Sillax paused at the door, glancing back one last time before stepping out and closing it behind her.
The room fell quiet again, but not like before.
This time, it was a quiet before the storm.
Krisian exhaled slowly, standing tall. He turned toward the shattered mirror one last time, his reflection now broken into a thousand pieces — just like the plan that once felt flawless.
"Give me a moment alone," he had said to Sillax.
Now, he whispered into the silence.
"Henry…"
A soft pulse echoed in his mind.
"I'm sorry you saw me like that. That won't happen again."
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then Henry's voice answered, low but warm, echoing from within him like a familiar flame.
"Even the strongest are allowed to break down, Krisian. Even gods bleed when no one's watching."
Krisian's shoulders relaxed slightly.
Then came the shift — subtle, sharp.
Henry's tone darkened. "But I think you're starting to remember now… aren't you?"
Krisian's eyes narrowed. "Yes."
The glow returned to his golden irises, flickering with fury and clarity.
"It was Kael." His voice was calm, but laced with venom."That bastard snitched to Father. He told him everything."
Henry's voice hissed with confirmation. "And that's how the Gate of Forsaken Oaths opened. Your father helped him… or used him."
Krisian clenched his fists, blood still fresh on his knuckles.
"I'll kill him."
He paused. Then smiled coldly.
"No… I'll do worse."
He turned toward the center of the room, speaking now to no one, and yet to everything.
"Tomorrow, I'll face the Seraphon — the Forsaken Trinity. They think they're testing me."
His smile widened, cruel and quiet.
"But they have no idea what they've just given me…"
"A weapon."
The room darkened. His shadow pulsed, spreading unnaturally across the floor.
"One of them will break. And when he does…"
His voice became a whisper of thunder.
"He will be mine. Under my control. My blade against the court. And Kael… will learn what betrayal truly costs."
He stepped closer to the broken mirror and leaned in, speaking to his reflection with eerie calm.
"Every win has its loss… right?"
The glass shimmered faintly — and for just a moment, the reflection in the shards wasn't Krisian.
It was something darker.
Watching.
Waiting.