The room quieted once more.

Mary looked at each of them before answering.

Then...

She smiled.

It wasn’t warm.

It wasn’t reassuring.

If anything, it looked grim.

"We have reasons to believe that this world holds the secret to defeating the Ancient One."

Liam frowned immediately.

"The Ancient One?"

He glanced between them.

"The old vampire?" he asked.

Irina nodded.

"Mary is referring to the first vampire."

"The one in slumber."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

Even Tatiana, who still didn’t fully understand the scale of what they were discussing, felt goosebumps rise across her skin.

The first vampire.

The monster connected to every vampire in existence.

The creature Irina had described as the source from which all others flowed.

Mary slowly nodded.

"We’ve had visions."

Her voice dropped lower.

"The witches council has prophets."

"They have spent years peering into countless possible futures."

The confidence she’d shown earlier vanished.

In its place was something else.

Fear.

A fear that looked unnatural on someone as composed as Mary.

"I wish I could tell you that we saw victory," she said quietly.

"I wish I could tell you there was hope."

No one interrupted her.

Mary’s fingers tightened against her sleeves.

"But every vision ended the same way."

Tatiana unconsciously held her breath.

Irina’s expression hardened.

Liam simply listened.

"The Ancient One awakens."

Mary swallowed.

"And then..."

She closed her eyes briefly.

"Everything dies."

The room became deathly silent.

"The werewolves die."

"The witches die."

"Cities burn."

"Oceans turn red."

"We’ve watched civilization collapse over and over again."

Her voice trembled for the first time.

"And no matter what we changed..."

"No matter how many futures we explored..."

"Nothing could defeat him."

Tatiana’s face turned pale.

Irina’s fists slowly clenched.

Even Liam’s expression grew heavier.

Because Mary wasn’t speaking like a storyteller.

She was speaking like someone who had witnessed the end of the world.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Then Mary looked up.

Her eyes settled on Liam.

"But every prophecy..."

She inhaled deeply.

"...every single one that gave even the smallest possibility of changing that future..."

Her gaze swept over Irina.

Then Tatiana.

"...led us to that world."

Silence.

"If we seek answers," Mary said softly, "we’ll find them there."

No one spoke after that.

Tatiana lowered her eyes toward the floor, trying to steady her racing thoughts.

Irina stared ahead, her mind already calculating risks and responsibilities.

And Liam...

Liam slowly folded his arms.

Another world.

Ancient gods from Andromeda.

Portals.

The first vampire.

The possible end of everything.

Then, after several long seconds, the corner of Liam’s lips lifted into a grin.

His eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Well," he said, "that’s one hell of a vacation plan."

For a moment, nobody knew whether they wanted to strangle him...

Or admire the fact that even the threat of the apocalypse couldn’t stop him from smiling.

Liam was the first person to break the heavy silence that had settled inside the secured room.

He looked toward Mary, who still stood near the doorway with the same composed expression she had maintained throughout the entire discussion.

"So..." Liam said, folding his arms across his chest. "When do we leave?"

Mary had expected many reactions.

Fear.

Hesitation.

Questions about survival.

Perhaps even outright refusal.

What she had not expected was for Liam to ask about the departure date as casually as if they were discussing plans for a weekend trip.

She stared at him for a few seconds before answering.

"We leave exactly one month from now."

Her voice remained calm.

"Thirty days."

Liam nodded thoughtfully.

"That’s enough time."

Mary glanced between the three people remaining in the room.

"Liam."

"Irina."

"Tatiana."

Her gaze became serious.

"It is extremely important that none of you breathe a word of what was discussed here."

The atmosphere immediately grew solemn.

"What you’ve heard today cannot leave this room."

"No friends."

"No allies."

"No lovers."

"No family members."

"Nobody."

Her eyes lingered briefly on each of them.

"If news of this spreads, it will create panic. Worse, if the wrong people discover what we’re attempting..." she paused for a moment before continuing, "...then we may never get the chance to leave at all."

Irina nodded immediately.

"You have my word."

Tatiana hesitated for only a second before nodding as well.

"I understand."

Liam smiled.

"Don’t worry. I know how to keep secrets."

For some reason, Mary wasn’t sure whether that answer reassured her.

Still, she accepted it.

"Good."

She adjusted the sleeve of her dark clothing before speaking again.

"In one month’s time, I will return."

Her expression hardened.

"And when I do..."

"I expect the four of you to be ready."

"The three of you."

"And Leonid."

Nobody objected.

Mary turned around and began walking toward the door.

The sound of her footsteps echoed softly throughout the secured room.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

Her hand wrapped around the handle.

The door slowly opened.

She was halfway through the doorway when she suddenly stopped.

The movement caught everyone’s attention.

Mary remained standing there with her back facing them.

For a few moments, she said nothing.

Then slowly...

She turned around.

The composure she’d shown throughout the conversation remained intact.

But something deeper hid beneath it now.

Something heavier.

"We attempted to open the portal before."

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Irina looked up.

Tatiana unconsciously straightened.

Mary’s voice became quieter.

"It wasn’t successful."

"The lack of energy made maintaining the pathway impossible."

Nobody interrupted.

The witch lowered her gaze briefly.

"But..."

She paused.

"We managed to stabilize it."

Her fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the door.

"For half a second."

Silence filled the room.

Half a second.

That was all.

"It wasn’t enough to enter."

"It wasn’t enough to cross over."

"But..."

Her voice softened.

"It was enough to see."

Nobody moved.

Nobody even breathed too loudly.

Mary went silent for several seconds.

Five long seconds passed before she spoke again.

"The dangers that lie ahead..."

For the first time since Liam had met her, uncertainty flashed across her face.

"...we might not return."

The words settled heavily within the room.

Tatiana’s fingers instinctively curled.

Irina’s brows furrowed.

Even Liam’s smile diminished slightly.

Mary looked directly at them.

"So spend this next month wisely."

Her voice carried no theatrics.

No exaggeration.

Only honesty.

"Say goodbye to your friends."

"Spend time with your family."

"Be with the people you love."

"Because if things go wrong..."

Her eyes darkened.

"...you may never see them again."

Silence.

Then she opened the door wider.

Without waiting for a response...

Mary walked away.

Her footsteps gradually faded into the distance until they disappeared completely.

The door remained open behind her.

Nobody moved immediately.

The secured room had become quiet once again.

Then...

Liam smiled.

Actually smiled.

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he folded his arms behind his head.

"Another world."

He let out a soft chuckle.

"We might die."

His grin widened.

"Sounds fun."

Tatiana blinked.

Irina slowly turned her head toward him.

She genuinely couldn’t understand this man.

Most people would be terrified.

They had just been informed that they might never return home.

That they could die in an unknown world filled with dangers beyond imagination.

And Liam...

Liam looked excited.

As if someone had just invited him to an amusement park.

Tatiana couldn’t help glancing at him.

A small smile unknowingly appeared on her lips.

The promise of danger had frightened her.

The idea of leaving Earth behind had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.

Traveling to another world.

Possibly never seeing Alina again.

Never seeing the familiar streets she’d grown up around.

Never returning.

It was terrifying.

But then...

Her gaze drifted toward Liam.

He looked completely relaxed.

Comfortable.

Confident.

Like nothing in existence could truly threaten him.

The anxiety tightening around her heart eased slightly.

She lowered her eyes, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

As long as she stayed beside him...

She felt safe.

Even if she didn’t fully understand why.

Meanwhile...

Irina slowly narrowed her eyes.

Her gaze shifted toward Tatiana.

Then toward Liam.

Then back toward Tatiana.

Back toward Liam again.

Several seconds passed.

Then she sighed.

"...So."

Both Liam and Tatiana looked toward her.

Irina crossed her arms.

"Y’all wanna tell me what exactly is going on between you two?"

Tatiana froze.

Her entire body stiffened.

"W-What?"

Liam blinked.

Then pointed toward himself before pointing toward Tatiana.

"Between us?"

He tilted his head.

"...Nothing?"

Tatiana immediately looked away.

"N-Nothing."

Her voice lacked conviction.

Irina stared at them.

One looked genuinely confused.

The other looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

The alpha pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Really?"

Her eyes landed on Liam.

"Then why exactly did you insist earlier that Tatiana was a core member now?"

Tatiana lowered her head.

She wanted the conversation to end immediately.

Instead, Liam’s expression brightened.

"Oh."

His smile widened.

"You should’ve started with that."

He sounded relieved.

Like he finally understood the question.

The amusement never left his face.

Irina blinked.

Tatiana slowly looked up.

Liam casually shrugged.

"If we want to win this war..."

He turned toward Tatiana.

"...then we need Tatiana on our side."

The room fell silent again.

Tatiana’s eyes widened.

"Huh?"

Irina stared at Liam.

"Care to explain?"

Tatiana pointed toward herself.

"M-Me?"

Liam nodded without hesitation.

"Of course."