The dungeon trembled as flames devoured the grimoire, ash swirling like vengeful ghosts. Mia's hands glowed crimson, the thorn pricks on her palms pulsing with a heat that seared her bones. Enzo stumbled back, his scarred face twisted in terror.
"What the hell are you?" he hissed.
"Run, Mia!" Luca lunged, his blade slicing through the smoky air. Enzo dodged, drawing a pistol, but Mia's magic surged raw, untamed force. The gun melted in Enzo's grip, molten metal hissing as it hit the damp stone.
"Witch!" Enzo spat, fleeing into the shadows.
Luca grabbed Mia's wrist, his touch electric. "We need to go. Now."
But the walls groaned, cracks spider webbing across the ceiling. Dust rained down as Mia's knees buckled, the magic draining her.
"No." She yanked free. "I'm not leaving without answers."
"Answers?" Luca's laugh was sharp, desperate. "You think he'll give you anything but a knife in the back?"
A roar echoed above them, Alessandro's voice, thunderous and unhinged. "Mia!"
Luca cursed, dragging her toward a hidden passage. "You're as stubborn as ever."
The Bloodied Hallway
They emerged into a hallway lined with ancestral portraits, their eyes following Mia like vultures. The air reeked of gunpowder and panic. Russo soldiers sprinted past, shouting about an attack.
"Salvatore's men," Luca muttered. "Perfect timing."
He pulled her into an alcove as gunfire erupted. A bullet grazed Mia's arm, and she bit back a scream.
"Stay down." Luca pressed her against the wall, his body shielding hers. His heartbeat thundered against her back, familiar and foreign all at once.
"Why did you come back?" she whispered.
His breath hitched. "You think I'd let him have you?"
Before she could answer, Alessandro's voice cut through the chaos. "Find her!"
Luca's jaw tightened. "Time to go, little witch."
The Crystal Chamber
The hidden passage led to a vault sealed with a serpentine lock. Inside, the cursed crystal pulsed in its glass prison, its black liquid writhing like a living thing. Mia's locket burned, the photo inside shifting again. Her mother's face now twisted in agony, her mouth open in a silent scream.
"This is what he wants," Luca said bitterly. "Your blood to feed that thing. Break the curse, save his pathetic life."
Mia stepped closer, drawn to the crystal's hypnotic glow. "How do you know?"
"Because I tried to destroy it once." He pulled up his sleeve, revealing a scarred, serpent-shaped burn. "It didn't end well."
Footsteps pounded outside. Luca swore, shoving her behind a marble pillar as Alessandro stormed in, his suit splattered with blood.
"Mia," he snarled. "You've been naughty."
The Showdown
Luca stepped into the light, blade raised. "Let her go, Alessandro. This ends now."
Alessandro's laugh was glacial. "You're still playing the hero? Pathetic."
They moved like mirror images of Alessandro's precision vs. Luca's ferocity. Steel clashed, their hatred echoing in the vault. Mia's magic flared, but the crystal pulsed louder, its rhythm syncing with her heartbeat.
"Stop!" she screamed, but they didn't hear.
Alessandro pinned Luca against the wall, dagger at his throat. "You lose. Again."
"No!" Mia's magic erupted. The crystal shattered.
Black liquid exploded, drenching Alessandro. He staggered back, clutching his chest as the serpent scar on his skin writhed. "What did you do?"
The curse was accelerating.
The First Death
They fled to Mia's old flower shop, Luca's arm bleeding heavily. But Marco waited inside, a pistol trembling in his hands.
"Marco?" Mia choked.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "They promised to spare me if I—"
A gunshot cracked.
Luca shoved Mia aside, taking the bullet in his shoulder. Marco stared in horror, dropping the gun. "I didn't… I didn't mean to"
A guttural scream cut him off. Marco clutched his chest, veins blackening as the curse consumed him. "Mia, help!"
She reached for him, but he crumpled, eyes wide and lifeless.
"No… NO!"
Luca pulled her away as Marco's body convulsed, skin cracking like porcelain. "We need to go. Now."
But outside, headlights sliced through the dark. Salvatore Conti stepped from a black sedan, a vial of black liquid glinting in his hand. "Hello, Mia. Let's talk about your mother."