CHAPTER SIXTY THREE: A BREATHE BETWEEN BATTLES

The room felt heavier than it had before, the air thick with the weight of unspoken words. Helen stood in front of us, her sharp gaze scanning each of us as though trying to decipher the thoughts hidden behind our hardened expressions.

Nicole, her shoulders slumped, avoided Helen's eyes. The guilt was evident in her stiff posture, in the way her lips trembled as though holding back a storm of regrets. She kept her hands clasped tightly in front of her, as if trying to hold herself together, but I could see it. She was haunted by the boy—Prince Elias—by her failure to stop the illusions that had scrambled his mind, leaving him a broken shell of the child he once was.

Ken was no better. His usual composure had faltered, his gaze distant, eyes flickering with something that wasn't quite anger, nor regret. It was deeper, quieter. The realization had settled in long before we reached this point, but now, with Helen's unwavering gaze upon us, it seemed to echo louder. His past, the blood on his hands from his time with the Hunters Organization, weighed on him more than I'd ever seen. Not a word passed his lips, but his tense jaw and clenched fists spoke volumes.

Then there was me. I stood there, indifferent, as always. I didn't need to feel anything about it. The mission was over. The King was dead. The prince, broken. The others could worry about the aftermath, but for me? It didn't matter. The job was done.

But Helen knew me well enough to sense that I wasn't as unscathed as I acted. She always did.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice steady, but there was a flicker of concern in her eyes. She wasn't asking about the mission; she wanted to know about us.

Nicole opened her mouth, but nothing came out at first. The words had caught in her throat, trapped beneath the weight of the burden she carried. Finally, she spoke, her voice barely a whisper, "I couldn't save him, Helen. I couldn't stop the illusion. I failed him."

Helen didn't speak immediately. She just let Nicole's words hang in the air, letting the silence stretch between them, a heavy acceptance that there was no undoing it.

Ken shifted uncomfortably, his eyes downcast, his fingers twitching at the side of his holster. It was as if he was itching for something—anything—to ease the discomfort that gnawed at him. He spoke next, his voice rough and low, "I never should've been a part of the Hunters… I should've known better, but I didn't. I let it all blind me."

Helen's gaze flicked briefly to him, but she said nothing. It wasn't for her to absolve anyone. And I didn't expect any of them to expect forgiveness.

"Enough," I finally broke the silence. My voice was flat, detached, as always. "The mission's over. You've got what you needed. No point dwelling on shit that can't be undone."

Helen looked at me, then back at the others. Her silence lingered as if she were waiting for something more. But I was done waiting for answers. I wasn't going to give her any more of me than she already had.

We had no more room for personal confessions, not when there were bigger things ahead. The shadows had been stirred, but they were far from gone.

Helen's gaze lingered on me for a moment, as if she had something more to say but decided against it. She finally nodded, her lips curling into a faint, knowing smile. "You're right, Liam. We can't change what's already happened." Her voice was calm but firm, the kind of voice that carried an unspoken authority that commanded attention. "But what we do from now on is what matters."

Then, she turned her attention to Ken, and her expression softened, as though trying to offer him something he might need but wasn't sure he would accept. "If you regret your past, then let your actions moving forward speak louder. Let what you do from here on out absolve you of those past deeds."

Ken didn't respond immediately. He just nodded, though his eyes seemed far away, lost in thoughts only he could unravel. I could tell he wasn't fully convinced, but it wasn't my place to say anything. If anything, I was the one with the most unresolved mess inside me, but I wasn't about to start sorting that shit out. Not now.

Helen gave a short sigh, as if dismissing the gravity of the moment, before continuing. "You've all earned a break," she said, her voice shifting to a more practical tone. "You should take it."

None of us argued. A break sounded exactly what we needed—no more mind games, no more power struggles, and certainly no more broken kids or distant kings. It was over. Or at least it was for now.

As we started to walk out, Nicole hesitated. I could see it in her eyes—the weight of the guilt still pressing down on her. She finally spoke, her voice shaky but determined. "What happens to the prince, Helen?" she asked, her concern for him still evident.

Helen didn't miss a beat. "I have someone in the Shadow Realm looking into it. You don't need to worry about him." She turned to walk away, but paused before continuing with a strange certainty. "They'll handle it."

I wasn't particularly invested in the boy's fate, but curiosity gnawed at me. "Not that I'm worried or anything," I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "But how exactly is the brat gonna survive the Shadow Realm's defense mechanisms? His Shadow will instantly be absorbed by the Shadow Realm"

Helen paused, then shot me a glance that held something between amusement and a quiet warning. "It's already taken care of," she said vaguely, and for some reason, I could tell that wasn't the full story.

I felt my brows furrow. I wasn't buying it—not entirely. "Right," I muttered under my breath, a scoff escaping before I could keep it in. It was a vague answer, one that wasn't going to satisfy me, but it seemed like that was all I was going to get.

I couldn't care less about the prince, not really, but that vagueness bugged me. Something didn't sit right, but I wasn't about to push it.

Instead, I walked away, the uneasy feeling settling into the pit of my stomach. There was something more to it, but I wasn't going to let it drag me down. Not now. Not when the world outside was still waiting for us.

As we were heading out, I was already thinking about the rest I could grab, maybe some time to clear my head. But then, Helen stepped out of her office, her presence making the air shift subtly, pulling my attention. The team slowed their pace, as if waiting for her to say something, but I didn't have the patience for whatever it was now.

I didn't even bother turning to them. "Go ahead," I muttered, waving them off. "I'll catch up."

Ken didn't protest. He just nodded, giving Nicole a look that I couldn't really read, and the two of them moved off down the hallway. I didn't care. Whatever.

I turned, my eyes narrowing as I met Helen's gaze. It wasn't hard to see through her calm demeanor—she was trying to get a read on me, probably. I'd seen that look a thousand times before, and it was never for anything good. I didn't even hide the frustration in my glare, because frankly, I wasn't in the mood.

"What is it this time?" I asked, the words sharp, almost biting.

She didn't seem phased by the edge in my voice, though I could tell she was aware of it. Instead, her lips curled into a calm smile—almost like she was trying to soothe the tension I didn't even realize was building.

"Calm down, Liam," she said, her voice soft, like she was trying to meet me in a place I didn't want to go. It was almost… irritating. I didn't need to calm down. But then again, I'd never been great at handling things like this, especially not when I wasn't sure why she was even speaking to me now.

I took a deep breath, my annoyance flickering, and managed to keep my voice level. "What is it, Helen? What's on your mind?"

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stood there, that same gentle smile on her face, like she could see right through me, like I was some kind of puzzle she was trying to solve. I wanted to snap, to demand an answer, but I stayed still, waiting for her to say whatever it was that was clearly bothering her.

She finally spoke, her voice quieter now, but still firm, like she was choosing her words carefully. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright, Liam. You've been through a lot... all of you."

I hated how sincere she sounded. It made it worse, in a way. Because I wasn't alright, and I wasn't sure how to deal with it. I wasn't even sure I wanted to. But I wasn't about to say that.

"Yeah," I said with a shrug, trying to play it off. "I'm fine. Just… you know. A lot going on. I will figure it out."

As I was turning to leave, Helen called out again , her voice calm but deliberate. "Liam, there's something I wanted to mention."

I stopped in my tracks, barely turning around to glance at her. "What now?"

She gave me one of those smiles again—one of those knowing smiles that made my stomach churn just a little. "There's a new park that just opened up for students. It's designed to help with stress relief and all that. The grand opening is this weekend. You might want to check it out."

I raised an eyebrow, irritation already crawling under my skin. "What the hell do you want me to do with that information?" I asked, the words dripping with sarcasm. "Go for a jog? Swing on the monkey bars?"

Helen's expression remained unfazed. "Take Nicole out," she said, her voice soft but firm. "It might help her. She's been through a lot. It could do her some good."

I froze. Take Nicole out? My mind immediately started running through every reason why I shouldn't. What the hell was I supposed to do with her? I hadn't forgotten how she burned my palm with that damn Hellfire Conjuration. She'd nearly killed me in the middle of a fight, and now I was supposed to help her with some silly stress relief thing?

I scoffed under my breath, the idea rolling around in my head, and the more I thought about it, the more I found myself asking: Why the hell would I want to help her?

It was like Helen could read my thoughts. Before I could say anything, she spoke again, her tone almost too casual. "Nicole would do the same for you, you know. She would."

I didn't want to admit it, but she was right. Nicole would help me if I were in her shoes. She always did. But that didn't mean I had to like it, or that I had to do it.

I glared at her, my lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm sure she would," I muttered, not really wanting to acknowledge her point.

Without waiting for another word, I turned and started walking away. It didn't matter what Helen said. I didn't have to play her game, and I wasn't about to let her try to manipulate me into it.

I ambled to my room to rest my head and sleep because right now that's all I care about and crave.

The room was dark, save for the faint moonlight filtering through the half-drawn curtains. I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling like it held answers to questions I didn't even want to ask.

Sleep wouldn't come.

I shifted on the bed, arms folded behind my head, thoughts churning louder than any storm. Helen's words echoed in my skull, refusing to fade.

"Nicole would do the same for you, you know. She would."

Tch. I scoffed and turned to my side, tugging the covers higher. But no matter how many times I closed my eyes, her voice crept back in.

She did help me. Back at the outpost—she stepped in, even when I wanted to kill Dain. When I was reckless enough to tear through everything, she stopped me. Burned my palm in the process, sure, but… she stopped me from doing something I couldn't take back. Something that might've ruined everything we'd worked for.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

She would do the same for you.

Helen's damn voice again.

"Shut up," I muttered to no one.

I sat up slowly, the cool air brushing my skin. The night was quiet. Peaceful. Too peaceful for my mind to stay still.

She's hurting. I could see it on her face earlier, even if she didn't say a word. And I didn't care. At least, that's what I told myself.

But if I didn't care… why was I still awake?

Why was I even considering—

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face.

"…Damn it."

I wasn't gonna take her to some stupid park.

But maybe… maybe I could just be there.

I flopped back on the bed with a grunt, eyes fixed on the ceiling once again.

Tomorrow. I'd figure it out tomorrow.

Far from the world of sleepless minds and quiet moonlight, the Shadow Realm pulsed with its own rhythm.

The sky, an endless canvas of deep violet and flickering shadows, loomed over a vast, ever-shifting terrain. Blackened trees twisted like ancient guardians, their leaves whispering secrets in a language only the Tenebri understood. The air was thick—not suffocating, but heavy with energy. Not dark, but deep. Alive.

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