Chapter 174 Arrest Him
The blade sank deeper than anyone expected.
For a moment the entire hall froze as though time itself had drawn in a sharp breath and refused to let it go. The sound of metal piercing flesh echoed far louder than it should have, ringing against the high walls and settling into the bones of every single witness present.
Albert stood there, his hand still gripping the hilt, his chest rising and falling in shallow bursts as though he had just done something that could not be undone.
Fernando did not move.
Guests stared. Some leaned forward in disbelief while others recoiled, hands flying to their mouths. A woman gasped, the sound sharp and trembling. A man beside her muttered something under his breath, his voice barely audible as fear crawled into the corners of his expression.
“Did he just…?” someone whispered, their voice cracking.
“He stabbed him,” another replied, eyes wide, unable to look away.
Albert’s fingers tightened around the dagger as if he expected resistance, as if he expected Fernando to fight back. But there was none. The blade was buried in Fernando’s chest, right where it should have ended everything.
Albert’s lips parted slightly, confusion flickering across his face. “Why aren’t you falling?” he asked, his voice low, almost disbelieving.
Fernando’s head tilted just a fraction.
Then he coughed.
It started as a small sound, almost unnoticeable. Then it grew, rough and violent, tearing through his chest as blood spilled from his lips. The crimson stained his chin and dripped down onto his clothes, spreading slowly like a blooming shadow.
Gasps erupted across the hall.
“He’s still standing,” someone said, their voice trembling.
“That is not possible,” another whispered.
Albert took a step back, his hand loosening on the dagger as fear began to creep into his expression. “No,” he murmured, shaking his head slightly. “No, you should be dead. That was your heart. I felt it. I know where I struck.”
Fernando’s eyes lifted.
He coughed again, more blood spilling from his mouth, but his posture did not break. His body did not collapse. Instead, a strange tension rippled through him, like his very being was resisting the damage inflicted upon it.
Mira stepped forward immediately, her face pale but her movements steady. “Move,” she snapped at Albert, her voice cutting through the stunned silence.
Lucia was already at Fernando’s side, her hand gripping his arm. “Fernando,” she said, her voice tight with concern, “can you hear me?”
Fernando did not answer immediately.
His gaze remained locked on Alberto.
Something passed between them.
It was not visible, not something the others could see clearly, but it was there. A thread. A pull. A connection that made the air feel heavier, charged with something unnatural.
Albert’s breath hitched.
He staggered back another step, clutching at his chest suddenly. “What… what is this?” he asked, his voice rising in panic. “What did you do?”
“I did nothing,” Fernando replied, his voice rough but steady despite the blood still staining his lips.
Another cough shook him, and this time Mira reached out, gripping his shoulder firmly. “You need to come with me,” she said, her tone urgent but controlled.
Fernando shook his head slightly, though the movement seemed to cost him. “Not yet.”
Lucia frowned. “Not yet? You have a blade in your chest. What do you mean not yet?”
Fernando’s eyes flicked back to Albert.
“Arrest him,” he said.
The words were quiet but carried enough weight to snap the guards out of their shock.
Two of them moved forward immediately, grabbing Albert by the arms.
Albert struggled, panic now fully etched into his features. “Wait,” he shouted, his voice cracking. “Something is wrong. I can feel it. I cannot breathe properly. What did you do to me?”
Fernando’s expression did not change.
“Take him away,” he repeated.
The guards tightened their grip, dragging Albert back as he continued to protest.
“This is not over,” Albert snapped, his voice desperate. “Do you think this changes anything? Do you think I forgive your family for ruining mine and making me go through hell?”
But his words lacked the confidence they once held.
There was fear there now.
As he was pulled further away, his gaze remained locked on Fernando, as if trying to understand what had just happened.
The hall remained silent long after he was gone.
Mira turned back to Fernando immediately, her eyes scanning him quickly. “We need to get that blade out,” she said, her voice low.
Lucia nodded. “He should not still be standing. This does not make sense.”
Fernando exhaled slowly, though it came out uneven. “It does not hurt the way it should,” he admitted.
Mira’s expression darkened. “That is not a good sign.”
She glanced at Lucia. “We are leaving. Now.”
Lucia nodded, tightening her hold on Fernando’s arm as they began to guide him toward the exit.
The guests parted quickly, no one daring to stand in their way. Whispers followed them, low and uneasy.
“Did you see his eyes?”
“He should have died instantly.”
“There was something else. Something is wrong.”
Fernando barely registered any of it.
Each step felt heavier than the last, not because of pain but because of something else. Something unfamiliar that coiled inside him, tightening with every breath.
By the time they reached a quieter corridor, Mira stopped abruptly.
“Do you feel it?” she asked.
Fernando frowned slightly. “Feel what?”
She hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully. “A pull or something tying you to him.”
Fernando’s expression shifted, just slightly.
“Yes,” he admitted after a pause.
Lucia looked between them, confusion clear on her face. “What are you talking about? What connection?”
Mira inhaled slowly, her gaze fixed on Fernando. “This was not just an attack,” she said. “Something else happened the moment that blade pierced your heart.”
Fernando’s jaw tightened. “Explain.”
Mira hesitated again, then spoke.
“You and Albert have formed a bond,” she said quietly.
Lucia blinked. “A bond? That is not possible.”
“Not that kind of bond,” Mira replied, her voice steady but heavy. “An ancient one. A forbidden one.”
Fernando’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What does that mean?”
Mira met his gaze directly. “It means that whatever happens to you now does not happen to you alone.”
Lucia’s breath caught. “You cannot mean…”
“I do,” Mira said. “If you are hurt, he will feel it. If he is hurt, you will feel it. And if one of you dies…”
She did not finish the sentence.
Fernando’s expression hardened. “Then the other dies as well?”
Mira nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Silence fell between them.
Lucia shook her head. “No. That cannot be right. Bonds like that are myths. Stories used to scare children.”
Mira’s gaze did not waver. “They are rare, but they are real.”
Fernando exhaled slowly, his mind already working through the implications. “How?”
Mira glanced at the wound in his chest. “The blade,” she said. “It was not ordinary. And the intent behind it was strong enough to trigger something ancient. Something that should have remained buried.”
Lucia looked unsettled. “So what now? How do we break it?”
Mira’s expression tightened. “We do not even know if it can be broken.”
Before either of them could respond, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.
A guard appeared moments later, his face pale, his breathing uneven as though he had been running.
“My lord,” he said, bowing quickly but clumsily. “There is… there is a problem.”
Fernando’s gaze shifted to him. “Speak.”
The guard hesitated, swallowing hard. “It is the pack,” he said. “Something has happened.”
Mira’s expression sharpened. “What kind of problem?”
The guard’s hands trembled slightly. “They are falling sick,” he said. “All of them. One after another. Some have already collapsed.”
Lucia frowned. “Collapsed? From what?”
The guard shook his head. “We do not know. But the healers say it is poison.”
The word hung in the air.
Fernando’s eyes darkened. “Poison?”
The guard nodded quickly. “Yes, my lord. And it is spreading fast.”
Mira’s jaw tightened. “This is not a coincidence.”
Lucia looked between them. “You think this is connected?”
Mira did not answer immediately, but the tension in her expression said enough.
Fernando straightened slightly despite the blade still lodged in his chest. “Take me to them,” he said.
Lucia frowned. “You are not in any condition to move.”
“I am not in any condition to stay still either,” Fernando replied, his voice firm despite the strain beneath it.
Mira studied him for a moment, then nodded. “We do not have time to argue.”
She turned to the guard. “Lead the way.”
The guard nodded quickly and turned, hurrying back down the corridor.
Lucia sighed but did not protest further. She tightened her grip on Fernando’s arm, her concern clear in the way her brows drew together.
“This is too much,” she murmured. “First the attack, now this?”