The moment the spear blasted apart the head of the leader, I was already beside Evelyn.
Since the moment I vaguely revealed to her what was about to happen, I'd been timing the whole situation and staying close by, just enough so I could rescue her.
"We don't have time," I said with urgency in my voice, interrupting Evelyn's spiraling thoughts.
"You…" Evelyn's shock was palpable, and she immediately thrust her hand forward, wanting to use her ability to destroy me. However, her hands paused mid-air, the flickering, dying light of the lightning fading like smoke.
"What?" Evelyn glanced down at her hand, a look of shock clouding her delicate, beautiful facial features.
"You can't use your ability anymore," I said with a shake of my head.
Evelyn glanced at me in horror and tried once more, only to discover that my words held true.
She eyed me suspiciously. "Did you do—"
Just as she was about to ask, a loud crash interrupted us.
Bang!
The sound of something heavy colliding with the floor echoed through the room.
The blast sent a shockwave through the building, causing all the glasses in the surroundings to explode outwards.
I stared at the location, my eyes growing colder by the second.
The dust gradually cleared, and as it did, a dreadful aura permeated through the surroundings.
The flickering, dying light of the chandelier flickered weakly, illuminating the tall, imposing silhouette of the figure.
Gradually, the dust cleared completely, revealing a figure clad in black assassin clothes, with a mask covering his identity.
A spear rested in his grasp, which he slowly raised high in the direction of Evelyn as though poised to strike.
I calmly stepped forward, intercepting the distance between the two.
My footsteps echoed softly across the shattered glass.
"Don't bother, Kael Evernight." I paused, then continued, my tone filled with implied meaning. "Didn't you originally plan to kill her at the balcony?"
Bang!
Instantly, all the glass cups and ceramic plates shattered as though they couldn't withstand the weight of Kael's pressure.
Evelyn's face morphed into one of shock as she glanced in the direction of the masked man.
Everything seemed to freeze at that moment, and Evelyn could hardly believe what she was hearing.
Finally, a chuckle escaped into the surroundings.
Then, the masked man raised his hand towards his face and gently tugged the mask off.
"What?" Evelyn was the first to erupt with a scream, frozen in shock at the sight of her husband's brother.
Her lips trembled slightly as though trying to form words, but none came out.
The man she was staring at… was someone she had greeted every morning. Someone her husband trusted with his life.
How could it be Kael?
They had trusted him so much, and it was impossible to guess that he'd harbor such thoughts, enough to assassinate his own brother!
Kael didn't pay any attention to Evelyn. Instead, his cold, emotionless eyes remained fixed on me.
For the first time since entering the hall, a faint crease appeared between his brows.
My faint, playful smile still tugged at the corner of my lips.
"How did you know?" Kael asked in a hoarse voice.
He had ensured to keep his identity in the whole situation hidden!
Even at the organization, he'd used an origin artifact to mask his aura and identity. Experts far above him couldn't read his rank, so no one could tell he was the one who had placed the assassination order.
How then… did this young man, who was dressed in a servant's outfit, know about his assassination plan?
Besides…
His mind flicked back to what I'd said.
'He also knows that I would kill her now… almost as though he knows everything…'
His cold eyes remained staring at me, trying to read through my facial expressions, trying to peer through the layers of fog obscuring me.
Evelyn's eyes were also filled with shock and suspicion.
Everything was slowly adding up to the mysteriousness of my identity.
Her eyes towards me were filled with apprehension.
The hall fell silent, save for the distant shouts of the assassins eliminating others in their homes.
My lips parted to speak finally.
"Thank you."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Click.
Bang!
Kael shot forward at lightning speed, his spear plunging through the air and causing cracks to spread outwards.
But it was too late.
The ground caved in, pulling Evelyn and I down before closing completely.
The chair exploded into fragments of wood, splintering into the surroundings as the spear pierced through it, lightning crackling outwards like a dying lamp.
"No!!!" Kael roared in anger, smashing the spear repeatedly onto the ground.
Stone cracked beneath the impact, but the hidden mechanism remained untouched.
His eyes grew terrifyingly dark as he turned towards the bunch of masked men that had appeared at the doorway at some point in time.
"Seal the estate."
"No one leaves alive."
"Find the woman."
"And bring me the servant."
At his command, the shadows dissolved, the assassins spreading to every nook and cranny of the mansion in search of Logan and Evelyn.
"That young man…" Kael thought grimly, recalling the gaze of indifference in the youth's eyes.
That teasing smile, as though he had everything under control, caused Kael's anger to simmer over…
"WHO EXACTLY IS HE?" Veins popped on his forehead as he continued smashing onto the spot Logan had disappeared into.
…
In a dark, underground tunnel.
With Evelyn tagging along behind me, I sprinted through the dark alleyways, leading her by the hand.
Even in the darkness, my steps never hesitated.
Her warm, delicate fingers were tightly wrapped around mine as though she couldn't bear to let go.
Just as we reached a corner, I heard faint footsteps echoing in the direction.
Voices drifted from within the tunnels.
The faint glow of torches flickered at the end of a distant corridor.
Assassins.
Without hesitation, I tightened my grip around Evelyn's hand and immediately turned towards the left, leading her towards a completely different location.
My heart was palpitating steadily as I could tell the many assassins were already on me.
Suddenly, Evelyn's voice interrupted me.
"How do you know these tunnels so well?"
Her voice carried a faint hint of suspicion, and her hand in my grip stiffened slightly, as though she didn't want to continue the journey with me.
Only someone who built the tunnels or had been living here for a long time would be so adept at them as much as I was.
It was clear to her eyes. I knew every layout. Every turn, every corner.
It was simply absurd to think about.
Subconsciously, she'd always felt that there was something off about me.
"This passage was sealed ten years ago."
"Even the guards don't know about it."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You're not a servant."
She slowed slightly behind me.
"…So who exactly are you?"