"Why?" Mafilda asked.
Arbila answered in a quiet voice, "You probably know the reason."
But Mafilda refused to accept it. She fixed them with a sharp stare and said, "You can't even cross into the Reflection, so you're looking for a sacrifice? You're insane."
Shawn laughed as if everything was under his control. "They're twins. Both possess unique spiritual cores. Their sacrifice will open limitless possibilities for us."
Kayden felt that those words were not an explanation, but a boast.
Mafilda stepped closer and whispered, "Henry hasn't gone home yet. He went to Roger after university. He's safe." Then her voice dropped even lower. "When I give you the signal… run."
She exhaled slowly.
There was something unusual about that breath. The air gradually grew colder, yet no one noticed.
Even Arbila, who was accustomed to reading intentions, sensed only the faintest trace of it.
Believing Mafilda was preparing to attack, Arbila acted first. She began planting new desires—darker desires, binding desires that clung like chains.
She wanted Kayden.
Specifically Kayden.
And if she failed, she would settle for his twin.
She could no longer distinguish between them, and she no longer cared. She simply wanted to possess them both.
Meanwhile, Mafilda moved in silence, concealing her actions as she carefully guided her power.
A moment later, Shawn felt a sharp pain deep inside his lungs.
Arbila stumbled as well, as though something had struck her from within.
Tim suddenly doubled over, coughing violently while clawing at his own skin. His eyes turned red, and his flesh looked as though a vicious rash had spread across his entire body.
At the same moment, Shawn caught sight of something glittering in the air.
Glass shards.
He didn't have enough time to raise a spiritual barrier.
Some of them were already inside him.
Blood spilled from Tim's mouth as he staggered backward, while Arbila screamed for the first time in agony. Glass shards pierced her hands and feet like needles.
Mafilda had aimed for her eyes, but Arbila managed to throw up an arm in defense.
It wasn't enough.
In a desperate attempt to regain control, Shawn roared and slammed a hand into the ground. From beneath his coat, he drew a short sword with a gleaming black blade.
Kayden reacted instantly, retreating several steps.
His instinct to survive was stronger than thought itself.
Mafilda, however, stood her ground.
Shawn did not hesitate. Every swing of his sword carried tremendous force, sending blade-like spiritual projectiles tearing through the air. His assault was brutal, relentless, and utterly merciless.
Yet Mafilda refused to retreat.
She controlled the shards, scattering them in every direction until the graveyard itself became a field of death woven from glass.
Every breath she took was a weapon.
Every heartbeat was an act of defiance.
A refusal to lose.
A refusal to die.
Tim had already lost a frightening amount of blood, and Mafilda hated him more than anyone else present.
Yet despite his injuries, he suddenly moved.
Then, without warning, he charged straight toward Kayden.
Kayden retreated quickly, but he didn't stop. He drove his foot into Tim with a powerful kick, channeling spiritual energy through his leg.
Tim crashed to the ground, yet he rose almost immediately.
He wasn't ready to give up.
It seemed he hadn't noticed or perhaps hadn't realized that Mafilda's glass shards were still hunting him.
They moved like razor-edged nightmares following his every breath.
Pursuing only him , Ignoring everyone else As though they were a personal act of vengeance.
Tim couldn't endure it for long.
Kayden pressed the attack, kicking him again with growing force. Each strike carried more weight, more anger, and more of his rapidly increasing strength.
When Tim staggered back to his feet once more, his mind was no longer clear.
The shards were burrowing through his chest.
His lungs, especially.
He couldn't form a barrier to protect himself, and even the air seemed to be attacking him.
Kayden lunged without mercy.
He struck him again and again, sending him crashing back to the ground.
Then suddenly, drawing upon the last remnants of his resistance, Tim seized Kayden and held him in place.
For Arbila. Kayden froze for only an instant.
Then he concentrated all his strength into one arm and drove his elbow directly into Tim's skull.
The sound of the impact resembled a skull shattering beneath an iron hammer.
Tim hadn't expected the blow.
Neither had Arbila.
He collapsed onto the ground, groaning, his mouth hanging open as though pain were the only thing left for him to breathe.
Everything inside him was bleeding.
And so was everything outside.
Kayden looked toward Arbila. "You're a liar."
A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face before she glanced toward Shawn, who was still battling Mafilda like a madman.
Meanwhile, Tim was dying in silence.
Arbila turned back to Kayden.
"I'm not a liar," she said. "Didn't I tell you to stay away? Why do you insist on making me the villain?"
But Kayden wasn't listening.
He barely saw her at all.
All he could see was Mafilda. Fighting alone, Bleeding.
Standing her ground. Like a legendary heroine.
Mafilda dropped to one knee beside Tim. She stared at him for a moment before speaking loudly. "You deserve to die." She pulled a small dagger from her clothing.
A dagger she hadn't used in years.
So long, in fact, that she had nearly forgotten what it felt like to hold it.
Without hesitation, she stabbed him , Once , Twice.
The strikes were brutal , Deliberate.
Unmistakable in their intent , Shawn didn't interfere. He refused to , This wasn't his battle.
He looked down at Tim with contempt, then inclined his head toward Mafilda with rare respect. "A traitor always betrays in the end. Thank you for purging him from among us."
Mafilda rose unsteadily , Blood flowed from her foot and arms, and her face had become so pale it seemed her soul was fading away.
Kayden watched her closely , The longer he looked, the more blood he saw , It was everywhere , Flowing from every wound.
Shawn was bleeding as well. Both of them had exhausted themselves completely.
But Shawn possessed the stronger weapon , A newer weapon.
The training to wield it.
Mafilda, on the other hand, had been away from battle for many years.
Her blade was no longer sharp.
Her spirit was unprepared.
Yet despite everything, she had wounded them all.
She calmed herself for a moment and adjusted her breathing.
She wanted to end it in a single strike.
But speed had always been a curse upon those who carried it.
Then, without warning, her spiritual power erupted.
The air itself distorted.
The pressure of her energy forced Kayden backward before he even realized what was happening.
Even Arbila hurriedly formed a spiritual barrier around herself as the light surrounding her trembled.
But Shawn smiled , A calm, proud smile. He made no attempt to defend himself.
It was as though he wanted her power to settle upon him.
As though he wanted to glorify Mafilda , The glass shards exploded outward.
They pierced Arbila's barrier with difficulty and wounded her, though they failed to bring her down.
As for Tim's body…It had become completely ruined.
Between Mafilda's shards and Kayden's assault, he was finished.
Mafilda moved with blinding speed, her dagger gleaming in her grip like an extension of her fury.
She exchanged blows with Shawn in a merciless clash.
Shawn showed no restraint. Neither did she.
Sparks burst into the air whenever their weapons collided.
Mafilda laughed loudly.
A sharp laugh carrying both madness and defiance.
Shawn answered with a similar smile, one filled with genuine respect.
Then he shouted in a booming voice "Join us!"
Mafilda blocked his strike with a force that pushed him a step back. She lifted her head with pride and said coldly, "I belong to the Bryce family."
At that moment, the shards scattered everywhere, reflecting the glow of her furious power.
Her spiritual energy began to condense, circling her in tight rings. Then it accelerated, forming a mysterious storm of power roaring and screaming as if it carried the voice of her past.
Mafilda shouted, her rage shaking her voice. "I don't hate you… I hate her… and that traitor!"
Shawn's shoulder froze for a moment, a question flashing in his eyes with no answer.
At the same time, Arbila's barrier cracked sharply. She tried to defend herself, but her mental strength wasn't enough against the overwhelming physical assault. She fell to the ground, her once-beautiful face now smeared with blood and dirt.
Shawn rushed forward and stood in front of her, summoning a new barrier to protect her. He looked at Mafilda with open admiration.
"I haven't fought like this in years… you shouldn't die here. You're special." Then, more quietly, almost regretful, he added, "Tim wasted the blessing he was given… let me fix this."
But Mafilda wasn't listening.
Her eyes were fixed on Kayden in the distance, waiting for the signal. The moment she raised her hand, he understood.
She unleashed her spiritual power in a single burst. The storm around Shawn intensified and dragged him inward, isolating him.
Before he could recover, Mafilda had already turned and run east.
Kayden ran west.
They ran as if life itself depended on this moment like hope was waiting on survival.
Mafilda's breath was sharp, sweat and dust mixing on her skin. Her eyes searched for the meeting point. Her heart pounded—not with fear, but with longing.
She looked up. The sun was already setting.
And then she saw him.
Kayden was approaching fast, just as planned. Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing, then sprinted toward his house—the only place he still believed was safe.
Earlier — two hours before the incident
Henry finished university late, looking exhausted. Still, he exchanged brief words with students and colleagues as usual, pretending to care while inwardly feeling uneasy… and maybe hungry too. He always carried that hunger for something he couldn't define.
A mild headache pushed him to leave campus, but instead of going home, he changed direction toward the nearby train station.
In a quiet corner, he spotted Roger standing with George. They were talking.
Henry approached silently and listened at first.
Roger suddenly spoke, scanning the area as if expecting someone. "Where's the other idiot?"
"I don't know," Henry replied calmly.
Roger smirked and casually messed up Henry's hair.
"You two hate losing… amazing that you stopped fighting."
Henry pushed his hand away. "He locked himself away for a month. I couldn't reach him. Then he recovered… and there was no reason left to fight. Still annoying, though."
George said calmly, "You're twins. That's normal."
Roger sighed. "I'm leaving to see my master. I don't know when I'll return… and if we meet again, it won't be soon."
Henry raised a brow. "Why leave so suddenly?"
Roger looked at him for a moment, then answered honestly. "Master Ron Feng always treated time like a game. Lady Eleanor always seemed fair… but my master, Matthew, doesn't have the luxury of waiting. Fate is harsh, Henry… and we don't have time to waste."
Henry turned to George. "And you… who do you follow?"
George smiled calmly, and for a brief moment sunlight reflected across his face, "I… want freedom," George said clearly.
Before he could finish, Roger muttered from the side, barely audible, "Filthy."
But George didn't respond. Not even a raised brow. He simply stayed silent, as usual choosing to let meaning speak for itself.
And just as Roger was about to leave, still muttering under his breath, something changed.
For a moment, threads of fate flared into view before his eyes. His gaze ignited with a faint green light. Invisible to everyone else, the threads appeared to him like a vast web of light and shadow, trembling and shifting through the air like a spider's disturbed creation. His eyes glowed with that quiet power.
Then he spoke, his voice heavy as if rising from deep underground. "Damn it… Kayden's fate… it changed again." He turned toward Henry. "And yours changed too."
George lifted a brow, slowly turning toward him, searching for explanation. But Roger kept staring at the unseen threads, watching them like someone reading a storm before it struck.
"The lines have shifted drastically… shadows are beginning to surround both of you."
He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, as if trying to suppress what he saw, then spoke firmly "Go home immediately, Henry. If you're late by even an hour… you'll suffer. If you return now… nothing will happen. Tell them to look for Kayden. Don't wait for anyone."
Henry froze. George asked quietly, his face already pale, "And me?"
Roger opened his eyes and looked at him. "Go to the State Council."
A brief silence followed.
Then George inclined his head slightly, half respectful, half amused. "You're the best fortune-teller I've ever met."
Roger gave a faint sideways smile, adjusting his glove. "I'm not just a fortune-teller."
George's tone turned sharper as he waved his fan. "Go home immediately!"
He pushed Henry toward the carriage and shut the door without waiting for a response.
Then he and Roger boarded the train. Time was no longer on anyone's side.
Throughout the journey, Henry kept staring at his watch as if it were a tightening noose.
Thirty minutes passed. Half an eternity.
His heart hammered against his chest, screaming for escape. One question repeated endlessly in his mind 'Where is Kayden?' He wanted to believe Kayden was home… safe. But every glance at the watch made the fear grow, as if the ticking hands were whispering that it was already too late.
Only fifteen minutes remained.