Moonlight fractured into seven silver thorns across the cracked dressing mirror. The wolf-head brand between Alyssa's shoulder blades glowed eerily, each hair-thin line twisting into vampiric runes, the eye sockets embedded with gears matching Layne's mechanical heart.
"Like my autograph?" Layne's fingers protruded from the mirror, clawing with remnants of Kane's sleeve. His reflection moved three seconds faster, creating dual images: real-him adjusting cufflinks, mirror-him biting her phantom neck.
Alyssa smashed the mirror with a silver candlestick. Shards suspended mid-air, reforming their betrothal contract. Moonflare hatchling mutated upon contact—flame wings now bearing the same cursed brand.
"Resonance effect." Layne oozed from the mirror frame as asphalt-like matter, crushing the candlestick with clockwork precision. "Your father had a cuter version on his..."
Boiling spring water erupted. Her flame hawk burst through him into the snowscape. Moonlight projected triple shadows: her form, phoenix silhouette, and a silver-crowned skeleton.
Gear-grinding echoed from the derelict chapel. As Alyssa crashed through side doors, moonlight pierced the Virgin Mary's tear ducts, focusing on her brand. Pain clarified the altar's display—seventeen blood-crusted rings on bat-wing frames, the newest engraved with Kane's mother's initials.
"Exclusive viewing area." Layne's breath chilled her nape. His heart-gears synced with her brand, triggering phoenix flames that illuminated Evelyn's preserved corpse—her rotted brand oozing sulfur pus.
Layne hooked her chin with broken chains: "Now you know why your sister primped for hours?" His venom-blood smeared the brand gears. "Every bride expires, but yours..."
Harp strings snapped below. Alyssa channeled Moonflare into the brand. Agony revealed her blood-drawn sacrificial circle in snow—centered on her father's boot stained with Layne's lab minerals.
As brand gears reversed, Layne's mechanical spine fully emerged. Rib-made keys stabbed into her back, exploding chapel windows. Moonlight rearranged into:
Seventh Bride's Awakening NightCoordinates: Shadowclaw AltarCountdown: Blood Moonrise
Before darkness, Alyssa saw Layne lighting a cigar with her phoenix fire—smoke rings forming chained brides with identical brands, screaming soundlessly.