Lilith called a war council.

We gathered in the Vault beneath the east wing. Even Lysara came—silent, uninvited.

"We’re losing ground," Lilith said. "Not in numbers. In time."

I stood. "What do we do?"

She placed a scroll on the table. Crimson-sealed. Forbidden.

"The Crimson Pact," she said. "A spell to rewrite a battlefield’s rules."

Seraphina stiffened. "That’s banned for a reason."

Lilith looked at me. "We’ll need to bind your soul to the Academy itself."

"And if I die?"

"The Academy dies with you."

Silence.

Then Yuria said, "What’s new?"

And just like that—we agreed.