Inside the Private Chamber – Moments after Gray's Magic Activates
He stood tall, calm, and unshaken, even as Aden circled the table, stopping just a few steps from him.
Aden (low voice):
"You're not a servant."
Gray didn't respond.
Aden's eyes narrowed, scanning Gray's face as if pulling memories from the shadows of his mind. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Aden:
"I know that face... You're Ari's friend."
That name twisted the air like a blade.
Gayle stood slowly, his expression unreadable—but there was tension in his posture, an icy flicker in his gaze.
Gayle (coldly):
"Interesting."
Gray took a subtle step back. The shift was immediate. Sasha's arms tightened as her hand slid toward the hilt at her side. Rosa stood silently but her blade was already half-raised. Sana's fingertips began crackling—lightning pulsed between her knuckles.
The young girl on the floor scurried away, eyes wide with terror.
Gayle (growling):
"So... Ari thought she was clever. Sending a spy into house."
Gray still said nothing. Instead, he placed the tray on the table slowly, with the same grace he'd carried since entering.
He inhaled deeply—and exhaled.
Then—
"Mirror Magic: Phantom Reflection."
The chandelier flickered. The light warped.
Suddenly—three identical Gray stood in the room, each facing a different direction. They moved simultaneously. One toward the curtain, one toward the wall, and one toward the main door.
Rosa (sharp):
"Which one's real?!"
Mich:
"Doesn't matter. Cut all three."
His blade hissed free from its sheath. Kaito roared as flame surged up his arms and he yanked his weapon from his back.
Kaito:
"Stop playing tricks!"
Rosa lunged. Her blade sliced through one of the Grays—shatter—the illusion broke apart in glittering glass-like light.
Too late.
All three moved again. A blur of motion.
Sana threw a bolt of lightning, only for it to strike the wall behind an illusion. Mich's blade swept through another, which vanished the same way.
Kaito, in a rage, swung at the last—but it exploded into reflective mist just as he made contact.
Gray was gone.
A massive blast shattered the chamber door.
The light from the broken illusion vanished in fragments, dancing across the stunned faces of the elite.
Sasha:
"Damn it"
Gayle (shouting):
"kill him! Now!"
But it was too late.
________________________________________
Outside – The Hall of Celebration
Panic.
The explosion echoed through the golden hall, halting music mid-note. Nobles gasped and turned toward the Central Wing. Servants froze. Someone dropped a glass.
Gray sprinted through the hallway, no longer pretending.
He shoved through the doors. Nobles scattered, startled by the blast echo and the expression on his face—a cold, deadly focus.
The illusion was gone. The infiltrator revealed.
Gasps followed him.
Outside, he darted into the night.
But—
"You think you can just walk away from this?!"
A furious voice chased him.
Kaito.
He burst from the mansion like a meteor, flames trailing behind him like wings of molten fury. His pupils were narrowed, his expression livid.
Kaito:
"You made me look like a fool! I'll make you scream!"
He hurled fire at the path beneath him to launch forward, using blasts to propel himself faster, fire cracking trees and scorching stone as he followed Gray's retreating form.
But Gray didn't stop.
He wanted him to follow.
________________________________________
Back Inside – Private Chamber
Aden slumped into his seat, fist clenched tight. His jaw ticked with tension.
Aden:
"Damn it. I should've known the moment he stepped in. He wasn't like the others."
Sasha crossed her arms, still eyeing the ruined door. Her voice was even.
Sasha:
"Was it wise… sending Kaito after him? He's unstable."
Gayle (curtly):
"We have no choice now. That spy now maybe now everything."
The other Blades stood silently.
Gayle (steely):
"We cannot let Ari learn of our plan. If she finds out about tomorrow—about the sealed room and what lies within..."
He paused. There was a tremor, a crack in his confidence.
"…If we fail tomorrow and somehow survive—her wrath will be instant."
Everyone understood who he meant.
Even if none dared say her name aloud.
Gayle (gritting his teeth):
"She hates me already. Ari. She always has. But this—this was supposed to be my final move. My rise to power. I won't let her ruin it."
His hand slammed the table. "This is my dream. I've waited years."
He exhaled. Straightened his back.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he stepped outside.
________________________________________
Grand Hall – Moments Later
Panic still clung to the air like smoke.
Nobles whispered, some standing from their tables, others heading for the exits. But then, Lord Gayle appeared—smiling.
Gayle (raising a hand):
"My honored guests, please, do not be alarmed."
His tone was light, casual—dangerously polished.
Gayle:
"It's just Kaito from the BladeHex. You all know how reckless he can be. Creating chaos is almost his hobby."
Laughter didn't follow. Just silence and uneasy glances.
Gayle (shrugging):
"Don't worry. A mere misunderstanding. A clumsy servant spilled wine all over his robes, and... Well, you know how temperamental Kaito can be."
A noble near the front raised a hand nervously.
Noble:
"But… he chased that servant out. With fire. Is that… normal?"
Gayle (smiling tightly):
"Oh, of course. These lowborns can barely be called servants. They fumble, they spill, and then they act surprised when punished. Kaito… is just teaching him a lesson."
A pause.
Then another noble muttered—
"Yes, Lord Gayle is right. A strong leader must keep order."
Another followed:
"Indeed. The best action. One mistake shouldn't be forgiven."
Gayle nodded slowly, eyes glinting.
Gayle (faux-warm):
"Now—please. Enjoy the party. The music will resume."
The orchestra resumed playing—hesitantly.
But the atmosphere never quite recovered. Whispers continued behind gilded fans and wine glasses.
And far from the light, fire and mirrors were about to clash.
Outside – Far from the Mansion Grounds
Gray led Kaito farther away, weaving through trimmed hedges and narrow stone paths, drawing him away from the guests, away from the mansion.
The sky was clouded, and only the moonlight offered any illumination as the garden stretched into open darkness.
Kaito (furious):
"You think you can run?! After that little show?!"
Gray slowed. Then… stopped.
He turned to face Kaito, calm and unwavering. His eyes didn't reflect fear—they reflected calculation.
Gray (flatly):
"You disgraced yourself. I simply didn't let you make it worse."
Kaito (gritting his teeth):
"You dared to interrupt me… in front of everyone!"
Flames gathered at his fingertips, building into his palms. A flash—and a sword of pure fire surged to life in his hand, burning white-hot at the edges.
Kaito (roaring):
"Now fight me!"
Gray exhaled, as if disappointed.
Gray (coldly):
"Let's see how your fire fares… when it faces its own reflection."
He raised one hand slowly. The air shimmered around him.
Mirror Magic: Illusion Prison.
A circle of twelve crystalline mirrors erupted around Kaito—hovering in midair, rotating like puzzle pieces on an unseen axis. Each mirror reflected a different angle of Kaito: one from above, one from behind, one from a twisted perspective. The illusions warped his sense of place.
Kaito growled, spinning to look at each one. The world around him became a maze of endless reflections.
Kaito (snarling):
"Parlor tricks?!"
He slammed his palm into the ground.
Fire Magic: Searing Collapse!
The ground beneath him ignited—a ripple of molten energy spread outward in a ring, erupting like a volcano.
A wave of flame exploded upward—a fiery tornado of destruction that raced toward the hovering mirrors.
BOOM!
The heat cracked the nearest mirror, then the next—until all twelve shattered, one after another, like glass caught in an inferno.
Fragments of light scattered into the air, dissolving into smoke.
The reflection prison had collapsed.