MasukAria came back to herself slowly. She turned her head to look at Landon, but even that small movement seemed to feel heavy and difficult. The cold resolve in her eyes had finally dulled just enough to let her vulnerability and pain bleed through. The rims of her eyes had gone red when her gaze found his. And when she saw the worry and the care on his face, the wall she'd been bracing for so long gave the faintest shudder. Her hands still hadn't stopped trembling. After a moment of silence, she drew in a long breath and shoved the tide of emotion back down. She forced herself to sound composed, but the tremble running through her words betrayed her anyway. With eyes full of determination and grief, she looked up and met Landon's gaze. As she spoke slowly, it sounded as if she was forcing all those words out. "The person we tried to look for in the Netherrealm and couldn't find any traces of him at all was my mentor from my past life." Her throat tightened on the word "mentor", a
Sylas spoke to Thayne. "What's the matter? You got scared when I mentioned Hollowlight Sect, didn't you?" His voice was low and rough, laced with the kind of cold that only came from the deepest parts of the Shadowsteel Realm. Every word hit Thayne's soul like a hammer blow. "You've been sitting in that cage playing mute for a thousand years, and now you finally decide to move? Too bad. You could scream yourself hoarse, and she'd never hear you. "And even if she did, she couldn't save you. All you'd accomplish is giving me one more leash to yank her around with." Thayne's soul convulsed. The faint pulse of energy around him spiked wildly, and more threads of spirit began unraveling from the cracks. He locked his eyes on Sylas with intense hatred, and he poured every last shred of strength he had into his throat. What came out was barely a whisper, but it was hoarse with fury and heartbreak. "Sylas, you monster! This is between you and Hollowlight Sect. You want someone to com
Aria caught herself against the tree trunk to stay on her feet. Her other hand hung at her side in a tight fist, nails buried so deep in her palm that blood had started seeping out. It dripped from her fingertips and left faint red spots on the grass below, but she didn't feel any of it. The agony in her chest had swallowed every other sensation whole. All color had drained from her face, leaving it ashen but steely. Whatever grief had been pooling in her eyes a moment ago was gone now, frozen over and replaced by killing intent. Nearly a thousand years' worth of hatred had been smoldering inside her, and this was the moment it all caught. But she hid all those emotions behind her eyes, refusing to let even a flicker of them show. She knew better than to fall apart right now. Panic and grief were exactly what Sylas wanted, so the more she gave him, the easier she'd get manipulated. She needed to stay calm so that she could get answers and find an opening. It took a long momen
At the Carver residence, the warmth in the courtyard hadn't faded yet. The leaves on the locust tree rustled overhead like a slow song. Sunlight was scattered across the stone table in soft patches, and the smell of the coffee was still drifting through the air. Aria was still taking in the love and understanding from Titus and Warren. She could also still feel the heat from Landon's palm against her skin, and the worry that had been sitting behind her eyes had eased off a little. She was sinking into the quiet of it. Even her breathing had slowed. But right in the middle of all that, her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was faint, but clear enough to cut straight through the silence of the courtyard. The soft buzz was hitting her with so much unease. Aria instantly tensed up. The hand around her cup went still, and her fingers, which had only just loosened up, pulled tight again. That heavy feeling she'd managed to shake a few minutes ago came creeping back with more caution. Wi
Landon reached over to check the coffee on the table, then pressed a warm mug into Aria's hands. He said softly, "Drink something warm first." Sam trailed after him and flopped down on the chair beside Aria, curling his small frame into the cushions. He stayed quiet and behaved himself, only sneaking glances up at the elders and then over at Aria every so often. The courtyard went quiet for a beat. All they could hear was the wind moving through the locust tree, with steam rising off the coffee. Warren and Titus shared a look, and each one caught the same thought in the other's eyes. After all, both men had seen enough of life that they didn't need words. They sighed at the same time, heavy with that particular ache grandfathers carry for their grandchildren. Underneath it sat something softer and hopeful. Warren lowered himself back into his chair and picked up his cup, thumbing the rim while he figured out where to start. When he finally spoke, he looked at Aria and Landon wi
Sylas had two options. He would have to take Aria out before she could track him down and end the problem for good. It was either that or he sped up the soul transfer and used the Reincarnation Mirror to rebuild his body as fast as possible. Then, he'd be able to put himself somewhere even heaven's laws couldn't reach him. Stepping outside the three realms and slipping past the Five Elements was an impossibly tough task. People had been trying to achieve that for as long as anyone could remember, and not one of them had ever managed it. Breaking free of heaven's control was that hard. But Sylas had been working toward this for a long time, and his ambition alone said everything about the kind of man who'd actually try. Jorell's rushed footsteps grew fainter and fainter, until they finally disappeared into the dead quiet of the estate. The courtyard went silent again. It was so quiet that even the wind brushing through the dried vines sounded loud. Inside the chamber, the gree
Wilber froze at those words. The caller hung up immediately, leaving both him and Taylor bewildered. Wilber rushed to lock the door, then peered out the window. He didn't spot anything unusual at first glance. Taylor noticed his frantic behavior and asked, "What's going on, Wilber?" Wilber turne
"He's right!" two other doctors agreed. "They didn't even do this during a cholera outbreak! If you make such a huge fuss, what would the higher-ups think? And we'll have to write a report too, won't we?""We must write that report," Caspar Helm said. "I have reason to suspect that this is more ser
A while later, the nurses working with Caspar gathered in the disinfection room. "After I leave, you must take care of the patients to the best of your ability," Caspar said seriously. "We all want the best for our patients, don't we? I believe you can do the job well. "If there's anything you a
Back in the interrogation room, Jerry, the officer who had questioned Rafael earlier, stared at his returned suspect. "You just had to waste that half hour. Your lawyer can't help you anyway." Rafael replied calmly, "My lawyer will find the evidence." Jerry's voice turned cold as he said, "There







