— The Blood Sigil —
He took a plain sheet of A4 paper, bit his middle finger, and let the welling blood serve as ink. With swift strokes, he traced ancient, crude sigils onto the page.
Each mark felt like a silent rite of offering.
He silently recited the tenets of The Lumivora Art cultivation art, channeling a thread of his spiritual awareness into the sigil.
The markings on the paper quivered faintly, emitting a barely perceptible, ghostly luminescence.
He folded the paper into a triangle and handed it solemnly to Aveline, his expression grave.
"Quickly! Use any means necessary to get this to Lyra. You must not tell her it came from me."
Aveline took the paper talisman, a slight frown on her brow. But seeing the sincerity and resolve in Eren's eyes, she finally nodded.
Half-skeptical, she turned and left, clutching the triangular paper, hurrying to catch Lyra, who was still in the parking lot.
She lowered her voice, infusing it with a note of respect and sincerity.
"Miss Lyra, I heard about the tragedy that befell your family. I'm truly sorry for your loss—this is a protective charm I obtained from a temple. It safeguards peace. It's very potent. Please take it."
As she held out the triangular paper, her own gaze flickered slightly, seemingly stirred by the faint energy emanating from the sigil.
Lyra hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it. The instant her fingertips touched the paper, a strange sensation—both cool and unnervingly warm—threaded through her.
Her expression remained placid. "Thank you," she said flatly, then turned and left.
Aveline watched the car gradually disappear into the distance, a pang of sorrow rising in her heart.
Such a fine woman, to suffer such a cruel fate... Heaven is unkind, the world is merciless.
When she returned, Eren asked urgently, "Did she take it?"
Aveline nodded, her tone laced with wry humor. "She did. But if she knew it was from you, she'd probably curse me to the depths of hell."
Eren gave a bitter smile. "You're right. I'd rather she never knows.
Her heart is full of nothing but rage and pain right now. Any explanation would only add fuel to the fire."
Aveline studied his face, etched with weariness and regret, and asked quietly, "That charm... does it really work?"
Eren's gaze grew heavy, his voice cold and resolute.
"It offers three days of protection—one shield against blood calamity.
But it cannot change fate. Three days from now... she may still face danger."
The midnight cell was cold as an icehouse.
Eren closed his eyes, murmuring under his breath, "Three days..."
His voice was like the clank of chains, heavy and final.
"No matter the cost, I must get out."
The wind moaned softly outside the window, as if in answer, or perhaps in mockery.
The faint residual glow of the sigil shone from his palm, a single ember in the darkness—
Capable of igniting deeper shadows, yet also illuminating the inexpressible remorse in his heart.
— What he owed her ran far deeper than hatred.
— Judgment Behind Glass —
The cell door swung open once more, revealing Aveline in the doorway.
"Eren, you have visitors," she said, her gaze lingering on him with an inscrutable depth.
"Again?" Eren's eyes opened, flashing with surprise. "Is Lyra back?"
"No." Aveline shook her head.
When Eren entered the visitation room and saw the figures on the other side of the glass, a fire of silent fury ignited in his chest.
Three women stood across from him.
The one in the middle was tall and graceful, with skin like porcelain and features delicate as a painting—Seraphine Lark, the ex-girlfriend who had betrayed him.
Beside her stood a youthful, bright-eyed woman: Clara, Seraphine's closest friend.
And finally, a woman in her late forties, elegant and well-preserved—Vivienne, Seraphine's mother.
"What are you doing here?" Eren's eyes swept over the three before settling coldly on Seraphine. His voice was eerily calm. "Come to see if I'm dead yet?"
This was the woman he had once vowed to spend his life with, the one he had shared three years with—and the very person who had led him to this wretched state.
Seraphine looked at him, her lips trembling as if holding back a flood of words. But it all dissolved into a faint sigh. Her eyes turned icy, her voice sharp as a blade.
"That's right. I came to see if you were dead." Her words were cold, deliberate. "Eren, I never thought you could be so monstrous. I'm glad I left you."
Clara stared at Seraphine in disbelief. Eren felt as if his heart were being sliced open—even now, she could still speak to him with such cruelty.
"Seraphine," he said, his voice low and steady. "You're not the blind one—I am. My only regret is wasting three years on you. But remember this: what you've done to me today, I will repay a hundredfold."
His gaze hardened into something sharp and unyielding. From this moment on, his heart turned to ice. There would be no softness left for her.
"Hah! Eren, you're nothing but a pathetic clown," Vivienne cut in, her voice dripping with scorn. "How dare you make empty threats? You're about to be executed. What could you possibly do to us? Let me make it clear—all of this was arranged by my future son-in-law, Damien Vale. Compared to him, you're less than an insect. And now that you know, what can you do? Nothing but rage helplessly. Accept your fate and die quietly in here—this is the price for clinging to my daughter."
So it was him.
Damien Vale.
Eren narrowed his eyes, took one last long look at Seraphine, then turned and walked away without another word. From now on, there was no past between them—only hatred.
Watching his resolute back and the burning hostility in his eyes, Seraphine opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Tears welled in her lucid, sorrowful eyes. Her heart felt shattered, the pain seeping deep into her bones.
"See, daughter?" Vivienne's voice was smug in her ear. "That worthless fool isn't even worth a second thought. Consider this your final goodbye. From now on, cut him off completely. You'll marry into the Vale family and live well with Damien. Understood?"
Seraphine didn't seem to hear her. She turned mechanically, moving like a lifeless shell, slowly walking toward the exit.
Clara hurried after her, taking her hand. "Why didn't you tell him the truth?" she asked, her voice thick with emotion.
Seraphine's eyes regained a faint glimmer. She sighed softly. "What good would it do? It would only hurt him more. Let him hate me... That way, his heart won't ache like mine does."
"What cruel fate..." Clara whispered, tears in her eyes. "You two really are a pair of star-crossed lovers."
Thinking of Damien and the immense power of the Vale family behind him, Clara felt utterly powerless. The Vales were an enormous force—next to Damien, Eren truly was an ant. Even the strongest love could be crushed by a single finger of such influence.
"Star-crossed lovers?" Seraphine smiled bitterly, Damien's cold warning echoing in her mind once more:
"Seraphine, if you don't break up with him, I'll make him disappear. Believe me."
She knew Damien wasn't bluffing.
He had both the means and the power to erase Eren from this world completely.