Twenty-four hours had passed, and the first rays of sunlight began to peek over the horizon. The lights in the vast garden dimmed, giving way once again to the majestic landscape that dominated the scene. It was a melancholy and desolate sight for poor Yuna. Her entire life was disappearing before her eyes, ripped away in the cruelest of ways.

  Standing with her gaze fixed on the horizon, her physical body remained on the grand balcony of solid stone, yet her mind wandered, lost in thought.

  “Have you not been able to sleep?” Vincent asked, stepping onto the terrace.

  “It’s all my fault,” she admitted after a few seconds of silence, her eyes never leaving the landscape. “When I was seventeen, our parents died in a car accident. The crash was caused by the glare of a car behind us... but the truth is, my head hurt terribly that day. I was arguing with my parents, and in a fit of anger, I screamed with all my might and felt a wave of heat surge through my veins. The next thing I remember, when I opened my eyes, was seeing our car engulfed in flames from a distance, and their lifeless bodies burned to ash... I came out of that accident unscathed. I only have my sister left… if something happens to her…”

  Her voice broke as she struggled to swallow and fought back the lump in her throat. For the first time, Vincent saw her so fragile, so delicate… He couldn’t describe what he felt in that moment, but his body moved on its own, pulling her into a heartfelt embrace. As if, through that gesture, he could take away her pain or at least lessen it.

  For the first time, Yuna allowed herself to be comforted in his arms, though deep down, no matter how much she tried to deny it, she had longed to be held by him.

  Simultaneously, on the second floor of the castle’s three stories, in Annie’s room, Sussy knocked playfully on the door, a wide smile on her face, as she entered the room.

  “Did I interrupt something important yesterday?” she asked her friend, throwing herself onto the bed. “What’s wrong?” she questioned, worried upon uncovering Annie and seeing her red, swollen eyes.

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  “Sussy, what would you do if the person you love has been in love with the same person for over a thousand years?”

  “I’d fight.”

  “Even if that rival is dead? Tell me, what would you fight against? A ghost?”

  “Annie…”

  “Yesterday, I saw the sorrow that consumes his heart. The guilt, the hatred, and the resentment he carries…” she tried to explain, her voice breaking.

  “But what I saw yesterday—”

  “That was just desperation,” she interrupted with an ironic smile and glassy eyes. “I won’t lie to myself anymore. I’ve never had a chance, and I never will,” she declared, breaking into sobs as her friend did her best to comfort her.

  “I’m sorry, Annie…”

  Hours passed. Meanwhile, in the sitting room, a childlike Ronnie was growing increasingly concerned about his companion’s condition.

  “Patrick, how long has it been since you’ve fed?” he asked, noticing his friend paler than usual, though he received no reply. “Since we came back from the party, you’ve been growing weaker by the hour.”

  “I’m still alive,” Patrick replied, his gaze fixed on the fire.

  “Stop punishing yourself for everything that happened with Tult?en… By the way…” Ronnie hesitated. “That girl… she bears a striking resemblance—”

  “She’s dead,” Patrick cut him off sharply, rising from the sofa and walking out the door.

  “Of course. It can’t be,” Ronnie muttered to himself as he watched his companion leave the room.

  Ronnie understood Patrick’s behavior. Even for him, seeing Nasai’s face for the first time had been unsettling; it was like having Tult?en in front of him again, only with black hair. All the effort and progress Patrick had made had surely been obliterated by the mere sight of that sweet girl, now lying unconscious in her room.

  And there Patrick was, standing in the doorway, observing her from a distance, too afraid to touch her for fear that she would vanish, that it would all—finally, completely—prove to be nothing but a dream, an illusion born of his emotions. Even so, after a few seconds, he approached Nasai like a frightened dog. When he was just inches away, he reached out, brushing her hair gently and then letting his hand fall softly across her face.

  When he realized she didn’t dissolve into particles, his vision blurred, and he began to sob like a newborn child.

  “Tult?en… Tult?en… Tult?en…” he repeated in an agonized voice, over and over, as tears streamed from his eyes.