FEAR

Evangeline’s breath hitched as the car doors opened in near-perfect unison.

She strained her neck, eyes locked onto the figures stepping out one by one. The angle wasn’t great, and she had to adjust slightly to get a clearer view, but the dull ache in her muscles made it painfully clear that she shouldn’t be moving too much.

Still, she kept watching.

The moonlight caught their hair, the pale glow bouncing off their sharp features, making them seem almost unreal. But the one that stood out the most—the one who made her stomach twist a little—was the first master.

His white hair practically glowed under the soft night light, strands catching every flicker of movement as he adjusted his coat. The others weren’t far behind, each clad in thick jackets or heavy coats, their dark silhouettes moving fluidly toward the castle’s entrance.

There was something about the way they carried themselves, the way they always walked in sync without a word—that sent a cold shiver down her spine.

Soon the grand doors of Hera Castle swallowed them whole, closing behind them without so much as a pause.

Evangeline sat frozen for a moment, half-expecting the sound, and the clatter came.

She startled slightly at the sudden noise from the ground floor. Her brows furrowed as she heard his voice, followed almost immediately by the sharp sound of keys being thrown onto a table.

"Keep it down, Tide" The deep, controlled, irritated and scolding came from one of them, and evangeline held her breath.

Soom she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She raised herself up, body tense as she pressed a fresh wipe against her nose, fingers splayed to keep it in place. They were coming up.

Her stomach twisted as the sound drew nearer. Of course, she’d known they would eventually come for her. Tide had run his damn mouth, after all. She had been preparing herself for this.

So why was her pulse hammering in her ears?

The footsteps continued—reaching the first floor.

Then the second.

She could hear the faint sounds of coats being shuffled, as they climbed higher.

Third floor.

Her fingers gripped the wipe tighter. This was it. This was it.

A door opened, and another and receding footsteps.

No one came for her. No footsteps approached. No one called her name. Nothing.

Evangeline blinked.

She waited, heart still pounding, ears straining for any sign that they were coming back. That maybe one of them had changed their mind, that maybe the silence was just the calm before the storm.

But it wasn’t.

The only thing she heard was doors closing, followed by absolute stillness.

Her breath left her in a slow exhale.

Had Tide actually kept his mouth shut?

A wave of relief crashed over her, her shoulders slumping as she let herself sink back onto the ottoman.

She leaned against the cool glass of the window, her muscles aching from the tension she hadn’t even realized she was holding. She was really going to die from high blood pressure at this point.

They must have been too tired to notice anything.

She stayed there, still pressed against the window, her body aching with exhaustion. The room was silent except for her own shallow breathing, the only movement being made was the occasional rise and fall of her chest. The night air seeped in through the glass, cooling her fevered skin, but it did little to help the overwhelming sense of emptiness that settled in her bones.

She barely reacted when the door was pushed open, creaking softly

She didn’t flinch. Just closed her eyes for a second before letting them flutter open again as the footsteps approached.

She didn’t need to look to know he had stopped in his tracks.

Tide.

His sharp inhale filled the quiet space as he took in the sight before him—her pale, almost ghostly complexion, the blood-stained clothes clinging to her, the crumpled, bloodied wipes scattered across the floor.

His expression shifted, brows knitting together, lips parting slightly as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Instead, he slowly pushed the door close, not completely shutting it, not with his usual carelessness, like he was trying not to startle her.

Evangeline finally glanced at him as he took a step forward, then another, before finally crouching in front of her. His gaze searched hers, concern flickering behind his otherwise calm it smiley face.

She exhaled weakly, get voice was barely above a whisper as she said

“They seem too tired to even notice anything was wrong.” Her lips parted slightly as she took in a shaky breath, her head tilting slightly as if trying to convince herself of her own words.

“Or they actually didn’t notice.” Tide didn’t say anything right away. He just looked at her. The exhaustion on her face, the slight tremble in her fingers, the way her body barely seemed to hold itself together.

Then, with a pitiful sigh, he reached for the bloodied wipes. Picking them up, careful not to touch the bloodied part of it, and tossed them into the small bin near the door. And then walked back, slowly taking the one she's using and putting it into the bin to. She kept her head up to slow the bleeding.

“You put your creator on their toes with every decision you make,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair before crouching back down.

Before she could even process what he was about to do, his arms slid under her legs and back, lifting her with ease, and she didn’t resist.

She barely had the strength to, anyway.

She let her body sink into his hold, her arms loosely wrapping around his neck as she rested her head against his chest, sniffing every second to hold the blood in.

The steady rhythm of his heartbeat was comforting, as she closed her eyes, falling into the calmness.

Tide didn’t say anything else. He just turned toward the door, using his foot to drag it open, and carried her out of the room.