Kai didn’t move, he just kept staring, his arms folded across his chest, his expression unreadable. Zora sat there calmly, like she wasn’t halfway into a crisis-level secret.The air between them thickened.Then, finally... finally Zora sighed and whispered under her breath, “I didn’t expect that formation would still be active.”Kai’s brows furrowed immediately. That sentence alone sent alarm bells ringing in his mind, Zora didn’t expect? She knew about it? Worse, she wasn’t throwing sarcasm around like confetti for once which only made it more serious.“You’ve seen that formation before,” Kai said flatly.Zora didn’t answer, she just slumped back into her chair, staring into the air like she was replaying something ancient in her mind. Her silence stretched long enough to make the room feel colder.Then, just when he thought she wouldn’t speak again, she stood abruptly and flashed out of the room with her bowl, speed was too gentle a word. She practically vanished and reappeared fro

The moment Zora’s voice rang through the clearing with that wicked command, “Fight to the death!” Kai froze, blinking in disbelief. Was this part of the training? A prank? A joke to scare him?He turned sharply to look at Abigail, lips already parting to protest when ... her pupils shrank.No, not shrank, it shifted.The soft blue in Abigail’s eyes vanished in a blink, replaced by a piercing, glowing gold. The sudden change was so stark, it made Kai’s breath catch.“Wait… what the hell...?”He didn’t even finish the sentence.Abigail moved fast and furious in a way Kai never expected, her body blurred, her stance suddenly that of a trained assassin rather than the sweet girl who giggled over roasted meat just hours ago. Her expression had flattened cold, unrecognizable, it was like she wasn’t even in control of herself.“Abigail?” Kai called out.No answer, instead she lunged.Kai barely dodged as her knife came swinging toward his face, the blade grazing a few strands of his hair as

The forest was quiet, sunlight spilled through the canopy in dappled streaks, catching the faint shimmer of Abigail’s sleeping form. She was still beneath the tree where Kai had laid her gently, her breath soft, chest rising and falling in peaceful rhythm. Zora stared at her a little too long, her expression unreadable. Maybe it was guilt, maybe concern or maybe, as always, she was calculating.Then she turned sharply, hands on her hips, and faced Kai with that wicked smirk that made his skin crawl.“Time for the next part,” she declared like she was announcing the start of a game show and he was the poor fool contestant.Kai raised a brow. “Next part of what? Getting stabbed again?”“No, you drama queen,” Zora rolled her eyes. “We’re training your eye now. The third one, the only useful one you have, apparently.”She walked around him slowly, like a panther circling prey. “You’ve got a lot of potential, Kai. But right now? You’re a glorified human flashlight. You can only see what’s

Zora’s words were still ringing in the air when she knocked Abigail lightly at the back of her head."Time to wake up, killer Barbie, I need you to stall that incoming beast" she murmured like she was whispering a bedtime story.Abigail's eyes snapped open, blank, distant and extremely deadly.Kai barely had time to scream, “Zora, WAIT...!” before she gave Abigail a light shove. The girl stood, dazed for half a second, and then, like a puppet pulled by invisible threads, launched herself toward the charging beast without hesitation.Kai’s jaw dropped. “WHAT THE ACTUAL FU—ZORA!”He turned to look at Zora like she had lost her damn mind.But the woman in question simply tucked her arms behind her head, yawned, and strolled over to a tree stump, plopping down with the elegance of a lazy queen on her throne.“Don’t get distracted, noodle head,” she called out, grinning as she popped a grape into her mouth. “Focus on your forehead torch or she’s getting eaten like roasted goat meat.”Kai c

Kai’s eyes flew open.His head throbbed slightly, his vision adjusting to the soft glow of the lights above. But he wasn’t in the forest anymore.He was… on the couch?The leather cushions beneath him were too familiar, the faint smell of cinnamon-scented oil in the air too comforting.He was home, back in the penthouse.“What the hell…?”He sat up abruptly, wincing as soreness surged through his limbs. His hands shot to his head as if trying to balance the sudden rush of blood. But before he could panic, a dry voice echoed from behind him.“You're welcome, by the way.”He turned sharply to see Zora lounging lazily at the dining table, legs crossed, chewing something with a smug expression on her face.“You passed out and I had to drag your heavy ass all the way back,” she added, pointing her chopsticks at him like a weapon. “Almost dislocated my spine in the process.”Kai blinked, still trying to catch up. “You dragged me… all the way back…? Alone?”Zora snorted. “No, genius. I borro