Chapter 48

Zoe rolled up the edge of her shirt, revealing the faint, almost invisible scratch on her side. But as Marella’s fingers hovered over the wound, Zoe felt a sudden, searing heat. She bit back a gasp, her hand clenching the fabric of her pants.

“Ah,” Marella said, her tone grim. “This magic is indeed dark, twisted. It’s subtle, designed to infect slowly, eating away at your strength over time.”

Sara paled, moving closer. “Can you… can you remove it?”

“I will do my best,” Marella replied, her expression softening slightly as she looked at Zoe. “But this will not be a simple process. The poison is deeply embedded, like a stubborn weed with roots tangled through your energy. It will take time, and it may be… unpleasant.”

Dominic’s hand clenched at his side, a muscle in his jaw ticking. “What do you mean, ‘unpleasant’?”

Marella gave him a sympathetic look. “To purify dark magic like this, I’ll need to draw it out, bit by bit. The process can be painful and exhausting. But it must be done ca