Chapter 519: Hearts on Fire, Masks Off, and the Rise of the Crimson Daughter

The arena was unlike anything Jayden had ever seen.

Floating platforms. Holographic beasts. Live drones buzzing above like hornets. A stadium that changed shape based on the challenge. And watching from every angle, the world's elite — trillionaire tycoons, secret heirs, forbidden assassins, and kings in disguise.

Each team stood behind a banner.

Riverborne University was placed under Zone Zero — the wildcard.

Jayden arrived wearing a midnight-black uniform laced with thread that shimmered like liquid shadows. Comfort walked beside him, donning a silver suitdress with diamond pins forming a phoenix crest — a mark only the chosen could wear.

But they weren't alone.

Team Riverborne now had three new recruits:

1. Riku Zhao (age 22): A disowned genius from East Avenport, expelled for hacking into his own country's military database. White hair, dragon tattoo on his neck, and a flaw — he couldn't stand betrayal.

2. Janelle Krynn (age 21): Former ballerina turned sniper. Graceful, deadly, and mysteriously connected to Zamira. Often mistaken for fragile, but has a past darker than coal mines.

3. Felix Romanov (age 23): Heir to a forgotten kingdom, charming, flirtatious, always hiding something behind his blue eyes. Known for seducing enemies mid-battle.

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The first challenge was brutal.

A genetically engineered monster called the Red Beast was released into a biome filled with shifting terrain. The teams had 24 hours to track and subdue it. If it reached the edge, everyone failed.

Jayden and Comfort split up, luring the beast toward a trap.

But then — betrayal struck.

One team, led by Mila Vaughn, sabotaged Riverborne's path, sealing them inside a lava dome.

Comfort screamed for help — but someone else appeared instead.

Zamira.

Not with help.

But with a dagger.

"I told you, love," she whispered, eyes cold. "Not everyone you sleep beside is here to protect you."

---

Elsewhere, at the masquerade hall hosted during the League's break, a new beauty stunned the crowd.

She arrived in a blood-red gown with crimson roses trailing behind her. Skin like caramel silk, hair curled in a crown-like bun, and a gaze that could melt gold.

They called her Saphira.

But her real name?

Saphira Hellsbane, daughter of the Crimson Order — an assassin clan wiped out fifteen years ago. Or so they thought.

She danced with Jayden that night, her fingers tracing invisible patterns over his palm.

"You don't know me yet," she whispered, "but you will. I'm the key to your curse."

And she vanished — leaving behind only a single rose made of real blood.

--

Back in Silvercrest City, news hit the tabloids.

Jayden had a secret twin brother.

His name? Lucien.

Raised in the dark, trained by the family's enemies, and now, reappearing as the new fiancé to Gloria — the same Gloria Jayden once loved and nearly destroyed a kingdom for.

But worse?

Lucien wasn't just his twin.

He was his mirror.

Equal power. Equal charm. Equal danger.

Jayden stared at the old photo sent anonymously.

Two babies. One marked with a crown.

The other… with a dagger.

> "I don't know who I am anymore," Jayden muttered.

Behind him, Maggy stepped out of the shadows.

"You don't have to," she said. "Because we do."

---

As tensions rose, Riverborne was invited to a billionaire's island for a unity gala. Lavish outfits, fake smiles, and glittering lies.

Jayden was offered a proposal by Lady Valencia Thorne, heiress to an emerald empire. She stood in front of cameras, dropped to one knee, and asked:

> "Will you be mine... and inherit a trillion-dollar empire?"

The world froze.

Comfort's eyes shimmered with heartbreak.

Zamira stared blankly.

And Jayden?

He said...

> "Let me think about it."

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