The washroom fell silent.
Water continued to drip slowly from the tap, each drop echoing against the marble floor.
Jade had just finished changing into the receptionist's spare uniform. The cool energy flowing from the Beast God's mark had almost completely suppressed the unbearable heat burning inside his body.
For the first time since drinking the poisoned water, he could finally think clearly.
Then—
The washroom door creaked open.
A slow pair of footsteps echoed through the room.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
Jade didn't need to turn around.
He had already recognized that voice.
"So," the man said with a faint smile, "it seems you're tougher than I expected."
Jade slowly turned.
Standing a few steps away was the receptionist.
Mason.
The same man who had tricked him into drinking alcohol.
The same man whose smile had seemed harmless only minutes ago.
Now...
That smile looked terrifying.
His eyes carried neither anger nor excitement.
Only cold indifference.
As though he were looking at prey that had nowhere left to run.
Jade quietly observed him.
"So it was you."
Mason nodded without denying it.
"Of course."
"I thought the drug would keep you unconscious for hours."
He tilted his head slightly.
"But somehow..."
"You recovered."
His gaze slowly drifted toward Jade's chest.
More precisely—
Toward the place where the Beast God's mark rested beneath the uniform.
Although the mark was no longer glowing, Mason's instincts told him something unusual had happened.
"You possess quite the interesting secret."
Jade said nothing.
His crimson eyes remained fixed on Mason.
His muscles relaxed on the outside...
But inside, his entire body was already prepared to fight.
The atmosphere inside the washroom became suffocating.
Even the sound of the running water seemed distant.
Finally...
Mason smiled again.
"Don't worry."
"You won't die a simple death."
"I'll make sure you suffer."
Every word was spoken calmly.
That calmness frightened Jade more than shouting ever could.
It wasn't the voice of someone blinded by rage.
It was the voice of someone who had already decided another person's fate.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
"...Why?"
Mason slowly walked closer.
"Because of your sister."
Those three words immediately shattered Jade's composure.
"My... sister?"
For the first time, genuine confusion appeared on his face.
Nora?
What did this stranger have to do with Nora?
Jade's voice became colder.
"What do you mean by my sister?"
Mason's expression suddenly changed.
His eyes widened slightly.
"...Wait."
His gaze swept across Jade carefully.
Then realization struck him.
"...You're conscious?"
"Impossible."
"The amount I gave you should have left even an Awakened unconscious."
Jade ignored his surprise.
His voice became even colder.
"I asked you a question."
"What do you mean..."
"...by my sister?"
The temperature inside the room seemed to drop.
Mason studied Jade for several long seconds.
Then...
He spoke plainly.
"Nora."
"Isn't she your sister?"
The name echoed inside the quiet washroom.
Mason wasn't asking out of curiosity.
He needed confirmation.
If he had mistaken Jade for someone else...
Then this entire plan would have been meaningless.
Jade remained silent for a moment.
His thoughts raced.
If this man knew Nora...
Then something serious must have happened between them.
He slowly nodded.
"She's my sister."
"But..."
"What exactly did she do to you?"
The smile on Mason's face disappeared.
What replaced it was something far darker.
Hatred.
Pure hatred.
"Your sister..."
"...destroyed my life."
His voice trembled.
"I was once a Sovereign."
"I stood above countless people."
"I possessed power."
"Authority."
"A future."
His fists clenched tightly.
"Then she took everything."
"She stripped away my rank."
"She changed my fate."
"My destiny."
"My future."
"My very existence."
"I became a shadow of the man I once was."
Jade listened quietly.
His expression never changed.
Instead, he asked one simple question.
"What did you do?"
Mason stared at him.
"What?"
"What did you do to make Nora punish you?"
Silence.
Jade continued.
"Nora wouldn't destroy someone's life without reason."
"So..."
"What did you do?"
For a brief moment...
Mason's eyes flickered.
Then his expression twisted.
"You sound exactly like her."
Jade's voice remained calm.
"You still haven't answered me."
Mason suddenly laughed.
A low...
Empty...
Terrifying laugh.
"You know what?"
"It doesn't matter anymore."
He looked directly into Jade's eyes.
"If I can't make Nora suffer..."
"I'll make her brother suffer instead."
Jade's essence surged instinctively.
His shadow rippled beneath his feet.
The air around him grew heavier.
He had no intention of allowing this madman to make the first move.
Mason simply smiled.
"You still think you can fight."
He slowly raised one hand.
Dark ripples spread across the surrounding space.
The mirrors began trembling violently.
The walls distorted.
Even the ceiling twisted unnaturally.
Jade immediately realized—
This wasn't an ordinary Aspect.
It manipulated space itself.
Before Jade could react—
Mason calmly whispered,
"Take her punishment for her."
The entire washroom exploded into darkness.
Space folded.
Reality twisted.
And both figures vanished without leaving behind a single trace.