Amidst the grim tableau of fallen comrades, Alayn stood in stunned silence, his gaze locked onto Evelyn. She, who had once stood beside him as a trusted teammate, now felt like a specter of betrayal haunting the ruins of their trust. In the wake of this heart-wrenching sight, Alayn grappled with the enigma before him. How had Evelyn managed to deceive not just him, but their entire team? The realization that an enemy had cunningly infiltrated their midst was a bitter pill to swallow, and the consequences were tragically irreversible. Evelyn's serene smile, unchanged despite the carnage, cast an eerie contrast against the grim reality. Slowly, she approached Alayn, her footsteps echoing in the cavern of his shattered understanding. Alayn's gaze flitted back to the lifeless forms of his teammates, their faces now pallid masks of death. He trembled, struggling to comprehend the depth of the deception that had led to this massacre. The realization settled in—he had failed to safeguard
"How about we eat something? I have some supplies I bought from Solarael." Experiencing a profound sense of déjà vu, Luvern gradually lifted his head at the sound of Evelyn's melodious voice. His hand instinctively moved to his neck, a gesture born from the lingering confusion that clouded his thoughts. He found himself immersed in a sea of uncertainty, struggling to piece together the unfolding reality. As his gaze swept the scene before him, Luvern's eyes settled on his teammates, each seated around him on the ground. His younger sister's innocent yet puzzled expression caught his attention, her curious eyes fixed on him. Her presence, along with the visible well-being of his comrades, flooded his heart with relief. In that moment, he grasped something profound yet unsettling - it wasn't that nothing had happened to them, but rather that nothing had happened to them... yet. He began to realize, with a heavy heart, the full extent of what had befallen his team—the haunting memorie
Blood gushed from her shoulder, a crimson cascade that starkly contrasted with the allure of her emerald green eyes. Evelyn's glare, despite the pain and the shock, bore into Luvern with an intensity that matched the throbbing agony. A collective shockwave of disbelief rippled through the onlookers, Alayn included. The single bullet Luvern had fired had severed the veil of assumptions, revealing a side of him that none had anticipated. The knowledge of Evelyn's duplicity and the poison's presence in the food cans had prompted their vigilance, yet no one had fathomed the depths of Luvern's determination and the readiness he carried to protect. Luvern's persona, once synonymous with intellect and kindness, had unfurled an unexpected layer—one painted with the stark hue of raw determination. Amidst the turmoil, Aidan's voice pierced the tension, a voice grappling with the grim tableau. "Wait, wait. Are we certain she's an enemy?" His inquiry hung in the air, a question tinged with dou
"Finally, I can make it through this," Evelyn's inner voice echoed with a mixture of relief and pain. She clung to her wounded shoulder, beads of sweat tracing down her darkened visage and nape. Her gaze fixed on Alayn, a complex blend of emotions swirling in her eyes. "Luvern would be the ideal target, but his anger towards me is too intense," Evelyn's thoughts whispered in the depths of her mind, strategy forming like threads of a web. Her survival hinged on her next steps, her ability a weapon she wielded with calculated precision. In the midst of her contemplation, a faint purple hue touched her emerald eyes-an invocation of her power. Her gaze focused on Alayn, a chosen target under the moon's soft glow. The ability, a gift from her divine superior, Eternum—the God of Existence-unleashed its tendrils, ready to weave a new thread into the fabric of their reality. As she directed her ability toward Alayn, Evelyn's mind swirled with a mixture of strategy and reflection, navigatin
"Contracts ?" Listening intently, Luvern's brows furrowed in a mix of confusion and realization as Alayn began recounting his discovery of the contracts. The tale unfolded, describing a seemingly mundane visit to a shop, yet the implications were anything but trivial. Alayn's voice remained steady, painting a picture of how he had initially dismissed the idea as irrelevant. A wry smile tugged at the corner of Luvern's lips. He couldn't help but appreciate Alayn's meticulous strategy, his ability to keep such a pivotal aspect hidden until the right moment. The team's dynamics were gradually coming into focus for everyone, and Evelyn's actions began to appear more insidious in contrast. Luvern's mind oscillated between Alayn's explanation of the contracts and his fervent desire to see Evelyn face the consequences of her actions. Despite acknowledging the prudence in Alayn's approach, Luvern couldn't entirely suppress the simmering anger that surged within him. The haunting memory of h
"Ah," the abrupt gasp tore through the air, the sound of life slipping away from Evelyn. Alayn withdrew the dagger from her throat, a gruesome fountain of crimson splattering the ground beneath her. She faltered and collapsed, her once vibrant form now crumpled and lifeless, illuminated by the eerie amalgamation of Alayn's blessing and the moonlight. A collective shock rippled through the entire team, their eyes fixed on Alayn, who had seemingly disregarded his own discourse on contracts and bloodless resolutions. Serene's gaze, in particular, was a mix of puzzlement and horror, unable to reconcile the absence of any murderous intent from Alayn until that very moment. Doubts about her own ability's accuracy started creeping into her mind. In truth, Alayn's decision to stab Evelyn wasn't a predetermined course of action; it was a swift shift in strategy triggered by his discovery of her possession of a life orb. Until that moment, Alayn had held an alternate plan, one that entailed d
"I've done as you requested, Alayn. Now it's your turn to show me the evidence you spoke of, something to truly prove you're on our side," Luvern asserted as he stowed away his ability card with a flick of his wrist. "Thank you for accepting my request. I never thought the teammates I saved would turn on me, to be honest. But okay, I'll provide the 'evidence' you want, Mr. Luvern," Alayn responded, a slight smile forming on his lips. "But first, can you come here? I don't want those two to see it just yet. I'll tell you, and only you, about this," Alayn requested, casting a cautious glance toward the two remaining enemy players on their team. "Fine," Luvern agreed to Alayn's request, allowing curiosity to outweigh his suspicions. Alayn, after all, had saved their team, including Luvern and his sister. "At least he deserves a chance to explain himself," Luvern thought silently. With cautious optimism, Luvern approached Alayn. He remained wary but believed in his ability to activate
"A-ah..." Luvern's heart stopped as he witnessed the gruesome spectacle unfolding before him. His mind struggled to process the nightmarish scene. The heads of his comrades, his friends, his sister-all gone in an instant, severed from their bodies as if by some malevolent magic. His body trembled uncontrollably, and the dagger he clutched slipped from his quaking hand, landing on the blood-soaked ground with a sickening thud. The world seemed to blur around him, the dark surroundings fading into a hazy backdrop of crimson and gray. His gaze fixated on Serene, his dear sister, who knelt there with her head hanging at an unnatural angle, the expression of confusion forever etched onto her face. "S-Serene!" Dropping the dagger from his hand and pushing Alayn aside, Luvern began to run to his sister's lifeless body. A deep, guttural cry escaped Luvern's lips, a primal sound of anguish and despair. He fell to his knees, his hands trembling as they reached out for Serene's lifeless form,