"Jade?"

The moment Aliana called out to her friend, she realised something was deeply wrong.

Jade didn’t respond.

Instead, she blindly hurled an empty jar of pickles behind her, sending it crashing onto the floor to join the rest of the shattered glass scattered across the marble.

The sharp sound made Aliana flinch.

Not understanding what was happening, she immediately took a step forward, intending to go to her friend, only to be abruptly stopped. A firm grip wrapped around her wrist, bringing her to a halt.

Her head snapped towards the person restraining her, only to find Gavriel staring at Jade with a grim expression she rarely ever saw on his face.

"Gav... let me go to her..." Aliana tried to pry his fingers open, but he didn’t budge.

"It’s dangerous," he warned her, his voice low.

"D-dangerous?" she repeated in disbelief. "What do you mean, dangerous? That’s Jade. She’s my friend. I need to see what’s going on with her. Let go." She tugged against his grip, but it was like trying to move a mountain.

"You should listen to him, Aliana." Cillian’s unusually serious voice cut through the tension.

Aliana’s eyes immediately snapped towards him.

"Why?" she demanded. "Can someone please tell me what’s happening here?"

Her gaze moved from Cillian to Nigel.

Ignoring the two silent men, she demanded, "Nigel! You tell me... what’s going on?"

Nigel stood frozen in shock before he finally turned his dazed attention toward her.

It was then that Aliana’s gaze dropped, finally landing on Nigel’s bleeding right hand.

In an instant, Aliana felt her heart sink.

"Nigel..." Aliana whispered in absolute horror, her voice trembling. "What happened to your hand?"

Before Nigel could respond, Gavriel suddenly pulled Aliana behind him.

The movement happened so quickly that she barely had time to react before he shot out his hand and caught another glass jar that had been hurled directly at her.

The jar struck his palm with a sharp crack.

Had he reacted even a second later, it would have smashed straight into Aliana’s face.

A dangerous chill settled over Gavriel’s features as he slowly lowered his hand, the glass jar still trapped within his grip.

Behind him, Aliana cautiously peeked around his shoulder, trying to understand what had just happened. Her eyes landed on the jar in Gavriel’s hand before instinctively drifting back towards Jade.

Then she heard it.

A low crackle escaped Jade’s lips. The sound was so unnatural that it instantly sent a cold shiver racing down both Aliana’s and Nigel’s spines.

Silence descended over the kitchen.

Slowly, Jade’s distorted voice cut through the silence. As though two voices had spoken at the same time. "So... noisy."

And then she finally turned around. The sight that greeted them made Aliana’s blood run cold.

Jade’s complexion was unnaturally pale, almost corpse-like. Her once vibrant green eyes had become dull and empty, devoid of their usual life. Dark shadows surrounded them, making her appear hollow and gaunt. Her cracked lips were stretched into a wide, deeply disturbing grin, and fresh blood dripped from her mouth as she clutched a piece of torn, raw meat in her bare hands.

A sickening twist churned Aliana’s stomach, sending a wave of bile rising straight to her throat.

Her trembling free hand flew up to cover her mouth in absolute horror as she whispered, "J-Jade..."

"Jade? Is that the name of the woman I took over?" the entity asked in a doubled voice once again.

Another loud, disturbing crackle erupted from Jade’s throat before she looked straight at Aliana. Her expression shifted into a cruel mock. "Ohhh, look at you... you look like you are about to cry. Does it make you sad? Don’t worry... I’ll be your friend. I was quite good at acting, you know. After all, this is what all elites know how to do..."

She dissolved into another fit of manic laughter, and finally, a horrifying realisation settled deep within Aliana’s chest... her best friend’s body had been completely possessed.

Dread gripped Aliana’s heart that she felt as though she might pass out from the sheer gravity of the situation. She didn’t even realise when her hands had begun to shake, or when she had reached out to clutch the fabric of Gavriel’s robe just to keep herself from collapsing to the floor.

In response, she felt his grip tighten around her hand, silently lending her the strength she desperately needed to keep herself together.

Mustering every ounce of courage she could manage, Aliana forced herself to find her voice, asking, "W-who are you?"

"Who am I?" the entity drawled in that rough, layered voice. Jade’s face twisted in pure disdain as she hissed, "Did you forget about me so easily, Aliana?"

At those words, Cillian and Nigel’s eyes widened in shock. Their startled gazes instantly snapped over to look at Aliana. Gavriel’s cold eyes, however, remained deadlocked on the daring entity standing before him.

A frown marred Aliana’s face as she stared at the entity inhabiting her best friend’s body.

"I..." she whispered before shaking her head.

How could she possibly know who it was?

All she could see was the disturbing sight of her best friend’s face twisted into something unrecognisable. More than anything, Aliana felt scared. Utterly terrified for her childhood best friend’s safety.

She had no idea what this entity was doing to Jade’s body, nor what consequences its possession might leave behind. Worst of all, she feared that it might harm Jade beyond repair.

"You don’t remember me?" The entity hissed suddenly, its expression twisting in rage. "I knew you’d forget about our little deal, and now you’ll pay for turning me like this!"

With a vicious snarl, the entity hurled the raw meat clutched in its hands straight at Aliana. All of them ducked just in time as the meat flew past them.

Suddenly throwing its head back, the entity let out a piercing, inhumane scream while thrusting its hands into the air.

Instantly, the lights around the penthouse began to flicker violently. Within seconds, smaller appliances and utensils scattered across the kitchen began to rattle and shake before levitating straight up into the air, their sharp edges aiming directly at the four people standing across the room.

Without a second thought, Gavriel grabbed Aliana and pulled her to take cover by diving to the side of the thick kitchen counter. Meanwhile, Cillian lunged for Nigel, throwing them both behind a nearby support pillar on the opposite side.

A barrage of flying objects flew across the space. The sounds of glass jars shattering and metal banging against the walls made it feel as though the tempest that had been raging outside all night had suddenly broken into the penthouse itself.

Gavriel kept his arms wrapped securely around Aliana, his glaring eyes scanning the room from the edge of the counter. Aliana huddled on her knees tightly against his chest, clutching his robe with white knuckles as she panted hard in absolute terror.