The night was still heavy when Ethan arrived at the secluded hideout where Lyra and Rose were staying.
It wasn't hard to find them.
Lyra had done as she promised—she was taking care of Rose, watching over him like a devoted shadow.
But Rose…
Ethan observed him from the darkness, his gaze sharp and unreadable. The encounter he had with Selene and Ethan seemed to have taken a heavy toll on his body and mind.
The man who had once been so full of righteous conviction now looked… smaller.
Rose sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, his arms bound and his head tilted downward.
His face was twisted in anger, frustration simmering beneath his expression, but there was something else beneath it—something almost broken.
Lyra knelt beside him, carefully tending to the injuries he had sustained.
"I'll have to plan my next move. Next time, I will not-"