But in the very next moment, Hugo reached out and smacked Henry on the head hard enough to drag him back to reality.
"You're a liar, Henry. The two of you are far too alike. You're making my head spin."
Henry lowered his head slightly before asking in a quiet voice, "And… what are you going to do now?"
A faint smile appeared on Hugo's face, as if something inside him had finally settled.
"Someone told me something once—actually, not that long ago, to be more precise. He said, 'Go where the danger is… and end it. Do one thing right… just one, to fix the way people see you.'"
The smile lingered. "And because of that bastard, now I want to do a lot more than one thing. So let this be the first. I'm Hugo. It's good to see you, Henry."
He extended his hand. "Give me your hand."
Henry stared at him for a moment, unable to believe what he was seeing. Then, without hesitation, he reached out.
In the blink of an eye, Hugo grabbed his hand, and the two of them vanished.
Henry slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, but he could make out Kayden standing motionless like a statue, holding a body in his arms. A body that belonged to someone he knew.
Ayrton stood nearby, though he looked no better. Anger burned behind his eyes. He looked as though he had finally reached the limit of what he could endure.
Arbella turned toward Hugo, concern written across her face. "Get me out of here. Now."
But Hugo didn't move. His eyes remained fixed on Kayden, lost in thought as though he were staring at a reflection of himself.
Hugo had always resembled Kayden in many ways. The difference was that Hugo had broken easily. He obeyed everyone. Followed orders. Bent himself to the will of others until he became little more than a servant without a voice.
Kayden was different ,He was still standing ,Still resisting.Still refusing , Still fighting until the very end.
A hollow emptiness spread through Hugo's chest. He lowered his gaze before looking toward Ayrton, as though searching for an answer no one had spoken aloud.
"And what about the other one?" Arbella suddenly asked, suspicion lacing her voice. "The one called Adam?"
"He's in a better place," Hugo answered without hesitation.
Arbella laughed—a cold, mocking laugh. In the distance, Sean was already gesturing for her to flee.
"We sent assassins after him."
Shock flickered across Hugo's face.
She immediately noticed. "You didn't know?"
Hugo remained silent. He merely nodded and sighed before quietly saying, "Give me your hand."
The words were not directed at her.
Even so, Arbella instinctively extended her hand, as though compelled by some invisible force.
At the same moment, Ayrton extended his own, assuming Hugo had been speaking to him.
Without another word, Hugo grabbed Ayrton's hand and pulled him forward, guiding him beside Kayden.
Then they disappeared.
"You traitor!" Arbella screamed as they vanished from sight.
But Hugo no longer listened.
He no longer trusted her.
For the first time, he had chosen Adam's words over Arbella's illusions. He had chosen to fix what had been broken, even if it was far too late.
As they vanished, Hugo found himself hoping that Adam was still alive.
Hoping he would get the chance to tell him what he had done.
Inside the Bryce family home, Arthur had only just returned.
He had been arguing with Isabel moments earlier, but his voice died the instant he saw the scene before him.
Hugo collapsed onto the floor, unable to remain standing. His muscles felt ruined, his limbs trembling violently from overusing his abilities. Beside him stood his sons, Ayrton, and Henry, who was still clutching his side in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. His face was pale, his eyes unfocused.
And Kayden…Kayden remained standing , Rigid , Silent.
His eyes were fixed on the floor. Not a single word escaped him , Only silence.
A crushing, unbearable silence.
"What happened?" Isabel asked, horror widening her eyes.
Nobody answered.
Henry could barely understand what was happening. He didn't know whether they had returned to safety or simply fallen into another abyss.
Ayrton tried to speak, but no words came. In the end, all he managed was "Hunting… and sacrifice."
Slowly, Kayden moved toward the couch and sat down as though an entire lifetime had been stolen from him. He pulled the coat closer to his chest not to protect himself, but to hold what was inside it.
Isabel watched him uneasily. Something felt wrong.
Terribly wrong ,Then she saw it , The limp head , The closed eyes , The lifeless body.
It was Matilda.
Kayden drew her closer and gently adjusted her head beneath his chin, as though refusing to let her fall even after death. His body trembled, his eyes were red, and his face looked utterly hollow, as though life itself had abandoned him.
"Matilda…?" Isabel whispered.
She had never been especially close to anyone in the house except Mary, but Matilda had been her first real friend. The first person to embrace her without a reason. Without expecting anything in return. Without a mask.
A gasp escaped Isabel before she finally broke down.
She hadn't cried when work humiliated her.
She hadn't cried when life hurt her.
She hadn't even cried when Noah had nearly died.
She had always believed people would come back.
That every loss was temporary.
But this one wasn't.
This loss was final.
She sat beside Kayden and wrapped her arms around the cold body, her sobs quiet but painful.
Even Mary, who was always composed, stood silently crying.
Arthur remained where he was, staring at the scene without speaking or moving, as though the silence filling the house had become more truthful than words themselves.
He gave Mary a subtle look.
No words were needed.
Mary immediately understood and knelt beside Henry to begin treating his wounds while Arthur remained silent.
Several heavy minutes passed before he finally approached Kayden.
His steps were slow and careful.
Leaning closer, he whispered something only Kayden could hear, trying to convince him to let her go. To allow them to take Matilda's body and begin the preparations.
But Kayden was not easy to persuade.
He clung to her as though she were the last thing connecting him to the world.
Eventually, however, he stood. Even then, he continued carrying her in his arms as though she were still alive.
For the first time, he noticed something strange about this house about this wealthy world he had suddenly entered.
The richer people were, the more organized death became.
The faster everything moved.
Within hours, the funeral arrangements had already been prepared, as though death itself were nothing more than another routine procedure.
Then, with deceptive gentleness, someone came to take Matilda from him.
Kayden hesitated , only for a moment. Then he finally surrendered her body.
But before he did, he looked at her for a long time , Trying to memorize every detail , every feature. Every trace of her.
Because he never wanted to forget
When the funeral was over, Arthur finally asked, "How were her final moments?"
Everyone present turned their attention toward Kayden. They all wanted to know.
They all wanted to know how Matilda had fallen.
For a long moment, Kayden remained silent. Then he finally spoke, his voice rough with exhaustion. "Magnificent… She fought until the very end. She almost won. She died with pride, without bowing, without lowering her head. She was magnificent."
Arthur stepped closer and placed a hand on Kayden's back, patting him gently. "Lift your head. I've always told you that."
His gaze drifted toward Matilda's grave.
"Matilda was a warrior, and a warrior doesn't have the luxury of breaking."
He let out a quiet sigh before continuing. "The moment a warrior takes up a sword, they must understand that their soul hangs upon its edge. Matilda died the way a warrior should fighting until the very end. That is far better than dying on a cold bed, surrounded by the silence of the helpless."
His voice softened. "Be proud of her. Just as we all are."
Kayden slowly nodded. Even Ren Yuan found those words reasonable. Arthur then fixed his eyes on Kayden. "Remember the faces of those who did this."
"No one will stop you."
Kayden lowered his head slightly. "Alright."
The moment the words left his mouth, his body finally gave out.
He collapsed forward, but Arthur caught him before he could hit the ground and carefully supported him.
Soon after, he ordered Kayden to receive treatment.
While Mary tended to his injuries, Kayden glanced toward Henry's shoulder before looking down at his own.
The wounds were almost in the same place.
"A similar injury…" Kayden murmured.
Henry smiled faintly. "You're always copying me."
Neither of them said anything after that.
There was no need. Exhaustion handled the rest.
Matilda's funeral had been quiet. There had been no grand display, no unnecessary extravagance, but neither had it felt cold.
Kayden kept his head raised. He did not lower it.
Just as she would have wanted.
Just as everyone wanted him to.
Holding Matilda's dagger in his hand, he stared at it as though a fragment of her soul still lingered within the steel.
Then he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"Matilda is not dead. She lives on in our hearts… and in our memories."
When the ceremony finally ended and people began leaving one by one, Kayden remained standing beside the grave.
He no longer understood his own emotions.
Ren Yuan understood what was happening.
He was beginning to adapt to this body and its feelings.
He simply didn't like those feelings.
Eventually, only Henry remained beside him.
Without warning, Kayden broke the silence.
"Take out your money."
Henry looked at him in confusion, but he didn't question it. He simply pulled out the bills as requested.
Kayden then produced a lighter.
Adam's lighter.
The one he had stolen long ago.
He took out his own money as well and set it ablaze.
The flames slowly consumed the paper.
Kayden watched silently as the bills curled and blackened.
Then he bowed deeply toward the grave in a gesture of respect.
After that, he turned and left. Quietly. Just as he had come.
The next day passed in the blink of an eye, and there was still no sign of Colton.
Kayden began wondering whether Colton had grown lazy, or perhaps found something more interesting to occupy his time.
On the fifth day, however, Colton finally returned.
He was unusually energetic.
A bright smile lingered on his face, and excitement practically radiated from him, as though a tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
He paced around Kayden's room endlessly, seemingly incapable of standing still.
Eventually, Kayden climbed upstairs and watched him with narrowed eyes.
"You advanced?" he asked calmly before allowing a small smile to appear.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Colton."
The two exchanged a few routine words before Colton suddenly asked,
"Did you leave the house?"
Kayden nodded.
Colton looked at him coldly. "I wasn't here to protect you. Didn't I warn you about that?"
Kayden fell silent before looking away. "A lot happened… really."
He sat down and began explaining everything that had occurred. Colton listened attentively from beginning to end without interrupting even once.
When the story was finished, he asked,
"So, what are you planning to do now?" Kayden met his gaze without hesitation.
"I'm going to kill every single one of them."
For a brief moment, Colton's eyes lit up. 'Finally! He found his motivation!' The thought nearly escaped his mouth, but he forced himself to remain calm. "You're going to need more training," he said in a measured tone. "But don't worry. Everything will go according to plan."
A faint smile appeared on his face. "Exactly the way you want it to."
Kayden suddenly frowned. "Didn't you say you'd be back in two days?"
Colton immediately put on a guilty expression and let out a dramatic sigh. "Some things came up…"
"What? Did you miss the great Colton or something?"
Kayden raised an eyebrow and said dryly, "First, you shouldn't be bragging in front of your master, O Great One. Second, you clearly like the Underworld more than this place, don't you? You're lazy."
On the fifth day, Hugo finally woke up.
He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. He didn't recognize this place.
A heavy feeling weighed on his chest.
He had become a traitor , Turning anxiously to his right, he spotted one of the twins sitting beside a man he didn't recognize. Colton sat comfortably in his chair, looking entirely at ease.
Hugo frowned as he stared at the twin, trying to determine which one he was.
For some reason, his thoughts felt sluggish. At the same moment, Kayden stared right back at him, seemingly testing him.
"Henry?" Hugo finally guessed.
"Yes?" Kayden replied casually, as though there were absolutely no reason for tension.
The two exchanged a few hesitant words before the door suddenly opened.
Henry and Ayrton entered together.
Henry walked forward and looked at Kayden with mild reproach.
"Kayden, why didn't you tell me he was awake?"
Hugo froze.
His eyes darted between the twins' faces as though he were staring at two identical reflections he couldn't decipher.
"Are you messing with me?" he suddenly asked, dead serious.
His gaze shifted between them again.
"Are you doing this because I'm mentally impaired? Because you think I can't tell the difference between you two?"
Kayden let out a quiet laugh.
"Nobody can tell us apart at first glance."
"Adam could!" Henry immediately declared, as though presenting undeniable evidence.