Chapter 29

The room settled into a tense quiet, broken only by the occasional rustle of paper. Lucas leaned back against the doorframe, arms crossed, his sharp gaze flicking between Sylus and Rose. He knew the weight of the moment, the quiet before the storm. Tension lingered in the air, thick and heavy. Meanwhile, Rose sat on the edge of the table, the notebook open in her lap, absently twirling the pen between her fingers. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the pages before her, the faint hum of her thoughts filling the silence.

She couldn't focus. The words on the pages blurred as her mind wandered. A million questions swirled around her, none of them with clear answers. She didn't even know where to start. But she knew she had to.

Sylus stood nearby, his posture stiff and tense, despite the calm facade he always wore. His sharp eyes tracked every movement she made, noting every flicker of emotion across her face. It was only when she began writing something down that her voice broke the silence, cutting through the quiet like a knife.

"Sylus," she said, her tone soft but deliberate. The way she said his name, it felt weighted, as if every syllable carried a thousand unasked questions. "Babe."

Sylus blinked, his gaze snapping to her, his eyes narrowing slightly as her words caught him off guard. It wasn't just the fact that she used the word—it was the weight behind it, the emotion laced in that single word. The way she said it, it was almost like a challenge. A question. His lips quirked slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, but his voice remained steady. "Yeah, kitten?"

Rose set the pen down on the table with deliberate slowness, the clink of it against the paper filling the room. She didn't look at him right away. Instead, she took a deep breath and finally looked up, her eyes locking onto his with a piercing intensity. "You still haven't answered my question," she said, her voice unwavering, each word carefully measured. "How did I even get here? Were they really prepared for me in this... game world?"

Her words hung in the air between them, heavy with an unspoken implication. "Or is there something else—something bigger—behind pulling me into this?"

The tension in the room thickened as her question lingered. Lucas shifted slightly, glancing at Sylus as if waiting to see how he would handle this delicate moment. He didn't speak, but his eyes flicked back and forth between them, his arms remaining crossed, ready to intervene if necessary.

Sylus stood still, his face unreadable. Rose watched him carefully, trying to decipher the flicker of emotion that passed through his eyes. He didn't respond right away, instead seeming to weigh his words carefully, his mind calculating the best way to deflect.

It wasn't until she pressed further that his stoic expression faltered just slightly.

"When I was pulled in," Rose continued, her voice quieter now, but firm, "it wasn't just random. I heard a voice. Familiar. Someone called me… honey." Her voice softened at the memory, but there was a tremor of uncertainty beneath the surface. She searched his face, trying to find any trace of recognition, any crack in his otherwise impenetrable facade. "I don't know why, but it felt real. Like someone close to me was involved."

Sylus's expression didn't change immediately. His eyes narrowed just slightly, but there was something else there too—something she couldn't quite place. The briefest of twitches in his hand, an almost imperceptible movement, was the only clue she had that she had hit something, something important. He took a small step forward, crouching down so he was eye level with her, his sharp gaze never leaving hers.

"Maybe," he said quietly, his voice carrying a calculated calm. "Sometimes things like that happen when crossing over. Memories, echoes—they can feel real even when they're not." His eyes held hers, searching for a response.

"Maybe?" Rose repeated, her eyes narrowing, her brows furrowing in disbelief. "That's all you've got?"

The words hung in the air, unresolved. There was a fire in her eyes now, a flicker of frustration that had been slowly building since she'd arrived here. She wanted answers. She deserved them. And she wasn't going to let him hide behind vague explanations anymore.

"Rose," Lucas interjected, his voice clipped, cutting through the tension. "This isn't the time to get caught up in details. Whoever pulled you in, whatever voice you heard—it doesn't matter right now. What matters is keeping you alive."

Rose shot him a quick glance, her eyes flashing with irritation, but she didn't let his words derail her. She turned back to Sylus, her gaze sharp. "It matters to me," she snapped, her voice rising slightly. "If I'm the center of all this, if people are willing to kill for whatever I'm connected to, then I deserve to know the truth."

Sylus let out a slow breath, his posture relaxing just a fraction. He stood, running a hand through his hair as he took a moment to compose himself. "You're right," he said, his voice steady but distant. "You do deserve answers. And I'll give them to you—when the time is right."

Rose's jaw tightened, her grip on the notebook tightening as she fought the urge to throw it at him. "That's convenient," she muttered under her breath.

"Kitten," Sylus said softly, his tone shifting to something gentler, almost coaxing. "Trust me on this. Not everything can be unpacked at once. Knowing too much too soon might do more harm than good."

For a moment, Rose said nothing. She stared at him, the words hanging in the air between them. The tension in her chest felt suffocating, but there was a sincerity in his voice, something that made her want to trust him. She wanted to believe he wasn't hiding something to hurt her. But the doubts still lingered, storm clouds hovering just out of reach.

"Fine," she said finally, her tone clipped, but there was no mistaking the bite in her words. She picked up the pen again, returning her attention to the notebook. "But don't think I'm letting this go."

Sylus smirked faintly, his sharp gaze softening just a fraction. "Wouldn't expect you to."

But as she scribbled something in the margins of her notebook, her thoughts drifted back to the voice she'd heard—honey. The word echoed in her mind, bringing with it a sharp pang of familiarity she couldn't shake. And though Sylus kept his expression neutral, she caught a flicker of something in his eyes—something almost guilty, something he wasn't letting her see.

Lucas cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "If we're done with the interrogation," he said, his tone laced with a hint of impatience, "we should talk strategy. Dorian won't be the last person to show up uninvited."

Rose closed the notebook with a snap, standing and brushing the thoughts aside. "Good. Let's focus on what we can do right now. But, Sylus?" She looked directly at him, her gaze unflinching. "This conversation isn't over."

Sylus nodded, his lips quirking into a small, almost resigned smile. "Wouldn't have it any other way, kitten."

But as they moved into planning, Sylus's mind remained elsewhere, his thoughts circling back to the weight of her questions. The truth he wasn't ready to reveal. The past that still loomed over them both. He'd managed to deflect for now, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the truth caught up to them. And when it did, Rose would be ready to confront it.