Chapter 15 The Key That Should Not Exist

Rene's grip on Rena tightened as the woman with violet eyes knelt before them, her expression unreadable.

The air was still heavy with the remnants of the energy pulse that had shattered the illusions. The torches still flickered wildly, as if uncertain whether to burn or fade into darkness.

Adrian and Adriel stepped closer, their silver eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. Their ice powers still lingered in the air, a sharp contrast to the warm silver light that had erupted from Rena.

Nyra was tense, ready to fight at any moment. But Lucien…

Lucien was watching. Observing.

And smirking.

The woman slowly looked up, her violet eyes locking onto Rena once more. There was no longer malice in her gaze. Only… disbelief.

"She knows," the woman murmured.

Lucien hummed in amusement. "Oh, that much is obvious."

Rene's heart pounded. "Knows what?"

The woman ignored her. She lifted her injured wrist, staring at it. The darkened mark where Rena had touched her pulsed faintly before fading into nothing.

The only evidence that it had ever been there was the tremble in her fingers.

"She was never meant to return," the woman whispered.

Rene froze.

Return?

A slow chill crept up her spine.

Nyra stepped forward, blade still drawn. "What do you mean by that?"

The woman stood slowly, her violet eyes narrowing. She looked at Rena again, her expression unreadable, then exhaled.

"I should not be here," she murmured. Then she lifted a hand and stepped into the shadows.

Vanished.

The torches steadied. The cold air settled.

For a long moment, nobody spoke.

Lucien was the first to break the silence.

"Well. That was dramatic."

Rene shot him a glare. "Lucien."

He chuckled. "I mean it. She seemed… unsettled." He turned his golden gaze to Rena. "And that is interesting."

Nyra sheathed her weapon with an irritated sigh. "We should have stopped her."

Adrian and Adriel said nothing, but their icy energy had not faded. They were still watching the space where the woman had disappeared.

Waiting.

Expecting something else.

But nothing came.

Rene exhaled. What the hell just happened?

Rena shifted slightly in her arms, as if sensing her sister's unease.

Rene looked down at her baby sister, her heart pounding.

The shadows had recognized her.

And now, so had that woman.

But the part that scared Rene the most—

Was that Rena had recognized her, too

To be continued...