(The Magic Tower - Velmoria)
The teleportation circle bloomed open with a low hum, its light slicing through the darkness of the room.
Luca staggered out of it, breath uneven, Eva cradled tightly in his arms.
He did not waste a second.
He crossed the room in long strides and laid her on the bed.
Luca bent down and pressed his ear to her chest.
Silence.
His breath hitched.
He shifted, listening again. Slower. Closer.
Nothing.
No rhythm.
No pulse.
Yet—
Her chest rose.
And fell.
Luca pulled back sharply, eyes widening.
“…She’s breathing.”
He stared at her in disbelief. Her lungs were working, her lashes trembling faintly as if she were dreaming—
But her heart remained still.
Not weak.
Not fading.
Still.
“As if…” Luca whispered hoarsely, “…as if she’s half alive.”
His fingers dug into the mattress.
“She died. I know she did.” His voice cracked. “Her body was cold. Her heart had stopped.”
Then how—
“How did you come back sister-in-law?”
He straightened abruptly and shut his eyes, forcing himself to think.
The images replayed in his mind in brutal clarity—
The execution pool.
Eyan’s scream tearing the night apart.
And then—
That image.
Eyan kneeling.
The black marble pressed into Eva’s lifeless palm.
Luca’s eyes snapped open.
“…ZERADROS.”
His blood ran cold.
Without another thought, he raised his hand and tore open a teleportation circle.
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The secret chamber was silent when he appeared.
The black marble lay where it had always been hidden.
Luca grabbed it without hesitation and vanished again.
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Back beside Eva’s bed, his movements were urgent now, almost frantic.
He took her limp hand and placed the black marble into her palm.
Then—
He waited.
Seconds stretched.
Then minutes.
The room felt too quiet, too heavy, as if even the air was holding its breath.
Suddenly—
Eva gasped.
Her eyes flew open as she jolted upright, clutching her chest.
Luca stumbled back a step, stunned.
She sucked in another breath, fury blazing in her eyes.
“I’m going to him,” she snapped hoarsely. “How he kiss another woman right in front of me—!”
Luca burst out laughing—sharp, breathless, almost hysterical.
Eva froze.
She turned to him, confused. “Brother…? Why are you laughing?”
His laughter cut off instantly. His expression hardened.
“Sister,” he said coldly, “are you out of your mind?”
She flinched at the anger in his voice.
“I never thought you were this weak,” he continued, his words cutting deep. “How could you even think of doing something like that?”
Eva shook her head, panic creeping in. “Brother… why are you angry with me?”
“Why did you jump into the execution pool?” Luca demanded.
Her eyes widened. “Jumped…? Who jumped?”
“You did,” he snapped. “You tried to take your own life.”
Her face drained of color.
“What…?” she whispered. “No. I didn’t— I would never—”
Luca studied her carefully.
She was terrified.
Confused.
Completely lost.
“Sister,” he said more slowly now, restraining his fury, “after you left Eyan’s chamber… tell me where you went”
Eva closed her eyes, forcing her memories to surface.
“I was heading toward the garden,” she said softly. “I couldn’t breathe. Everything felt too heavy.”
“In the hallway,” she continued, her voice trembling, “I bumped into someone. I fell.”
“I heard a voice,” Eva whispered. “‘.’”
Luca froze. His breath caught painfully in his chest. “…After that?”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t remember anything else.”
She looked up at him, her eyes glassy. “Brother… why are you saying I tried to kill myself? I would never do that. Never.”
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Luca told Eva everything.
Every word.
Every moment she had missed.
Eva’s hands flew to her mouth, her breath shuddering as horror flooded her face.
“No… no,” she whispered. “If all of that is true… then how am I alive right now?”
Luca didn’t answer with words.
He pointed silently at the black marble resting in her trembling palm.
“…Zeradros,” he said. “He did this.”
Eva’s gaze dropped to the marble.
The surface darkened.
Then—
two glowing blue eyes opened within it.
Her ears rang.
A voice thundered inside her mind, deep and ancient, edged with irritation and fear.
Eva gasped.
Her fingers tightened around the marble.
Zeradros continued coldly.
His voice lowered, sharp and dangerous.
A pause.
Then, quieter—almost grim.
The presence pressed closer, suffocating.
His tone hardened.
For the first time, something like concern bled into his voice.
The voice vanished.
The glow faded.
Eva’s fingers trembled violently around the black marble.
Luca noticed immediately.
“Sister,” he said quietly, stepping closer. “What happened?”
Eva swallowed hard. Her voice came out thin.
“…I heard Zeradros,” she whispered. “His voice was inside my head.”
Luca’s breath stilled.
“What did he say?”
Eva hesitated, then spoke slowly, as if each word weighed too much.
“He said I’m bound to him now. That I can’t die… not until I give birth to him.”
Her grip tightened. “He warned me. If something like this happens again, I have ten minutes to touch the marble. One second late… and we both die.”
Silence crushed the room.
Luca exhaled deeply, running a hand through his hair.
“…This is worse than I feared.”
Eva looked up at him, eyes glassy.
“What do you mean?”
Luca’s expression hardened, the strategist replacing the brother.
“Sister, you were under a . That’s why you jumped.”
His jaw clenched. “Someone commanded you.”
Eva froze.
Luca continued, voice low and sharp.
“There are many who want Zeradros freed. You became a target the moment you stood beside Eyan—especially on his birthday.”
Eva’s lips trembled.
“I was careless,” she whispered, tears spilling over. “Now I understand why Eyan keeps pushing me away.”
She shook her head weakly. “He isn’t cruel… he’s afraid.”
Her voice broke. “And today… what happened… it’s exactly what he fears.”
Luca said nothing.
Eva wiped her tears, forcing herself to breathe.
“I won’t force him anymore,” she said quietly. “I won’t make him marry me.”
She lifted her gaze, resolve forming through the pain.
“I’ll go back to Kyel. I’ll stay with him… until I have my leo.”
Luca’s eyes widened slightly. “And after that?”
“After that,” Eva said softly, “I’ll tell him everything.”
Luca searched her face. “…Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
A long pause.
Then Luca sighed. “Alright. I’ll take you home.”
Luca lowered his voice. “Eyan is still in the banquet hall. He can’t leave yet… but the moment it ends, he’ll come for you.”
He paused, then frowned. “…The marble. I forgot. Give it to me—I need to return it to its place.”
Eva hesitated for only a second before placing the black marble in his palm.
A teleportation circle flared beneath Luca’s feet. He vanished.
Moments later, he reappeared.
“We need to go. Now.”
He reached for her. Eva took his hand.
The circle ignited again—and they disappeared.
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