Chapter 8

The school was a blur as Alex raced through the halls, his mind consumed by a single thought: he had to protect his grandmother. He had to save her.

When he finally burst out the front doors and into the daylight, he didn’t stop running. The world around him seemed to slow, as if time itself was bending to his will, and with each step, he felt the power of the amulet lsing stronger within him. It was as though he was being guided, pushed forward by something greater than himself.

As he rounded the corner and his house came into view, Alex’s heart dropped. The front door was wide open, hanging off its hinges, and there were signs of a struggle—broken glass, overturned furniture, and a silence that chilled him to the bone.

He rushed inside, their breath coming in short, panicked gasps as they searched the house. “Grandma!” Alex called out, his voice trembling with fear. “Grandma, where are you?”

But there was no answer. The house was eerily quiet, and as Alex moved from room to room,