Asher's living room was filled with almost unbearable tension.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody was really moving.
Everyone sat tensely, looking lost in their own thoughts. Miria's disappearance weighed like an anvil on every breath.
Only Ray walked.
He paced in front of the coffee table, his hands clenched in his hair, unable to sit still.
The ticking of the clock seemed louder than usual.
Then he stopped abruptly.
- If Miria speaks... he said in a nervous voice... it's over for all of us.
He ran a hand over his face.
—We have to do something. NOW.
A frozen silence followed.
Then a chair scraped the floor violently.
Asher jumped up.
His eyes burned with raw anger.
Before anyone can react—
His fist slammed into Ray's face.
The shock was dry.
Ray fell backwards and crashed to the ground.
— ASHER! Katrina shouted.
Eiden and Bryan jumped up to hold back Asher who was already trying to lunge at Ray again.
— LET ME GO! he yelled.
Katrina immediately placed herself between them.
On the other side, Ray stood up, his eyes burning, ready to retaliate.
But Klaus and Gale grabbed him by the shoulders.
—That's enough! Klaus asked.
Around them, Axel, Marlie, Alix, Kira and Diana observed the scene, completely shocked.
Katrina raised her hands.
- PLEASE ! We're not going to save Miria by fighting!
Ray tried to free himself.
— He's the one who started it!
Asher, restrained, still struggled.
— Do you hear yourself talking?! he shouted.
His voice shook with rage and pain.
— Because of you, Miria tried to commit suicide!
The living room froze.
—If you had told him the truth about yourself...if you had been sincere just once...
He gritted his teeth.
- But no. You have never been honest.
His gaze shifted to Isabella.
— You're dating Miria... but you're still in love with Isabella... and you even slept with her!
Silence fell in the room.
Ray stood frozen.
Isabella too.
Axel murmured incredulously:
—Ray... is that true?
Ray looked away.
—It happened recently... And then... Miria and I were no longer together! She had left me!
Marlie stood up abruptly, her eyes shining.
—Then why do you continue to interfere in his life?! For what ?!
Ray clenched his fists.
— I wanted to save her... I thought she was in danger...
— IN DANGER?! Asher roared.
He struggled again.
— Do you really think Marlie and the others would have let me stay with her if they thought I was a danger?!
Ray was speechless.
Asher panted.
His voice trembled.
—Because of you... Fishlegs kidnapped Miria... And while she's suffering somewhere... you're still thinking about the grimoire...
At the same moment—
Very far from there...
Miria, attached to the cold stone, closed her eyes.
His breathing was irregular.
Can... my powers go that far?
She concentrated.
Searching.
Appellant.
— Asher…