Lee rushed to the body, his nose grazing the fur. He whimpered.

Ziggy also hurried over to the body, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He stared at me, then at the still body in front of him. Confusion and horror flashed across his face.

“Hurry!” Wynn's voice cracked with fear. I turned to follow his gaze, and there it was—black smoke spiraling toward us like a storm. Then, the smoke peeled back, waning as an oily skeletal creature slithered forward, creeping closer to my body.

I broke into a desperate sprint. Lee snarled, teeth flashing in a furious snarl. Ziggy hissed, leaping with claws outstretched, but as his swipe cut through the creature, his claws met only air. The thing screeched, mocking him, its form passing through Ziggy like mist.

Shutting my eyes and summoning every ounce of strength, I stretched my limbs as I flew through the air. I raced toward the only thing that mattered—to reclaim my body.

“I found him!” Gunther shouted, breaking through the smoke. He knelt down, his hands trembling as he lifted the limp body from the ground, cradling it as though it were fragile glass.

He leaned in. His ear hovered near the face, his brow furrowed. “He’s not breathing!” He moved quickly, placing a hand on the chest, blowing air into the mouth and nose.

Desperately, I scanned for any sign of the entity, but it had disappeared. To where? Where did it go?

The golden glow around Wynn paled, his hand shook as he pointed to the cat in Gunther’s arms and said the words I didn't want to hear, “You’re too late.”

The thing woke up, hissing, while Gunther’s tears mingled with laughter, overwhelmed by joyous relief.

No, no, no… it couldn't be! It wasn’t me in that body. I was still separated.

I could do nothing but watch, helpless, as Alan took the false Page from Gunther and hugged it tightly in her arms. She clung to it, her face pressed against its neck. A surge of emotion overwhelmed me. Words couldn’t capture the storm raging within me.

The anger inside me burned hotter than anything I’d ever experienced. Fiercer, more violent, like a firestorm waiting to tear the world apart. If I could have breathed fire in that moment, I would have engulfed the world in flames.

Gunther suggested they take that imposter and Ziggy to the vet in Sea Green, where most of the city's stray dogs and cats, even some brave rats, tend to wander and lounge.

No matter how angry and shocked I was, I watched, helpless, as they walked off with that imposter wearing my face and with Ziggy, hissing in protest in Gunther’s arms.

Lee, in his futile panic, barked after them, his words clear only to us: “Stop! No! That’s not what you think it is! There's a monster in that cat!” But to them, it was just noise, nothing more than meaningless growls and barks of an agitated dog.

Gunther waved him off dismissively with a scowl. “Go away! I said, go, boy! Damn dog!”

I watched them hail a rickshaw and climb into the passenger seat, the sinking realization hitting me. This was it. This was the end. I was beyond saving. Trapped, with no way out of this predicament. I was doomed to be stuck between life and death, wandering as a phantom for eternity.

“What was that thing?” I asked, spinning back to face Wynn. “Why did it try to possess Alan? And then it took over my body!”

“A wraith,” Wynn said, his voice grave. It’s not exactly evil, but it’s not a friendly spirit either. That one belonged to the masked stranger. It has unfinished business in this world, and it won’t move on until it’s done.”

“What kind of business could it have?”

“I think you already know the answer to that,” he said with a pointed look. “Now, what were you and the human doing, snooping around in the apothecary?”

My thoughts raced as I tried to remember what I’d seen…

“The black stones!” I exclaimed. “Alan had pocketed them. The wraith must be after those devices, perhaps to send a message from wherever the stranger had come.”

Lee returned to us, panting heavily, having chased the rickshaw as far as he could before fatigue forced him to turn back.

“Damn it! I tried, Page,” he gasped, nearly in tears. “I did everything I could! Is it really too late? Isn’t there anything we can do?”

“There is something,” Wynn replied calmly. “There’s still a way, but you'll have to hurry. If you don't return to your body before sunrise tomorrow, then you're truly trapped between two worlds.”

We both turned to him, hope burgeoning.

“What is it?” I demanded.

“Save my brother, Flynn.”

“Flynn?” I hissed. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“He’s a healer. He can help you.”

Lee frowned, glancing at the wreckage around us. “That is, if he’s still alive…”

“He’s alive!” said Wynn, his whiskers twitching with certainty. “I can sense him.”

We followed the rat as he scampered over the hills of rubble—bricks and twisted metal still warm from the flames. His sleek body vanished into a narrow gap. Lee stopped short, unable to squeeze through, but I easily slipped past the jagged edges.

Wynn’s glow lit the dark path until we stumbled upon a fallen beam. Flynn was there, trapped, half-buried under the weight. He wasn’t moving. But as Wynn approached, his light swept over Flynn’s face, stirring him back to life. Slowly, Flynn lifted his head. He blinked, groaned, and met his brother’s gaze.

“Wynn! You’re still here,” he breathed, his body sagging with relief. “We should hurry home. Mother must be beside herself. Help me move this beam off of me.”

Wynn looked at him and gave a slow shake of his head, his expression sad but serene. “I can't go back with you, Flynn. There's somewhere else I need to be.”

“Somewhere else?” Flynn frowned. “What are you talking about? Where could you possibly—”

“You know where I have to go.”

A look of dawning realization crossed Flynn’s face. “No. No, this isn't... you can’t be serious. This better not be one of your games, right? Tell me it's not.”

Wynn’s voice softened. “I wish it was.”

“So, you’re really—”

“Yeah, I am.”

Flynn's breath hitched. “But Wynn…”

Wynn’s form shimmered, becoming translucent, the light dimming. “I’ve done what I came here for: to find you. But there’s one last thing I need you to do.”

Flynn swallowed, his voice quivering. “Anything. What is it?”

Wynn vanished, his form dissolving into the air, but his voice lingered like a whisper carried in the wind, “Help the cat.”

Lee’s barking rang out in the distance, growing closer and more frantic. A young voice followed, breathless with worry. “What’s wrong, boy? Did you find someone? Is there someone stuck down there?”

Suddenly, the dazzling light of day burst into my vision, momentarily blinding me as the debris was cleared from above.

The boy let out a cry of disgust. “Ugh, you had me dig through all this for a rat?”

Lee whirled around, barking happily, his excitement infectious in the bright sunlight.