The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The butler lay on the ground, a victim of a vicious attack.

Someone had been here.

They had taken her children!

Vivienne followed the scent trail outside with urgency. She had sprinkled her children with a special blend of spices, leaving a trace

wherever they passed.

The trail ended at the base of an old hill.

This was the splace where Abigail had set up her ritual circle years ago, inviting Vivienne and Mr. Wolf into its snare.

Now, Abigail stood at the center, holding fragments of the ancient artifact known as the Millennia Aegis, chanting incantations that

seemed to belong to another world.

The ritual was ready, with Vivienne's twin children placed at the very heart of it, lying on a crimson cloth.

Silent and observant, they watched everything around them without a fuss.

Sensing Vivienne's approach, Abigail's lips curled into a triumphant smile. "You really thought | needed your heart toplete my

plans, but alas..."

Her gaze fell upon the two children, a boy and a girl, and she laughed, "My true goal was always them!"

"Twins are naturally aligned with darker forces, and now, with the ritual, not only will | achieve immortality, but | will also gain the

power to obliterate anything in my path. From this moment forth, none shall stand against me. I, Abigail, will reign suprover

this realm."

"After all, you should be thanking your children. Were it not for them, you would be the one lying here."

"You plan to use my children as conduits for this power without my consent?" Vivienne's icy stare bore into the madness that had

overtaken Abigail, her eyes simmering with danger.

"You?" Abigail scoffed. "Once | possess this power, you'll be nothing but an ant to me. | can snuff your life out in an instant.”

Vivienne simply gave her a meaningful look, her tone cool, "Is that so?"

Abigail frowned, sensing something off about Vivienne but unable to pinpoint what.

Regardless, she no longer cared. The ritual had been activated before Vivienne's arrival, and now, all that was left was to repair the

Millennia Shield with the unique abilities of her assembled force.

To prevent any interference, Abigail had surrounded the ritual circle with her army of gifted individuals, tasked solely with ensuring

the ritual'spletion and, if necessary, sacrificing their own abilities to mend the ancient artifact.

Yet, they made no move against Vivienne.

This was Abigail's design.

She wanted Vivienne to witness her children being used as sacrificial offerings, their powers drained until nothing but lifeless husks

remained.

Oddly, Vivienne remained calm, showing no intention of charging into the circle or displaying any vengeful desperation.

As Abigail proceeded with the ritual, Vivienne's calm demeanor only grew more suspicious.

Then, as the ritual neared its climax and the repaired artifact began to resonate, disaster struck.

Abigail's face twisted in confusion; the ritual chant becstrained.

She couldn't believe it.

Abigail refused to accept this, diving towards the children to verify their power directly.

But before her fingers could touch their hearts, the twins let out a cry and beclifeless, like dolls devoid of spirit.

Abigail, furious and bewildered, searched for Vivienne but found she had vanished, with only the storm of the ritual visible.

The ritual continued, its demands unmet, and a bolt of lightning forced a scream and blood from Abigail.

Her powers were being consumed by the ritual, intended to correct its deficiencies.

Realizing her survival depended on her abilities, Abigail desperately sacrificed her army to the ritual's vortex, hoping to satiate its

hunger.

But it was futile.

The ritual devoured everything, sparing not even the blood of the non-human soldiers, leaving Abigail weakened and trapped

within her own creation.

The backlash was swift; Abigail's body was pulverized by unseen forces, her powers and life essence consumed entirely by the

ritual.

As the ritual's dark mists began to clear, Vivienne reappeared, stepping forward to confront Abigail, now a shadow of her former

self.

Handing her a mirror, Vivienne spoke, "Take a good look at yourself, Madeleine Hernandez, the lone survivor of the Hernandez

family. This is your true face."

Hearing her real nafter so long, Abigail turned to the mirror in disbelief, only to see a visage as withered as old bark staring

back.

Retreating in horror, she covered what had once been her face, "Impossible... This isn't me... How could | be this... This isn't

my face..."

"l was meant to be eternal."

"Repulsive?"

A sneer of disdain flickered in Abigail's dark eyes, "You'll have the right to judgeonly when you've lived as long as | have."

Vivienne glanced at her, "Only a loser showcases their worth by the passage of time. Your two hundred years are just a pitiful joke

to me."

Abigail clenched her teeth, fury contorting her face, but as she raised her hand to strike, she found her powers had vanished.

Her face twisted in rage, she demanded of Vivienne, "I had everything perfectly planned. | was about to rule the world. How could

this happen?"

"Not yours?"

Shock registered on Abigail's face, then her eyes narrowed, "But | personally took those children. How could there be a mistake?"

Vivienne's gaze was dark, "Did you really think | wouldn't foresee your plans?"