"....

Evelyn's face flickered with a series of emotions. Her eyes first widened in shock, her body trembling as she instinctively stepped back. But soon, the sharp surprise softened, slowly giving way to quiet acceptance.

I could tell from the way her expression settled back to normal that she had already come to terms with the fact that I was no longer the Julien she once knew.

It was hence why her voice came out rather calm,

"Let me guess, he's trying to regain control? Or causing some sort of trouble?"

"I

I didn't answer.

I wasn't sure how to answer.

However, my silence was enough for her.

"You want my help holding him down? Keep him from coming back?"

"....Can you do it?"

"Hmm."

Evelyn's brows furrowed tightly as she fell into deep thought. She was probably considering whether to help me out or not.

I knew she could do it.

I had seen her do it before. To some extent...

What truly mattered was whether she was willing to help me-now a stranger to her-seal away the Julien she once knew.

This was the reason why I was on the fence about asking her.

Our relationship wasn't very deep. Why would she help me screw over someone that she knew much better than me? And even used to care for?

....But what choice did I have?

I had no choice but to ask her since she was the only one who could help me.

"Fine."

But contrary to my expectations, she agreed to help me

I was a little surprised by her agreement, and as if understanding my confusion, she went on to explain.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not helping you because I trust you. I'm helping you because I trust Leon. He seems to trust you quite a bit. That's why I'll help you. And... I still feel like something is off with you."

Evelyn bit her lips while mumbling, 'I just don't know how to put it. Feels like I met you before...'

11

I remained quiet from that point.

I knew exactly what she was referring to by that.

'...I'm surprised she's so perceptive.'

It looked like she still clearly remembered the previous incidents that had happened when I used the third leaf. I was sure my disguise was perfect but it didn't seem like my acting had been on point.

Furthermore, she had been quite young back then.

To think she'd still remember all the details...

'I'll need to be more careful.'

Regardless, all that mattered to me was the fact that she was willing to help me.

"Hold out your hand."

As I listened to Evelyn's words, I followed her instructions and held out my hand. She grasped it and locked eyes with me.

"Let me say this upfront: I am not a Cleric. My knowledge is limited, so depending on the situation, I might not be able to help at all. In fact, there's even a chance I could make things worse. I'm only telling you now to give you fair warning. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes, I know."

This was one of the risks that I had taken into account when getting in contact with her. Had it not been for what had happened before, I would've been hesitant about calling her. However, it really looked like I had no choice in the matter.

This was my only way out of the situation.

"Alright, then."

Evelyn shrugged, pressing my hand against her.

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you."

Her eyes sparkled as faint lightning arcs danced around them. Her hair stirred as if a wind had risen up, sending a jolt of electricity coursing through my body.

My entire body jolted under the shock and my mind soon grew dark.

Tak-

By the time I regained consciousness, I was surrounded by darkness.

It embraced every part of my body as I looked around.

"There's nothing.'

....It wasn't so different from the world within the Angel of Sorrow. And as I turned my head,

Evelyn appeared beside me.

Her expression was a little pale.

"Are you―"

"I'm fine."

Evelyn cut me off, raising her hand subtly and locking her eyes toward a certain direction as

her expression tightened.

"I can feel it. He's not far from here."

Evelyn moved on her own, taking a step towards the darkness.

I stared at her back before following her from behind.

Tak, tak-

Within the darkness, the sound of our steps echoed quietly as we walked in silence, neither one of us saying a word. Evelyn seemed transfixed by something as she moved in a trance. I didn't know for how long we walked, but soon, a faint light appeared in the distance.

It was dim, but within the darkness that surrounded us, it looked blinding.

"He's there."

Evelyn's steps slowed down for a few seconds before hurrying once more.

I picked up the pace as well and followed her from behind.

As we drew closer to the light, its source began to take shape. It wasn't long before a clear image emerged before us, and we both stopped at the same time.

"Ah."

"This..."

A broken mirror.

What appeared before us was a mirror filled with countless cracks.

It stood within the darkness, pointed right at us, revealing our reflection.

At least, that's how it appeared at first. Soon after, a smile spread across my reflection as it

raised an arm, wrapping it around Evelyn's reflection.

"You're here."

A cool voice reverberated throughout the darkness.

As the gaze of my reflection shifted towards Evelyn's, the smile slowly faded from my

reflection.

"...It's been a while Evelyn. You haven't forgotten about me, right?"

"Hee."

Instinctively, Evelyn took a step back as her face grew pale.

Her reaction brought a smile to my reflection's face as he let go of Evelyn's reflection and

quietly moved forward.

Evelyn took another step back.

Bang!

He smacked his fist against the mirror, causing Evelyn to flinch.

"Get me the fuck out here you bitch!"

He screamed, his face twisting and his scream piercing through the silence.

"Get me out now before I kill you!"

***

"Khh...! Kh!"

In spite of Leon's expectations, the pain in his chest only grew worse with time. He thought

he'd be able to handle it, but he was wrong.

"Нааа... Наа..."

It came and went in waves, each time becoming more powerful.

'I won't be able to last at this point.'

Leon understood the severity of his situation.

Without hesitation, he looked around and decided to leave his spot, rushing towards the

dorms which weren't far from where he was.

"Ukeh!"

His chest throbbed once more, halting him on the spot.

"Haa.. Haa..."

Unknowingly, as he looked down, he noticed a long silver string moving down from his

mouth. This... Wiping his mouth, Leon rushed forward once more.

It took him a total of three minutes to arrive at the dorm where he immediately rushed up the

stairs and dashed towards his room, closing the door behind him.

Clank!

"Arkgh...!"

A scream escaped his lips the moment he entered the room.

'Hot, hot, hot....!'

Leon felt a sudden itch spreading across his body. He began to strip off his clothes, leaving

only his underpants on.

Sizzle~ Sizzle~

Steam started to rise out of his body shortly after that.

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

A strange pulsing noise followed, perfectly in sync with the beat of his own heart. Leon

glanced down and noticed every vein in his body had become visible, standing out beneath his

skin.

The veins glowed with a faint blue hue, all converging toward his heart, where a dark,

shadowy Chalice seemed to rest at its center.

His face changed.

"This..."

He had seen this scene before-more than once, in fact.

He understood the meaning behind it all too well, which is why the sight before him now left

him so utterly shocked.

"The wine..."

Leon mumbled, unable to hide his shock.

".... It actually contained real blood."

Mortum's blood.

"That..."

Leon's entire expression shifted. This was the first time something like this had ever

happened at such an event, and he couldn't make sense of what was going on.

'Real blood?'

But how could it be?

Leon had been to several such events in the past and he had never experienced a situation such

as this one.

Something was off.

How could they serve real blood?

....And what was the reasoning for the Chalice suddenly exploding?

Leon had so many questions and yet no answers to them. To make matters worse, the pain

came back again. Leon had no choice but to quietly focus on withstanding the pain by taking

deep and steady breaths.

Sizzle Sizzle~

Steam continued to rise out from his body throughout the entire process. Gradually, the pain began to fade, and the glow on Leon's body diminished as well. The

process lasted only a few minutes before everything finally cooled down.

"Hoo."

Leon was finally able to breathe as he flopped onto the floor.

Though his breathing had steadied, it remained relatively heavy. He needed a few minutes to

fully recover.

By the time he fully recovered, a cool sensation washed over his body as he pressed his hand

against his chest and pulled the Chalice free.

"As expected..."

He looked at the liquid contained within the Chalice and swallowed his saliva.

"...It really was Mortum's blood."

The Chalice had a special power.

Although Leon remained uncertain about how the Chalice worked, he knew it triggered a

unique "reaction" whenever he consumed Mortum's blood. It created a special liquid that

could be consumed.

He referred to it as the "Nectar," and each time he ingested it, his strength surged

tremendously.

'....I wonder if it'll have a different effect if I consume a different blood.'

The thought weirded out Leon for a second before he shrugged and drank the nectar.

Swoosh!

His clothes fluttered as power surged through his body.

Leon's muscles bulged, and he felt his strength starting to rise rapidly.

It was a euphoric sensation that left him breathless, but it faded quickly, and his body soon

returned to its normal state.

"Huu."

Taking another deep breath, Leon prepared to stand up.

However, just as he did, his body froze.

"...!"

His intuition tingled, sending shivers down his spine as sweat began to trickle down the side

of his face.

His breath started to grow heavy as he raised his head to look outside the window.

"Oh, no..."

He pulled his sight away and hastily stood up.

Suddenly, he had a horrible premonition.

And...

He was sure it wasn't about him.

"Go, I have to go."

Leon wasted no time, quickly getting dressed before dashing out of the room. Even after

leaving, his intuition continued to scream at him, warning him of an impending crisis.

He didn't know what it was, but Leon was sure.

Julien...

Something bad was going to happen to him.