"Hey, are you out of your mind?" A mocking voice cut through the silence, snapping Alia out of her turbulent thoughts.
Her gaze focused on Howard, an unfamiliar face she had grown to recognize over time. Yet, every subtle expression, every nuance in his voice made her certain of one thing—this man before her was Edward. Despite the layers of deception, she could not shake the truth of who he really was. A surge of emotion hit her as she bitterly thought to herself, What a memorable coming-of-age ceremony this has turned out to be.
Finally, Alia calmed herself. She realized that survival was now her priority. She had to conceal her identity, find a way to escape, and continue deceiving Edward—or rather, Howard—long enough to gather more information about the traitors. If she succeeded, one day she could return to the castle and finish what she had started: revenge for her mother.
"Wow, I have to say, I'm impressed by your extraordinary strength," Alia teased, though her voice had a sharp edge to it. "Where did you get this dagger? A vampire's treasure, I assume? It seems sharp enough to smash a gemstone into pieces."
Howard paused at her question, the dagger still glinting in his hand. Instead of responding immediately, he fell silent, his eyes fixed on the blade. Slowly, he murmured, "This dagger was a keepsake from my fiancée, who passed away. I've always kept it with me."
Alia's heart skipped a beat, her shock concealed by a mask of indifference. His words took her back to the vampire castle, to the days when they had been happy together. Her mother had never explicitly said it, but Alia had always believed that one day, she would marry Edward. Yet now, standing here, he spoke as if she were long dead. How ironic that he referred to her as his deceased fiancée. A swirl of emotions threatened to overwhelm her, but she suppressed them. No, she reminded herself. This man, regardless of their past, was complicit in her mother's murder. He was a traitor, and their fates were now eternally divided.
And then there was Gavin. A rush of warmth filled her chest at the thought of him, his loyalty, his presence. Gavin had become her anchor in a storm of uncertainty. Her feelings for him were raw and tangled, but in moments like these, she was reminded that there were still people who cared about her, who had her back.
"How did your fiancée die?" Alia asked, her voice more composed than she felt. "Vampires aren't exactly known for their short lifespans."
Howard's face darkened. In an instant, he was upon her, his hand wrapping tightly around her neck, squeezing just enough to make it hurt but not enough to kill her. "You have no right to ask about her," he hissed. "If you didn't remind me so much of her, I would've killed you long ago. Know your place, Alia."
She gasped for air, her vision dimming slightly as her fingers clawed at his hand. His grip tightened for a moment longer before he finally let her go. Alia coughed and spluttered, her neck burning, but she glared up at him, refusing to be intimidated.
Without another word, Howard re-opened a wound on his arm. Using his ability to manipulate blood, he directed a stream of it into Alia's mouth. "Recover quickly," he commanded coldly. "We need to break through to the next level."
Alia wiped her mouth, disgusted, as she watched him turn away. Her mind raced. Edward… Howard… What role did he really play back then? Did he know everything? Were his feelings for me ever real? But none of it mattered. What mattered was that Henry, his father, had killed her mother. And for that, Alia would never forgive him. She would get her revenge. But first, they needed to survive.
Just as Howard and Alia steadied themselves, a new wave of bones began to fall from the ceiling, each fragment larger and more menacing than the last. Howard cursed under his breath as they tried to maneuver through the storm of debris. They jumped upward, looking for a gap to escape, but none appeared.
Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, three enormous golden skulls, identical to those they had encountered before, slammed into the ground. The smaller bones gravitated toward the skulls, assembling into massive, monstrous forms. Alia's heart pounded as she stared down at them, her pulse racing. The sound of cracking bones filled the air as the Tai Chi diagram overhead ceased its barrage.
"We need to go now," Howard growled, grabbing Alia's collar. With a powerful leap, they soared upward, just as the Tai Chi diagram sealed shut behind them. Below them, the three giant skulls roared in frustration, their anger echoing through the chamber.
Alia felt a chill run down her spine as she glanced back. Before she could voice her concerns, the Tai Chi diagram began to spin again, this time faster and with more intensity. Howard and Alia wasted no time in moving further away, just as a deafening "bang" shattered the stillness, and the entire diagram exploded.
For a brief moment, Alia thought the skulls might ascend and follow them, but instead, the massive bone structures disintegrated into countless fragments, as though they had never existed. Below them, all that remained was an empty hole.
Across the chamber, the Tai Chi diagrams in other areas mirrored the explosion, each one rotating wildly before bursting apart. Skeletons that had been mid-battle collapsed into heaps of bones, their once menacing forms reduced to dust.
Leona, who had been enjoying the chaos, turned to Talon and said, "What the hell is going on? I wasn't finished with them yet." Emma, standing nearby, nodded in agreement, clearly disappointed that the fight had ended.
Talon, more practical than the others, frowned. "I'm not sure, but we need to move up. Something's changed, and we should be prepared for anything."
Leona and Emma exchanged glances but quickly nodded, following Talon as they ascended to the next level. Safety was paramount now.
Once they reached the upper level, Talon paused and said thoughtfully, "As fun as that battle was, I've noticed something. The skeleton soldiers are growing stronger with each wave. I've been thinking about how to get out of here. The Tai Chi diagrams only open when the bones fall, but we need to figure out the timing. Someone must've cracked the puzzle ahead of us, giving us this chance to escape."
Leona nodded. "Let's hope you're right. But where are the others? This place feels even creepier now."