Isolde waited until the sound of horse hooves faded entirely into the night. She knelt beside Julian and forced a paste of charcoal and vinegar down his throat, praying his spirit could still hear her voice in the void. "Come back, boy," she muttered. "The monsters are gone."

He had survived the nightshade. He was free, but his eyes would forever remain slightly too wide, and his skin slightly too pale—a permanent reminder that to buy a new life, one must always walk hand-in-hand with death.

💡 The story of the Nightshade family is never about pure evil or pure good; it is about the dual nature of power. The exact same plant that can blind or kill can also be used by a skilled hand to heal or save.