Thomas looked at Aiden with eyes full of apprehension. The young man's expression was determined but troubling - like someone about to do something profoundly dangerous.
- "What plan?" he whispered so low that his lips barely moved.
Aiden took a trembling breath. What he was about to propose went against all his survival instincts, but it might be their only chance.
- "I'm going to surrender to him," he murmured.
Thomas nearly choked. He gripped Aiden's arm so tightly that his nails dug into the flesh.
- "Have you gone mad?" he hissed. "You've seen what he does to people! He's going to turn you into a puppet!"
- "Listen to me," Aiden insisted, speaking so quietly that Thomas had to press his ear against his lips. "He's waiting for me. He's dreamed of me, he's prepared that special vial. To him, I'm not an ordinary victim - I'm the key to something greater."
He glanced toward Corvus, who was now examining his tools with meticulous care.
- "That means he won't kill me immediately. He'll want to talk, explain, boast about his plan. All villains do that."
- "And then?" Thomas was livid. "What's going to stop you from ending up like the others?"
Aiden touched his chest, where his Life Flame now pulsed with almost painful intensity.
- "My Flame is different. You said it yourself, I have abilities I shouldn't have. Maybe... maybe it can resist his techniques."
Thomas looked at him as if he had just proposed throwing himself off a cliff.
- "Maybe? You want to gamble your life on a maybe?"
- "Thomas," Aiden placed his hands on the old man's shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Look around you. We don't have weapons capable of hurting these puppets. We can't fight them head-on. But if I can get close to him, if I can distract him..."
He discreetly pointed to the altar where all of Corvus's tools were arranged.
- "While he's busy with me, you can free the others. And maybe... maybe you can destroy something important. Those emotion vials, his tools, anything that might disrupt his work."
Thomas shook his head, desperate.
- "This is pure madness. There are too many variables, too many things that can go wrong..."
- "Do you have a better idea?" Aiden interrupted.
Thomas's silence was his answer.
On the altar, Corvus had finished preparing his instruments. He turned toward his prisoners with the satisfaction of an artisan about to begin his masterpiece.
- "Well," he said in a cheerful voice. "Since our special guest is keeping us waiting, let's start with you, my dear Martha. Your transformation will be an excellent warm-up."
He approached the terrified woman, a long needle in his hand. Martha struggled against her bonds, her eyes bulging with terror.
- "No..." Thomas moaned, his muscles tensing despite himself.
Aiden knew he had no choice left. In a few seconds, Thomas would crack and rush to save Martha, condemning everyone.
- "Now or never," he whispered.
And before Thomas could stop him, he leaped out of their hiding place.
- "Stop!" he cried, his voice echoing throughout the chapel.
The effect was immediate. Corvus froze, his needle inches from Martha's neck. The puppets all pivoted toward Aiden with perfectly synchronized movements. The prisoners looked at him with a mixture of hope and horror.
But it was Corvus's expression that struck Aiden the most. Under his raven mask, he was smiling. A smile of pure delight.
- "Finally," he murmured in an almost ecstatic voice. "You came. Exactly like in my dreams."
He dropped his needle and turned completely toward Aiden, studying him from head to toe like examining a long-sought treasure.
- "Green eyes, yes. Brown hair, hesitant but determined posture... You're perfect. Absolutely perfect."
Aiden advanced slowly into the nave, keeping his hands visible to show he wasn't armed. His heart was beating so hard he felt like it would explode, but he forced his voice to remain steady.
- "You're Corvus. The Puppetmaster Scourge."
"Master Corvus, if you please," the man corrected with surreal courtesy. "And you are... what should I call you, my young friend?"
-"Aiden. Aiden Norask."
- "Aiden..." Corvus savored the name as if it were a precious wine. "A beautiful name. It will sound good in my collection."
He gestured, and the puppets moved aside to form a circle around Aiden, preventing him from fleeing but not attacking immediately.
- "Tell me, Aiden," Corvus continued, approaching slowly, "do you have any idea why you're so special? Why your Life Flame shines so differently from others?"
Aiden stepped back, trying to buy time.
- "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Corvus laughed - a crystalline, melodious sound that contrasted horribly with the horror of the situation.
- "Of course you do. I can see it, you know. Your Flame. It pulses in your chest like a little golden sun. So pure, so... alive."
He stopped a few meters from Aiden, tilting his head like a curious bird.
- "Do you know what I discovered during my years of research? Most people have dull Flames, extinguished by suffering and resignation. Even awakened, they remain weak. But you..."
His eyes gleamed with an unhealthy light.
- "Your Flame has something I've never seen. It grows. It adapts. It learns. It's exactly what I need to bring back my little Elara."
Aiden felt his throat tighten. He was beginning to understand why Corvus had seen him in dreams, why he was waiting for him with such eagerness.
- "You want to use my Life Flame to resurrect your daughter."
- "Resurrect?" Corvus shook his head. "No, my dear child. Resurrection is for amateurs. I'm going to recreate her. Perfectly. Eternally."
He pointed to Elara's portrait on the wall.
- "With your Flame as a base, I'll be able to give her true consciousness. Not just the memories and emotions I've kept of her, but a real personality capable of growing, learning, evolving. She'll be my daughter, but also my greatest creation."
The horror of this plan struck Aiden like a punch. Corvus didn't really want to save his daughter - he wanted to create a perfect and controllable version of her, powered by Aiden's stolen essence.
- "And if I refuse?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Corvus's smile widened, revealing teeth of perfect whiteness.
- "My dear Aiden, you have no choice. You came here because you had to come. All of this was written from the beginning."
He made another gesture, and the puppets moved closer.
- "Now, be a good boy and lie down on the altar. I promise it will be quick. And when it's all over, a part of you will live forever in my little Elara."
Aiden looked around him. The puppets formed an impenetrable circle. Corvus was approaching, his instruments in hand. The prisoners watched him with pleading eyes.
And somewhere in the shadows, Thomas was waiting for the right moment to act.
This is it, Aiden thought. Everything is decided now.
He took a deep breath and did something Corvus didn't expect.
He smiled.