Just moments ago the chain around his neck had reacted..to death but now it was still silent completely clam.
The tiny watch attached to it, whose hands had been moving like a storm, had returned to their normal pace.
The tension in the atmosphere had completely faded away.
Zavian leaned back on the sofa, resting his head, and closed his eyes. In a low, raspy voice, he murmured to himself,
"I need to feel... all of my powers..."
His words were still hanging in the air when suddenly a deep and heavy voice echoed through the hall:
"Sheyaan isn't..here, boss… you'll have to go..to her if you want to feel your...Powers."
Hearing this, Zavian showed no surprise or urgency. Remaining completely composed, he said calmly,
"I just came..from there… Kalene."
The voice belonged to Kalene, who walked in from the kitchen holding a mug of coffee.
Instead of warmth, the drink carried a chilling coolness—the cold coffee Zavian liked so much. Kalene extended the mug toward him and said softly,
"Here.. you go."
Hearing his voice, Zavian opened his eyes and sat up properly on the sofa. He took the mug and had a long sip, then let out a breath of relief. Looking at the mug, he said in his low voice,
"Ahh… why is this coffee so good?"
A faint smile appeared on Kalene's lips. Sitting near the sofa, he said,
"What going on!"
Seeing Zavian so relaxed, Kalene asked in surprise,
"Boss… you seem unusually at ease today...What's the reason?"
Holding the coffee mug in his hands, Zavian looked at him with a deep, expressionless gaze and replied coldly,
"What do you.. expect? Should I stay stressed.. all the time?"
Hearing the sharpness in his tone, Kalene hesitated for a moment. He quickly adjusted himself and said seriously,
"No, Boss… that's not what I meant. It's just that you seem...to be in a really good mood... today, so I asked."
Zavian took another sip of his coffee and leaned back on the sofa, resting one arm casually as he said,
"Today… I collected another..soul."
A faint smile appeared on Kalene's face as he responded,
"That's… actually a good..thing."
But the next moment, his smile faded, and his expression turned serious. In a calm but clear voice, he added,
"But Boss… remember this—every time you use your..powers, you grow weaker...And this will continue… until all your powers return.. to you."
Hearing this Zavian reminded Completely clam as he crossed one leg over the other.
His expression unreadable he spoke in a cold yet deep voice.
"You're right… but even though I stay close to Sheyaan, my powers don't even reach me."
There was a strange hint of disappointment and bitterness in his tone. Sensing the moment, Kalene quickly suggested,
"But Boss… why don't you try getting a little.. closer to Sheyaan? Maybe something might work...in your favor."
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere turned tense.
Zavian slammed the coffee mug onto the table so hard that the sound echoed through the entire hall. Kalene flinched, clearly shaken.
In a low but chilling voice, Zavian asked,
"What… did you say!"
Staring straight at him, he spoke harshly,
"What nonsense are you... talking about, huh?! Do you want to ruin my.. image in Sheyaan's eyes? How dare you even say... something like that!"
Seeing the anger burning in Zavian's eyes and hearing his thunderous voice,
Kalene was completely terrified. He stammered, apologizing nervously,
"I… I'm sorry, Boss! I only meant..well for you…"
Seeing Kalene so scared, Zavian's anger melted away like ice. A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
as he leaned back against the sofa and raised an eyebrow, saying,
"Well… you're not wrong. For the sake of my.. powers, I should do..this."
Kalene was left stunned by Zavian's sudden change in mood. Sitting properly on the sofa,
he said with a mix of confusion and slight annoyance,
"Why…?! You were just snapping at me..a moment ago, and now you suddenly..agree?"
Seeing Kalene's innocent frustration, Zavian frowned slightly and replied in a teasing tone,
"Alright, that's enough! You talk too much,.. don't you?"
Hearing this, Kalene pouted like a child and went quiet. Zavian picked up his coffee mug again and continued sipping,
as if lost in deep thought. Getting up from the sofa, Kalene said,
"Alright then, you freshen..up. I'll get dinner ready..for you."
With that, Kalene left, while Zavian remained seated, sipping his coffee and thinking.
His thoughts were now completely focused on Sheyaan.
Meanwhile…
Sheyaan entered her room and quietly locked the door from inside.
Her face looked tired, and the same old sadness lingered in her eyes.
Completely drained Sheyaan slowly sat down on the bad Sadness weighed heavily on her face. Lowering her gaze.
She murmured to herself in a soft, pain--filled voice.
"I don't want to celebrate.. my birthday… that day is the worst.. day for me. I hate..it."
She was lost in her bitter memories when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Fangxi's voice came from outside, filled with concern,
"Sheyaan! Are you..okay?"
Hearing him, Sheyaan turned her gaze toward the door and replied a bit firmly,
"Yes, I'm fine… you should..go."
But Fangxi wasn't someone who would give up that easily. He spoke again,
"At least open.. the door. I need to talk..to you. Why did you suddenly...leave like that?"
Sheyaan, slightly irritated, replied with a pout,
"I said told you..to go! I need to study… we'll talk tomorrow!"
Seeing her stubbornness, Fangxi finally stepped back and said in a calmer tone,
"Alright, fine… you study. We'll talk tomorrow."
With that, he walked away toward his room, still worried about her.
But Sheyaan… she remained there, sitting on the bed, lost in sadness.
For her, it wasn't just a date—it was an old wound that reopened every single year.
Sheyaan had lied to Fangxi about studying, but her heart wasn't in it at all.
She quickly got up from the bed, shaking her head as if trying to clear her thoughts, and said to herself,
"I should study… but I can't keep..thinking about all this!"
To distract herself, she started looking for her bag so she could take out her books.
She scanned every corner of the room, but it was nowhere to be found. Frowning in confusion, she muttered,
"Where did my.. bag go? Why can't I..find it…?"
Suddenly, a thought struck her like lightning. She quickly said,
"Oh no! I fell asleep in the library..while studying… my bag must still be..there!"
She shook her head in denial and murmured nervously,
"No, no… that can't be! The professor was there… and Zayan too! Maybe they know...about my bag."
She immediately picked up her phone, but then realized she didn't have either of their numbers. Disappointed, she sat back on the bed and said softly,
"Maybe Fangxi has..their number…"
After thinking for a moment, she added,
"Yes!" I meigh be..with him.!"
Without a moment's delay Sheyaan quickly denied Fangxi's number.
Meanwhile Fangxi who had just stalled onto his bad, picked up the call almost instantly..Fangxi asked in a calm voice,
"What happened, Sheyaan? Why did you.. call?"
Sheyaan hesitated for a moment before replying carefully,
"Uh… Fangxi, do you have the...professor's number?"
Fangxi sounded a bit surprised.
"Why do you suddenly... need their number?"
Hiding the real reason, Sheyaan quickly made an excuse,
"I didn't understand a.. few questions… I just want to ask.. about them."
Fangxi accepted her explanation and said softly,
"Alright, I'll send it to you..right now."
Sheyaan let out a quiet sigh of relief. On the other side, Fangxi opened his contact list.
He noticed two numbers that looked almost identical. Thinking for a moment, he muttered to himself,
"Which one of these...belongs to Alisha? Oh well… I'll just send this.. one. It's probably..hers."
With that, he sent the number and said on the phone,
"I've sent it. Check it."
Sheyaan quickly replied, "Okay, I'll check! Bye-bye!" and cut the call.
Fangxi smiled faintly and mumbled, "This girl…" before lying back down on his bed.
Without wasting a second, Sheyaan dialed the number. On the other side, the phone began to ring…
"Ring… ring!"
At that exact moment, Zavian was in his room, putting on a black shirt when his phone rang.
He picked it up and asked in his deep, authoritative voice,
"Who is..this?!"
The moment Sheyaan heard Zavian's deep, commanding voice, she froze in shock.
She instinctively pulled the phone slightly away from her ear and muttered in confusion,
"Wh… whose voice is.. this? This isn't the..professor!"
She was still trying to figure out what to say when Zavian's sharp voice came again from the other side,
"Who's speaking? Did you lose your...voice or what?!"
His tone was so intimidating that Sheyaan unconsciously made a small face and stammered nervously,
"Uh… you… who are you?"
As soon as Zavian heard her voice, his eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He recognized her instantly—it was Sheyaan. His tone softened a little, but he still kept that cold edge as he asked,
"Speak, Sheyaan… why did you.. call me?"
Her heart skipped a beat. Realizing it was Zavian, she quickly gathered herself and spoke in a slightly nervous but hurried tone,
"Ca..can you ask the professor..where my bag is? I need to study, but I can't... find it here!"
Hearing that, Zavian suddenly remembered—the bag was still on the back seat of his car. He immediately replied,
"I'll.. bring it."
That alone was enough to make Sheyaan even more nervous. She hesitated and asked,
"do..do you know where..my bag is?"
Raising an eyebrow, Zavian answered calmly,
"Yes, I do… and I'll bring it..right now."
The moment she heard that he was coming, Sheyaan grew anxious and said in a trembling voice,
"yo...you… why are you..coming?"
Zavian's tone turned serious as he replied,
"Fine. Then you come and..take it yourself."
His serious voice made her pause.
"ho...how can I.. come?" she asked, unsure.
Zavian cut her off quickly, his voice cold and firm,
"Just hang up. I'm coming... right now."
Hearing that, Sheyaan silently ended the call. She sat on the bed for a moment, then muttered to herself,
"Why is it so hard to... talk to this person…?"
He hart was still pounding uncontrollably holding her phone tightly she slowly lay back on the bad lost in her thoughts.