Dave grabbed Evelyn's shoulder. "Check your bag—there's a book. Special pages. Something Lucien can use to trap this thing."
Evelyn nodded and reached in, her fingers trembling from adrenaline and fear.
Then she froze.
A cold shiver ran down her spine. Someone was standing behind her.
Before she could turn, a gloved hand reached over her shoulder and pulled the book free.
Elias and Dave snapped around, guns raised.
But the woman didn't flinch.
She stood tall, wrapped in a dark coat, her presence slicing through the chaos like a blade. Calm. Sharp-eyed. Dangerous.
She tossed the book to Lucien without a word.
Lucien caught it on instinct. Her eyes widened.
"You…" she whispered.
Evelyn stumbled back, breath shallow. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman smirked. "Name's Mira Holt." She threw a look at Dave. "And I'm here because this jackass doesn't know how to lay low."
Dave rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you too."
Elias kept his aim steady on the shifting creature. "You know her?"
Dave lowered his shotgun. "Yeah. She's a medium. And fifteen years ago, she was chosen to guard that book—until the time came."
Mira glanced at the entity. "And apparently, that time is now."
Lucien quickly flipped through the brittle pages, her fingers gliding across ancient ink. "The containment sigil—it's here!"
She dropped to her knees, tracing the pattern onto the concrete.
Mira crossed her arms. "I didn't bring the book, by the way. It called me."
Elias blinked. "What?"
"The Codex," she said flatly. "Fifteen years ago, a spirit told me something from inside it would escape. Said I'd know when to act." She glanced at Dave. "Which is why I passed it to him. Until it called me again."
Dave muttered, "You said the world was going to hell."
Mira shrugged. "Guess I was early."
The shapeshifter let out a broken snarl, body still glitching through stolen faces. The room buzzed with dark static.
Lucien slammed the book open and finished the sigil.
Mira's voice dropped. "You better lock it down fast, kid. Before it finishes becoming."
Elias stepped forward, revolver cocked.
"Then let's finish this.