"What are you looking at?" she asked flatly.
Radit jolted, hands flying up. "N-nothing! Absolutely nothing!" he stammered.
But sweat was already forming on his temples as Thivi narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced.
With brisk steps, she brushed past him and pushed the door open wider. Radit held his breath, bracing for disaster. But what happened next was far from what he expected.
Thivi stopped. Her eyes fell on Felicia, sleeping beside Kaivan, holding him close as if unwilling to let go.
Her tense gaze slowly softened, melting into something complicated, confusion, understanding, perhaps acceptance.
She looked more closely at Felicia's arms, scraped, bruised. All signs of a fight. None of this was coincidence.
Thivi clenched her fist, not out of jealousy, but because something else stirred inside her. Respect, or maybe a new kind of clarity.
She took a slow breath, then stepped away. Radit blinked, confused by what he'd just witnessed.
Outside the room, Thivi turned to him with a small, gentle smile.
"It's fine," she said softly. "At least… I got what I wanted first."
She walked off lightly, leaving Radit scratching his head.
"Huh? What did she get?" he muttered to himself.
No answer came, only the soft morning breeze drifting by, carrying away questions left unspoken.
Beyond the villa, the colors of dawn traced warm gold across the sky. Dim light filtered through the windows, casting a serene glow over the place that had witnessed last night's battle. The final birdsong of morning echoed faintly, blending into the calm that gently settled over everything.
Inside the room, Felicia slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was still hazy, but her body tensed the moment she realized Kaivan was sleeping beside her. Her arm was still wrapped around him, a reflex born from the desperate need to protect him, even in sleep. Her heartbeat spiked.
She drew a quiet breath and carefully loosened her embrace. Her fingers moved gently, as if touching something fragile. Her gaze traced Kaivan's peaceful face, so different from his usual guarded expression. In the stillness, Felicia felt a mix of respect, gratitude, and a feeling she could not yet name.
Once free, she slid off the bed. The cold wooden floor pressed against her feet as she moved toward the door. She peeked outside briefly before slipping out.
The dim corridor was silent, a stark contrast to the chaos of the night before. But a faint sound from the living room made her stop. She followed it, her steps quiet.
In the living room, Raphael, Ethan, and Radit stood facing the wide window. Their silhouettes looked dark against the fading evening light. Raphael stood with his arms crossed, eyes sharp. Ethan leaned against the wall, a thin line of smoke drifting from his cigarette. Radit looked uneasy.
"You were the one who stored my gear in the car trunk that day, right, Radit?" Raphael asked, calm, but firm.
Radit nodded. "Yeah. But it was on Kaivan's orders."
Ethan narrowed his eyes, cigarette still between his fingers. "He told you to do that after reading the Tome Omnicent, didn't he?"
Radit exhaled. "Yeah. Right after he opened it, he said I had to hide Raphael's equipment."
Raphael looked from one friend to the other, then turned back to the window. "So he already knew all of this? And he planned it from the start?"
Ethan blew out smoke slowly. "Exactly. Even about us being kidnapped… it feels like he'd already accounted for that too."
Silence fell. Outside, the leaves swayed gently in the wind. In that quiet, all their thoughts circled around one name: Kaivan. Their leader. The one who always walked ahead, yet clearly carried far more truths than he ever shared.
Raphael was the first to break the silence. "I'm starting to question Kaivan's plan. There are nine of us now, right?" His voice held a thin edge of worry.
Felicia, who had been watching from afar, stepped closer. Her posture was steady, her red eyes sharp as she looked at the three men. "What are you saying? Why doubt Kaivan?" Her tone was calm, though confusion flickered beneath it.
The three turned toward her. Ethan only shrugged, unwilling to answer. Radit hesitated, but Raphael met Felicia's gaze before speaking.
"It's not about distrust. We're just asking, how much did Kaivan know from the beginning? And why didn't he tell us?"
Felicia crossed her arms, standing firm. She studied each of their faces, searching for meaning behind their doubts. Kaivan had been the pillar for all of them.
"He must have a reason," she said, though a thin tremor hid at the edge of her voice. She lowered her gaze for a moment. "But you're right… he's never fully explained his plans."