Chapter 66: Breaking Chains

Chapter 66: Breaking Chains
I slept in Aslan’s room that night. When I woke up, he was no longer beside me.

Yuan and I were supposed to meet a few hours after Aslan left. Aunt Neela was worried about what might happen.

I quietly prepared for my departure. I said goodbye to Aunt Neela before Miss Farrah woke up. She walked me to the gate of the mansion.

“Be careful, Cosette. Come back quickly.”

I hugged Aunt Neela. “Don’t worry. I will come back.”

Aunt Neela watched me until I got into the car. She stood at the entrance of the mansion. The mansion looked strangely eerie and empty, just like when I first saw it, just like when I first stepped inside. It felt as if it was saying goodbye to me too.

I started the engine and drove out of the driveway. Soon, all I could do was look at the mansion through the side mirror. Aunt Neela waved. I took a deep breath to gather my courage.

The town slowly passed by. I looked again at the place that became my home for half a year. I have to do this, for Elwood, for Aslan. I need to face my own demons.

I met Yuan at the border of the town. He brought his car. He was standing outside it, waiting. He tapped his shoes on the long stretch of road. He stayed on the other side of the line, outside Elwood’s territory.

He looked up when he heard my car. I slowly stopped and stepped out. I was now at the border of Elwood, one step away from Aslan’s hold.

“Let’s go.”

He turned toward his car. This was what we would use to return to his town. Yuan noticed me staring at the line on the road, the boundary that divided inside and outside Elwood.

“Cosette, if you’re not ready, we can—”

“No,” I said firmly. “This is my only chance.”

When I stepped over the boundary, I felt something change. Kieran once told me that hybrids can feel each other within their territory. I’m not one of them, but it felt like a connection between me and Elwood was lost.

“We need to leave,” Yuan said. “We need to be there before midday.”

I looked back one last time toward Elwood, the tall trees, the quiet road. I will come back. Wait for me, Aslan.

The trip was long and quiet. Sometimes Yuan spoke, telling stories or explaining things I needed to know about returning.

I could see that he was worried about what might happen. He held the steering wheel tightly while I sat beside him in the passenger seat.

“He’s strict and cold,” he said, talking about our grandfather. “He knows how powerful he is. He’s calm, but his anger is terrible. Even I have seen it.”

“There are three mansions on the property. One is for Grandpa, one for my family, and one is empty. It was meant for your father and his family. But because he married someone connected to hybrids, it was never used. It’s basically yours.”

“Who stays with Grandpa?” I asked.

“He is the clan leader. People who serve him surround him. I mostly stay there too.”

He kept his eyes on the road.

“There are days when Grandpa is weak. There are meetings he can’t attend, so I go in his place.”

“You’re next in line,” I said.

He curved his lips, not a smile, more like a tired breath.

“Grandpa’s life is built on hate and revenge. I don’t want my life to be the same. I don’t want revenge to control me.”

“Not all hybrids are like those in Elwood,” he continued. “That’s why many are interested in that town. Most of its people are hybrids. It’s one of the few towns built by hybrid families. Humans are the outsiders there. Hybrids have rules, territory, leaders, and order.”

“But in most towns, hybrids are outsiders. They are feared and called monsters. And they live up to that name. They kill people, destroy homes, and spread fear. Those are the ones we hunt, the hybrids who forgot who they are.”

“But didn’t humans make them that way?” I asked.

He paused.

“They are called monsters, so they become monsters. Words are poison. They make people believe they are something they’re not. Humans may have fewer powers, but they can be just as cruel.”

“But it doesn’t always work that way,” he said. “Not everyone has the same heart as you. They kill. We kill them. That’s the rule of nature. Whether you feel anger, pain, or forgiveness, the cycle continues in other places.”

“But we can end our cycle here,” I said. “Now. We can end this hate and revenge.”

He looked at me.

“You really love him.”

Aslan filled my thoughts, and a soft smile stayed on my lips.

“More than my life.”

“Then do everything you can,” he said, “so no family name will be destroyed again.”