By the time I returned to the hotel, the first rays of sunlight were already painting the morning sky in a myriad hues of orange and red.
I opened the door to my room, expecting some peace and quiet… but nearly had a heart attack instead.
Michael was sitting in a chair by the window inside my room, his arms crossed like he’d been waiting for hours.
On my bed, Alexia was lying on her stomach, scribbling something on a piece of paper and kicking her legs in the air like a bored child.
“Where were you?” Michael asked without any preamble, like he was interrogating a criminal. His tone was as flat as a frozen pond.
I stared at them for a moment, my brain scrambling to make sense of the scene. “What the hell are you two doing in my room? And how did you get in? I’m sure I locked the door behind me!”
Michael shrugged. “I’ve lived on the street. Picking locks is something I learned in my first week.”
“You’re proud of that?” I scowled. “And did you seriously just confess to a crime?”
Michael coughed awkwardly and pretended to study the ceiling, avoiding my question entirely.
I was deciding between whether to kick them out or call security, when Alexia chimed in, oblivious to the tension.
“Wait, you lived on the streets, Mikey? Did you run away from home too?” she asked.
Michael turned to her, his expression souring.
“I told you to not call me that! And yeah, I did run away once. After my parents went missing, my aunt and uncle took me in. Let’s just say they weren’t exactly parent material.”
His voice wavered, and for a moment, he looked somewhere between sad and bitter.
“They… used to hit me. One day, I’d had enough and decided to leave. I had nowhere to go and no money to spend, so I had to live doing what I could. I made it work for a few weeks before the police caught me and dragged me back.”
Alexia paused her doodling and her face softened a little. “I’m sorry. That must’ve been awful.”
Michael gave a small, bitter laugh. “It was what it was.”
Alexia set her pencil down, her playful demeanor dimming just a little. “I first ran away when I was twelve. It was when my mom told me she wished I’d never been born.”
Michael’s eyes widened. “That is horrible. Why would she say something like that?”
Alexia shrugged. “The Von Zynx family prides itself on producing flawless heirs. Each child is supposed to be stronger, smarter, better than the last. A legacy of perfection passed down through generations. But then… there was me.”
I leaned against the doorframe, debating whether to care or pretend I didn’t hear.
“I was born blind. I was flawed. An embarrassment to the family,” she let out a humorless laugh. “From the moment I opened my eyes — well, didn’t open them — I was a disappointment. My mother couldn’t bear to look at me. My father… he saw me as a problem to fix.”
Letting out a soft sigh, she continued.
“They tried everything. Treatments, surgeries, even alchemical experiments. Nothing worked. And when it became clear that my blindness wasn’t going away, they shifted tactics. If they couldn’t make me normal, they’d make me invisible. Out of sight, out of mind.”
Her voice tightened as she continued.
“For years, they kept me hidden. Locked me away in the estate, surrounded by tutors and guards. They wouldn’t even let me step outside without permission. But what really broke me was when my father made it clear that my only purpose was to marry into another noble family to secure alliances. I wasn’t a person to him. I was a bargaining chip.”
Michael’s jaw clenched as he muttered, “That’s disgusting.”
Alexia smiled faintly, though there was no warmth in it. “It is. But that’s the world I was born into. A world where your worth is measured by how useful you are to others.”
Her tone shifted then, growing a little colder.
“So, I decided I’d create my own worth. I snuck out for the first time when I awakened my Origin Card at twelve. I didn’t get very far, but I fought someone in a back alley trying to rob me. I lost, but that was my first real fight. My first taste of adrenaline. My first experience of true freedom.”
She paused, her fingers brushing over the paper she’d been scribbling on.
“So I started sneaking out more often. I started getting into underground Awakened combat events. And by the time I was fifteen, I was strong enough to enter a professional tournament. I thought… maybe if I proved how strong I was, my family would finally see me as more than a mistake. Maybe they’d accept me.”
“And? Did they?” Michael asked hesitantly.
Her smirk curved into something sharper.
“Of course not. They dragged me back and called me selfish and reckless. But the worst part? My father wasn’t just angry — he was scared. Scared that I’d get hurt. That was when it hit me — No matter how strong I became, no matter what I achieved, he’d always see me as fragile. His broken little glass doll. To my parents, I was something to protect, not respect like their other children.”
Her fingers tightened around the paper in her hand, crumpling it slightly.
“So, I stopped trying to earn their approval. I ran away for good and joined the Academy. If I was going to create my own worth, it wouldn’t be for them — it’d be for me.”
The silence that followed was heavy.
Even Michael, usually quick with a comeback, seemed unsure of what to say.
I shifted against the doorframe, ran a hand down my face, and then let out a slow, measured breath before stepping fully inside.
“Right. That is all very tragic. And I’ll even pay for you both to be in therapy if it helps. But you still haven’t answered the most pressing question here — what the hell are you two doing in my room?”
I then turned my attention to the short ginger sprawled across my bed, waving her legs like she owned the place. “And you! What were you scribbling?!”
Alexia chuckled and sat up before.
She then handed me the paper with a bit of flourish. “Oh, Lord Samael, I’m so glad you asked. I was drawing you. Isn’t this a masterpiece?”
I took the paper from her hand and stared at it with a deadpan look.
My supposed portrait was a chaotic jumble of lines and shapes, resembling nothing remotely human.
It was exactly the kind of masterpiece you’d expect from a blind girl with a pencil.
“Yes,” I said with all the solemnity I could muster. “This is uncanny. It truly looks like me. You’ve captured my essence perfectly.”
Meanwhile, Michael pinched the bridge of his nose and looked like he regretted every decision in his life that led him to this point.
Then he repeated his question from earlier. “You also haven’t answered me. Where were you?”
I frowned at Michael. “I was in a church, if you must know. Not that it’s any of your business.”
For a few seconds, the room fell into silence once again and Michael looked thoroughly shocked.
Slowly, his shock turned into suspicion as he pointed a finger at me. “Wait, you’re allowed to cross the threshold of a church?! What were you doing there? Confessing your sins? Trying to make holy water boil with your presence?”
My frown deepened. “What do you think I am?”
“Devil incarnate?” Michael replied immediately.
I shot him a glare, resisting the urge to punch his stupid face. “Believe it or not, I went there for a reason. I think the High Priest there knows something about the attacks.”
Alexia furrowed her brows in confusion. “Why do you think that?”
“I heard a rumor from some police officers I was talking to recently,” I lied through my teeth. “If they are to be trusted then the High Priest is up to something shady. It’s a gut feeling right now, but I think we should look into the church.”
Alexia, still perched on the bed, tapped her chin thoughtfully. “If the High Priest is involved, that could be really interesting. Churches are usually untouchable, even for nobles.”
Michael crossed his arms. “Or it’s a waste of time. Rumors don’t mean much without proof.”
“Well, it’s better than openly accusing the Overlord of the region without any evidence to back it up!” I snapped, crossing my arms.
Michael’s eyes narrowed. “If you had a problem with it, you should’ve said something before we went to that party! Instead, you ran away, leaving Alexia and me to interrogate the Knights on our own!”
“Speaking of which,” I took a step closer, “what exactly did you guys uncover from interrogating those Knights?”
Michael’s gaze flickered, and he didn’t sound as resolute as before when he spoke again. “N-Not much. But I know they’re hiding something.”
“Oh, you know, do you?” I let out a dry laugh. “So my gut feeling is a waste of time, but yours is true?”
“Look,” he said, sounding defensive, “the Knights weren’t giving any straight answers. Some of them even took their right to remain silent. And I’m pretty sure a few were outright lying.”
I threw my hands up dramatically. “So what you’re saying is… they’re committing perjury?”
“Wh-What? No, I didn’t say that—”
“You might as well have. Did you tell them you were from the Academy?”
Michael hesitated for a second. “Yes?”
“Then they knew you were here under indirect orders from the Central Monarch,” I explained, my voice dripping with mock patience. “Lying to you is lying to her. That’s perjury. And staying silent is practically admitting guilt. Is that what you’re implying?”
For a moment, Michael looked like he might deny it in a panic. But then, realizing that would mean losing this argument, he straightened and nodded.
“Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he said defiantly. “I know something’s wrong in this city. If the Knights are at the center of it, they’d have every reason to lie.”
I clapped, slow and sarcastic. “And yet, like you just said, none of that means anything without proof!”
“There will be proof!” Michael raised his voice. “We’ll cross-check the city’s official records, verify their statements against witness testimonies, and keep digging. We just need one solid lead! Lily and Kang are still out there, interviewing the locals and investigating the attack sites. We’ll find something!”
I took a deep breath, pretending to consider his words.
If I were being honest, Michael’s plan wasn’t half bad.
The Overlord of this region was definitely hiding something, and so were his Knights.
They were covering up the attacks, suppressing information, and silencing the citizens for a reason.
What reason?
No one knew that.
But if it was big enough for the Knights to risk perjury, it meant the Overlord himself was directly involved.
And that made him guilty.
Conspiracies this big didn’t stay airtight forever.
An overlooked paper trail, a loose-lipped witness, a disgruntled Knight — there was always a leak.
Michael just needed one clue to blow the whole thing open.
And he’d find that clue.
When I let him.
But for now, I needed to push him away.
“Wait,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “You said your girlfriend and Kang are still out there? Alone? At this hour?”
Michael stiffened, already suspicious of my tone.
I smirked. “Careful, buddy. You know she was still seeing me when she kissed you, right—”
Before I could finish, Michael closed the distance between us in an instant, grabbing the front of my shirt.
“Shut. Up.” His voice was low, and his grip on my shirt was iron-tight.
I shrugged nonchalantly, entirely unfazed. “I’m just saying, you never know with girls like her. Once a cheater, always a cheater. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”
His jaw clenched, his knuckles whitening as he yanked me closer. “Say that again, and I’ll rip your head off.”
“Oh, I will,” I replied calmly, my smirk growing. “But maybe later. When she does to you what she did to me.”
Michael’s grip tightened further, and for a moment, I thought he might actually try to hit me.
“Michael!” Alexia’s commanding voice cut through the tension. She was sitting up now, her face calm but her tone carrying a warning. “He’s baiting you. Don’t fall for it.”
Michael blinked, her words shaking some sense into him, though his fists remained clenched.
I leaned in closer, dropping my voice to a taunting whisper. “Listen to her. I may not be as strong as you, but if we fight, I won’t be the one to lose.”
With a low growl, Michael shoved me back roughly and released his hold.
“You’re insufferable,” he muttered through gritted teeth, glaring at me like he wished he could incinerate me on the spot. “After this mission, take your name off my Squad.”
“This isn’t your Squad,” I replied smoothly, brushing off my shirt like he’d left a stain. “But don’t worry about me. I’ll leave. Just hope your girlfriend doesn’t take herself off your team as well.”
Michael’s glare intensified. If looks could kill, I’d have been dead ten times over.
Without another word, he spun on his heel and stormed toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Alexia called after him.
“To check on the others,” he snapped, not looking back. “And to get away from him before I do something I’ll regret.”
The door slammed behind him as he exited the room.
I glanced at Alexia. “Well, that escalated quickly.”
She shook her head dramatically, exhaling in mock exasperation. Then, without a word, she flopped back onto the bed — my bed.
“Oh, go ahead. No need to ask for my permission. Make yourself at home,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.
“Don’t mind if I do,” she shot back with a smirk, propping herself up on my pillows.