Page 175 of Illusory

My heart pounded violently in my chest, each beat a drum of impending doom as I locked eyes with William and the Horsemen—my body completely frozen in place. A hundred different nightmares flashed through my mind, each more terrifying than the last, and I couldn’t summon a single word to break the suffocating silence.

Biting back the wave of panic rising in my chest, I tried to port out of the room, tried to make a literal run for it. But with my feet fastened to the floor by powerful magic, and the Horsemen blocking the only exit, my escape options amounted to a grand total of none.

“I must say, I wasn’t sure if you’d come, knowing the risks and all,” said the Senior Magister as he stepped forward and began circling me, his eyes on his feet as he walked around the glowing sigil. “But then again, you’ve always been rather impulsive, haven’t you?” He paused to look at me.

I swallowed hard, scrambling for some kind of explanation, a way to talk myself out of this mess. But the words stuck to the back of my throat as if choked by the weight of William’s cold, piercing gaze.

“Truthfully, we weren’t sure you’d be able to port in at all, given the Macarthur boy’s recent…transformation. But here you are, cunning as ever.” His eyes dropped to the book clutched against my chest. “And I see you’ve found what you came for.”

I didn’t have time to process how the hell he knew about Trace. “I-It’s not what you think. I was just—”

He lifted a hand, silencing me. “Please, my dear. Let’s notinsult each other’s intelligence.”

My panicked gaze shot to the Horsemen looming behind William. They stood stoically in full body armor, their faces indifferent and expressionless as their stony eyes assessed me. I clutched the book tighter to my chest, as if it could somehow shield me from what was coming.

“It’s a shame it’s come to this,” William continued, clasping his hands behind his back as he circled me again. “That you were too insular and defiant to see what needed to be done, even when it was right in front of you. But you’ve stalled us for long enough.”

I bit back the venom I wanted to unleash on him, fighting the urge to voice every hateful thought I had about him and the destruction he’d wrought on my family. But I already knew it wouldn’t change anything.

Not here. Not now.

I needed a different approach. “We can still talk about this, William. Nothing’s been decided,” I lied. “Remove the sigils and talk to me like a human being.”

He stopped and faced me. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“You’re the Senior Magister. You can do anything you want.”

“Yes, I suppose I can. Then again, we all have to answer to someone, don’t we?”

“William, please. Let’s be rational about this,” I urged, trying everything I could think of to get him to release me. “You don’t want to do this. Not like this. It’s not going to end well for you.”

“How many times must I tell you, Jemma? It’s not about what I want. It’s about whatneedsto be done for the greater good. It’s about sacrificing the smaller parts for the wellbeing of the whole.”

“Easy to say when you’re never thesmaller partbeingsacrificed!” Anger ignited in my chest, because we both knew who would be making the sacrifice in this equation. “So, what exactly am I expected to give up this time? My freedom? My future? My life? The baby’s life? All of the above?”

“Baby?” War repeated, his voice dripping with disdain, as though the word were as foul as a rotting corpse under the summer sun.

“Yes.Baby,” I repeated, my tone firming as I narrowed my eyes at him. “I know you’re still new to this whole Earth thing, but that’s what we callmini human beingsaround here.”

“Foolish girl.” War’s eyes sparked with dangerous fury. “That abomination is nothing more than the spawn of evil, a blight upon your world that must be destroyed, lest it bring about the end of everything!”

“How the hell can you say that? You don’t even know if he’s evil!” I shot back, my voice steady despite the terror clawing at my chest. “You can’t possibly know that. He hasn’t even been born yet.”

“It has been prophesied!” he boomed, as though that was all the proof anyone could need.

William raised a hand to intervene, his gaze softening as he studied me, though his words remained firm. “We understand your…attachmentto the child, Jemma. But you must see reason. The prophecy is indisputable—this child will usher in the end of days. His power alone will tip the scales between good and evil, distorting the balance in a way that cannot be undone. It is as clear as the prophecy aboutyouhad been and look at what happened when you chose to disregard that one.”

I shook my head, feeling sick to my stomach. “That’s not fair. It’s not the same. I neverwantedto release Lucifer. They used me. They tricked me into making it happen.”

“And yet, it mattered not one bit,” replied William, hisvoice dripping with scorn. “The prophecy unfolded exactly as foretold.” His gaze sharpened. “But you still have a chance, Jemma. A chance to redeem yourself by becoming something far greater than you ever imagined.”

“By becoming one of them?” I jerked my chin towards the Horsemen, bile creeping up the back of my throat.

“You have the power to put a stop to all of it.”

“And if I refuse? Are you going to force me? Is that what this is about?” I asked, pointing to the sigil keeping me locked in place. Deep down I already knew the answer. My Alt had already told me about their plan, but I needed to hear it from him. I needed him to look me in the eyes and admit what he was going to do to me.

“Force is such an ugly word,” he said, shaking his head with that infuriating calm. “We’re merely guiding you towards your destiny.”

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