necessary, sacrificing their

no move

This was Abigail's design.

witness her children being used as sacrificial offerings,

of charging into the circle or displaying any

proceeded with the ritual, Vivienne's calm demeanor only grew more

neared its climax and

face twisted in confusion; the ritual chant

She couldn't believe it.

vast energies from Vivienne and supposed to be

towards

hearts, the twins let out a cry and became lifeless, like dolls devoid

she had vanished, with

ritual continued, its demands unmet, and a bolt of

powers were being consumed by the ritual, intended

abilities, Abigail desperately sacrificed her army to the ritual's vortex,

devoured everything, sparing not even the blood of the non-human

was pulverized by unseen forces, her powers and life essence consumed entirely by the

ritual's dark mists began to clear, Vivienne reappeared, stepping forward to confront Abigail,

"Take a good look at yourself, Madeleine Hernandez, the lone survivor

mirror in disbelief, only to see a visage as withered as old bark

face, "Impossible... This isn't me... How could I become this... This isn't my face..." "I