Rhea sprinted through the maze of crumbling tombstones, rain soaking her to the bone. Behind her, the twisted echoes of her past selves howled, their hunger clawing at her heels.
Isaac was close, shouting, "The gate the cemetery's old mausoleum! That's the only place left to trap them!"
Her lungs burned, heart pounding like a war drum. She could feel the icy fingers of the past self slipping closer, whispering promises of power and oblivion.
"Join me," it hissed. "Give up the fight."
"No," Rhea spat back, digging her nails into the dirt.
The mausoleum door groaned open as Isaac pushed inside, dragging her with him.
Inside, ancient runes glowed faintly on the stone walls, pulsing like a heartbeat. Isaac began chanting, voice steady but strained.
Rhea clutched the talisman, feeling its cold energy surge — but the shadows outside were relentless, scraping at the edges of the sanctum like ravenous beasts.
Suddenly, the ghostly figure appeared at the threshold, eyes burning like coals.
Rhea met its gaze — a mirror of fear and fury.
"We end this tonight," she vowed.
Isaac's chant reached a crescendo. The runes flared, casting a cage of light that locked the shadows out.
But the battle inside her soul was far from over.