With their escape route reduced to a straight line, it was hard to believe they would leave easily.

  The woman’s presence was heavy. Rain itself seemed to avoid her entirely, falling only along the very edges of her umbrella.

  But what truly paralyzed Eden’s mind was the way she had arrived.

  This place was a dead end. There were no other routes, no doors to slip through. So where did she come from?

  They had clearly heard her footsteps approaching, ruling out many possibilities.

  Her mind was in complete panic, yet everything she did was focused on containing it.

  Keleanos was doing everything he could to keep the conversation going; the least she could do was think. Ponder hard enough to find a way out of this unsettling encounter.

  “What were you doing, stranger from a faraway land?” the woman asked, her suspicious gaze unwavering.

  “Nothing much.” Keleanos lifted his arm, showing his notebook. “I enjoy mapping the places I go to. You could call it a hobby of mine.”

  “A hobby?” The umbrella spun once more. “Meeting people like yourself and helping those I can. Would that count as a hobby?”

  Keleanos shrugged.

  “I can’t answer that for you.”

  The simplicity of the answer made the woman smile.

  It could have been a simple yes or no, but Keleanos refused to engage further.

  A drop of water slid through his hair before falling like dew at dawn.

  I feel so nostalgic. And yet...

  Reflected within the falling bead, the woman’s figure seemed to warp inhumanly.

  Both Keleanos and Eden knew. Their time was ticking, and once it ran out, everything would be over.

  “I have a question.” Tilting her head, the woman took a step forward. “Why is your servant so tense?”

  Her eyes drifted to Eden, who swallowed audibly, her throat dry.

  “Forgive her, but such an entrance isn’t exactly ‘normal’ in my book.” Keleanos smiled, an unusual spite creeping into his voice. “Did you perhaps drop from the roof? Walk through a window?”

  “This is a dead end. Unless you came out of a secret door, it’s definitely strange.”

  This forced the woman to stop and look upward, past her umbrella. Stepping in a puddle, it rippled continuously.

  “…”

  For a second, she completely stopped caring about them. The puddle flattened unnaturally under their eyes.

  It was precisely at that moment that Eden's breath stopped. Her fingers tensed, and her mind hardened.

  Now!

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Eden took her chance to activate her magic.

  Intense light burst from her body, traveling through every falling droplet like a mirror, multiplying its intensity.

  With precise control, the instant the woman looked back at them, searing beams of light converged on her eyes.

  Rather than blinding her sight, Eden burned them.

  Keleanos didn’t hesitate. He turned and ran at full speed, Eden close behind.

  “AGH!”

  An agonizing scream—one so animalistic no woman should ever produce it—echoed through the alley.

  It shook them to their cores, beads of nervous sweat running down their spines.

  From the darkness behind them, multiple glints of light appeared.

  Eden felt something rushing toward them and turned, hands flying to her skirt.

  She slid backward, feet scraping against the wet pavement with an audible screech.

  “Go, Keleanos! Don’t stop!” she screamed, flipping her dress up and drawing two short knives strapped to her thighs.

  He glanced over his shoulder at the sudden order.

  A shrill whistle entered their ears as Eden blocked the incoming projectile.

  Cling

  A black, razor-sharp feather struck Eden’s left knife. Bathed in light, her magic amplified her movement speed.

  The force behind the attacks was enough to push her back each time, numbness spreading through her hands.

  As more feathers tore through the rain toward her, Eden countered them one after another—until she made a mistake.

  Her right foot slipped on a puddle, forcing her down to one knee.

  Crap!

  That was the only word that crossed her mind as a feather hurtled toward her face.

  The stillness, as if time had slowed down, terrified Eden.

  One last thought of her Master flashed through her mind.

  Cling.

  Right before her eyes, the feather bounced back, piercing the ground instead.

  “Pick yourself up and leave! I’ve got this!” A voice cut through the shock, washing it away in an instant.

  More feathers flew toward her—but an invisible figure stood between Eden and the danger.

  “Kh! T-Thank you!” Forcing herself to her feet, Eden turned and ran.

  Then something unexpected happened.

  Mixed among the feathers, a syringe shot toward them.

  As the figure blocked another feather, the syringe slipped through, piercing her skin.

  “Ack!”

  The cry of pain made Eden whirl around, who watched in horror as the worst happened.

  The remaining feathers sliced sharply through her arms and legs, wounding the maid, who could no longer use the magic she had been taught.

  “Alisa!” Eden rushed forward as the void covering her vanished, catching her as she fell backward.

  “Shit! Shit! This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Dragging her away, Eden noticed the feathers had stopped coming.

  “This was your fucking plan? Damn it!” Rage twisted her expression as she yanked the syringe out without hesitation.

  Examining it, she saw that only a small dose had entered Alisa’s bloodstream—but it was enough.

  “What do I do? What should I do?! We don’t have long before it starts acting!”

  Keleanos, seeing the scene return to grim stillness, ran back.

  “…”

  One look was enough.

  The syringe in Eden’s hand. Alisa’s condition. What had to be done.

  This is a product of medicine. I can do something about it.

  Without a word, he knelt beside Alisa and placed his hand over the injection site on her shoulder.

  His eyes flared with vivid gold as he focused.

  Slowly, he pulled his hand away—drawing a blue liquid from the wound.

  “…” Eden held herself back from speaking, terrified of breaking his concentration. The tears pooling at the corners of her eyes spoke more than words ever could.

  After a few seconds, the final drop joined the bead floating between his fingers.

  Keleanos crushed it in his hand.

  He exhaled heavily, shoulders sagging.

  “I did it.”

  Standing, he turned toward the dead end.

  “That was one of the most underhanded tactics I’ve ever seen.”

  “It knew there was a third person with us and deliberately went for her.” His fingers trembled for just a heartbeat before curling into a fist. “That’s something I can’t ignore.”

  He turned back to Eden and knelt again, this time lifting Alisa, who managed a faint smile.

  “I… messed up,” Alisa whispered, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

  Both shook their heads, silent.

  “We should return to Olivia before it targets us again. I’m ready to get chewed out for letting one of her precious maids get injured—but there’s something that takes priority. Something I need to tell her.”

  Eden straightened. After a deep breath, she nodded.

  “Let’s do that. This was my mistake. We can’t continue like this.”

  Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, no matter how tightly she clenched them.

  Without looking back, they left the dark alleys behind, moving quickly toward Olivia’s hotel.

  I’ve learned everything I needed to.

  You’re cornered, Yivern.

  But so are we...

  Keleanos thought as he walked through the rain, Alisa in his arms.