"Come then."
Leon's voice carried new harmonics as he made his choice. The words resonated with frequencies that didn't belong in human throats. Elise's eyes widened in horror as he began walking toward the basement stairs.
The purification ritual flickered and died. Elise's healing magic recoiled from Leon's system like touching molten metal. Whatever she'd tried to purge was fighting back with interest.
"Leon, don't." His mother reached for him with trembling fingers. "Please."
Leon knelt beside her briefly. His touch was gentle but his eyes held depths that belonged to someone else. "Stay with Elise. I'll come back for you."
"You won't be you when you come back," his mother whispered.
Leon paused at the base of the stairs. For a moment, his expression softened. The calculating coldness flickered as human emotion broke through dimensional programming.
"I know," he said quietly. "But everyone dies if I don't go."
