Alyssa gasped and Oliver gripped her hand tightly in his own. The voice spoke again, this time more gently.

“But in order to protect the world, a shadow wraith will be born. She will be a combination of human and shadow, good and evil, light and dark. On her thirteenth birthday, she will come into her powers. And every 1,000 years, a guardian of the shadow wraith will be born, and it will be their sole purpose in life to protect and guide her.

“But on the eve of her 113th birthday, she will fade from this world and become like a shadow herself. At the exact moment she fades away, another shadow wraith will enter the world, and the cycle of good and evil will continue.â€?

At this, the voice stopped speaking, and the three people left standing in the ruins of the castle turned to look at each other.

“This isn’t over,â€? Jeremy hissed angrily, staring at Oliver, his eyes almost glowing with hatred. “You haven’t won yet.â€?