A maid adjusted the heavy sleeves of Lord Aldrich's robe, her movements practiced and gentle.
"My Lord, your condition seems to be getting better."
"It's surely working well," the Patriarch responded.
"I will be taking my leave. I will inform Head Maid Serika about your recovery." The maid bowed slightly, stepped out, and closed the door with a soft click.
He pulled his sleeve back and stared at the tea resting on the table beside him. It had long gone cold, mirroring the lingering sickness of guilt that had been eating him alive for years.
'I guess this is my retribution.'
His thoughts wandered.
"I have to thank her for taking care of me all these years. I should write a letter of recommendation for her."
He glanced down and sorted through the scattered paperwork on his desk. As he shuffled the sheets, he accidentally bumped a dip pen off the edge, but his reflexes kicked in just in time to catch it before it hit the floor.
"How long have you noticed?"
The sudden voice cut through the silence, making the hair on Aldrich's arms stand on edge as he jolted in his seat.
"Pardon?" Aldrich lifted his head, meeting Serika's gaze. Her expression was obscured by the shadows cast by the heavy drapes.
"Oh... it's you. You almost scared me to death, you know that?"
"How long did you know?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"Three weeks ago. At first, it was slight... then it became noticeable."
"I see."
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes."
"If so, please do inform me." Aldrich offered a polite smile, entirely unaware of the dark expression creeping across Serika's face.
Serika stepped out of the shadows, peeling the glove from her right hand and pointing it at Aldrich. Emerald, greenish veins pulsed beneath her skin before branching out to her fingertips.
"What are you doing?" Aldrich asked, terror rising in his voice.
As the last rays of sunlight retreated through the window, the shadows lengthened, illuminated only by the sickly green moonlight spilling into the room.
"Yes... everything has gone wrong."
Sparks of green energy began to dance around her fingertips. Before she could strike, Kaelen and Shiro burst through the door. In a single fluid movement, a flash of steel cut cleanly through her wrist and slashed across her chest.
"Who are you?" Aldrich stammered, the words catching in his throat as his eyes landed on the token resting in Shiro's palm. "You... you're from... the..."
"Don't talk," Kaelen commanded sharply.
"Remind me to get myself one of those," Shiro murmured.
"It's a little late for that. If you require one, it would be best if you went to the Bureau."
"Please, do enlighten me..."
Serika's upper body rose at an unnatural, sickening angle before snapping forward. The wrist that had just been severed regenerated instantaneously, while her lilac irises dissolved into a luminous, unnatural green.
"This can't be..." Aldrich gasped.
"...on how you found out about me," she continued smoothly, "with all those perfectly covered tracks."
Serika raised her hands to her face as the elastic holding her hair snapped. Her dark locks tumbled loose, lengthening as they cascaded down her back while her irises burned with a vibrant, emerald glow.
From the deep wound across her chest, a thick green substance poured out instead of blood. Within seconds, the flesh knit itself back together, sealing without a trace.
"Who are you?" Aldrich's voice trembled violently.
A bitter, echoing chuckle escaped her throat. "Ah... Do you remember me now, brother?"
"...Kaelia." Aldrich froze, the words dying in his throat.
Shiro and Kaelen both stared in bewilderment, their weapons held tight as the atmosphere in the room shifted.
"Now you remember your little sister, brother?" Serika's voice dropped, laced with pure venom. "And yet, you didn't even visit my grave. Not once. I guess people tend to forget the sins they commit."
"How... how did you become like this?"
"You made me into this," she spat, taking a heavy step forward. "I just had to do what I must until I made it."
"No... no, no..." Aldrich collapsed onto the marble floor, scrambling backward in sheer panic. He shouted frantically for his guards.
As a squad of guards rushed into the manor room, Serika raised her hand. Several energy orbs formed at her fingertips before shooting forward like bullets. The blasts struck the guards with enough force to drop them instantly before another shot tore through Aldrich's legs.
"Uwaaaah."
A heavy shadow fell over the Patriarch. Serika knelt beside him, her eyes burning with unhinged vengeance as her fingers coiled tightly around his throat.
"At first, I wanted to end you quietly and slowly," she whispered into his ear. "To let you feel the exact pain I felt, to make you suffer beyond the ease of death... but now that plan is ruined."
Crack!
Aldrich's neck snapped instantly. His body went limp.
Serika stood up slowly and turned her attention toward the two young men. The air in the room plunged into an icy coldness.
"..."
"Now, gentlemen," she said, her voice eerily calm. "Tell me... how did you find out? Was it the Sect?"
"She's still alive... even with a fatal wound?" Shiro muttered. 'This confirms it. She is the anomaly.'
"Fine. I'll find out myself once I'm done fixing your heads," Serika interjected.
"So that's why Daren acted that way," Shiro said, the pieces finally fitting together in his mind.
"Daren?" Serika's eyebrow twitched upward. "What are you talking about? Not that it matters. I don't care how you knew about my mind-driving technique or where you uncovered my identity... it all ends here."
Serika took a slow step forward. Then another. A faint, suffocating aura of green energy enveloped her from head to toe. With every step she took toward them, a crushing pressure slammed down onto Shiro and Kaelen's shoulders, causing the marble beneath their boots to crack.
Kaelen snatched up the discarded polearm dropped by one of the fallen guards and hurled it straight toward Serika.
Serika tilted her head slightly, letting the shaft fly past her ear. "You missed."
In the next instant, the heavy polearm struck the iron chain of the chandelier above, sending the massive lighting fixture crashing down onto the marble floor. Catching sight of the falling debris, Serika hurriedly leaped backward. After regaining her composure, she glanced toward where the two men had been standing, only to find the spot empty.
The faint sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the opposite staircase.
She clasped her hands together and thrust them outward, producing a dozen droplets of green liquid that instantly hardened into needle-like rods. With a flick of her wrists, she launched the projectiles in every direction. They embedded into the walls, windows, and ceiling before detonating in a chain of violent explosions.
The blast tore through the roof, sending Kaelen and Shiro tumbling onto the exterior roof tiles. A split second later, Serika appeared above the smoke and charged.
Brenn pushed himself to his feet, pressing a bloodied hand against the gash on his forehead.
"Everyone! Get out of the town!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Evacuate immediately!"
Despite the crimson running down his face, he kept shouting, directing the panicked townspeople toward the main gates.
Chaos erupted across the square. People scattered in every direction, parents grabbed their children and few belongings, and within seconds, most of the fleeing carriages were crammed to capacity, while others lay damaged in the scuffle. Soon, the streets stood completely empty, save for the crowded exits.
Brenn wiped the blood from his eye and glanced toward the darkening sky. "Looks like we're in for some terrible weather."
Inside one of the last carriages rushing through the town gates, Brenn poked his head out of the opening and stared back at the estate. A massive column of flames was actively consuming the distant mansion.
"I seriously have to take a real job next time," he muttered to himself as the carriage sped into the night.