The room had been swallowed by silence for what felt like hours. Not a word passed between Eira and Ana. The heavy stillness sat between them like an invisible wall—cold, suffocating, and impenetrable. Neither dared speak, but the silence spoke plenty.
Then, finally, it cracked.
Ana’s voice pierced through the air, brittle but unwavering. "So, what are you thinking?" she asked. "Are you regretting it now? Regretting going to that pond? Talking to while I was crying? Comforting ?" She tilted her head, her tone challenging. "Do you regret all of it?"
Eira turned her gaze toward her—steady and calm, so calm that it was irritating to Ana.
"No," she said softly. "I don’t regret comforting a girl who was crying. That’s not a mistake. That’s just who I am. If I saw soone in pain again, I’d help them again. Even if it was you." Her voice grew firr. "What I do regret is thinking you were Ana. Thinking you were my friend. That..." Her words trailed for a mont as she exhaled. "That is what hurts."
Her voice cracked just slightly at the end, but she didn’t let it show for long.
"It’s painful," she went on. "Spending weeks with soone—laughing, studying, sharing stories, inviting them into your dorm, calling them your sister—only to realize it was all fake. Just a disguise. Just a mission."
She paused, staring directly into Ana’s face.
"But why wait two months? Why now? You could’ve done all this from the start. You didn’t need to play the friend. Why bring here now?"
Ana looked away, then shrugged with infuriating nonchalance. "Let’s just say... I got tired. I’ve been running missions for too long. So, I gave myself a little break. Two months of rest. I spent them at the school."
Eira gave a short, sharp laugh. It echoed through the dark room.
Ana frowned. "What’s funny?"
"Oh, nothing," Eira said, a cruel smirk on her lips. "Just rembering how you excelled in so of those classes. You were so talented, even I envied you sotis. But now I realize... you were just an old woman pretending to be a schoolgirl."
Ana’s face twisted in irritation. "Don’t call that."
"What? An old woman?" Eira’s grin widened. "But isn’t that what you are? What are you now—thirty? Forty? It’s hard to tell in the dark, but I’d bet you’re pushing forty. It must be exhausting pretending to be young, right?"
Ana rolled her eyes and sighed. "Stop this childish ga. You won’t bait into doing sothing stupid. I’ve been trained far too well for that. Don’t waste your ti with mind gas, little girl."
Eira leaned back and shrugged. "Oops. You caught on."
She tilted her head and said coldly, "So? What now? Co on—get it over with. Torture ? Kill ? Kidnapping isn’t fun if you’re just going to sit here in the dark and let get thirsty. You know, for soone who spent two months pretending to be my friend, you could at least offer a glass of water."
Ana didn’t respond to that. Instead, she answered plainly, "I’m not the one you need to worry about. I was just supposed to get you out. The rest..." She looked toward the door. "The rest is for soone else."
The room fell silent again.
Then—a knock ca from the door .
Ana imdiately rose, her wand already in hand. With a quick flick of her wrist, a mask appeared on her face, concealing her features.
"Oh," Eira mocked. "Suddenly shy? Don’t want the other villains to see your face?"
Ana ignored the jab. She stepped toward the door, her voice sharp. "Who is it?"
A man’s voice answered coolly, "I’m here to sell a phoenix."
With a flick of her wand, Ana opened the door. Two figures entered—a short man with sharp eyes and a taller one with broad shoulders and a cruel smirk.
Their eyes scanned the room, pausing on Eira.
"So this is the girl," the short one said. "Why isn’t she unconscious? Shouldn’t she be asleep or sothing?"
Ana crossed her arms. "Spare the complaints. My job was to deliver her. You can handle the rest."
The tall man chuckled. "She’s awake and feisty. That’s your problem."
Ana glared at him. "I’m done here. I’ll inform the employer that my part of the contract is fulfilled."
She turned to Eira. "Well, Eira... it was a beautiful two months. Surprisingly pleasant, I’ll admit. Who knows? If you survive, maybe we’ll et again soday."
Eira stared at her, unblinking. "If I live," she said in a low voice, "I promise you, Ana—or whatever your na really is—you’ll regret everything you did to . And if I find you again... you better be long gone."
The taller man gave a low whistle. "Such fire. She’s threatening you with a straight face. What did you do to her?"
Ana didn’t bother responding to that. "Enough. Finish your task before soone finds her. They’re already searching."
The short man nodded. "We’ll take care of it. Don’t worry."
Before leaving, Ana walked over and began patting down Eira’s robes. Her brow furrowed.
"Where’s your pouch? The one you always carry?"
Eira only smiled. "No idea. Maybe the wind took it."
Ana scowled. "Whatever. I just needed it as proof. Not my concern anymore."
She backed toward the door. "Goodbye... friend."
Then she was gone.
Eira was alone with the two strangers now. The taller man looked her up and down and grinned.
"Well, well. Eira White," he said slowly. "You look even prettier in person than in the newspaper ."
She glared at him. "And you two look uglier than I imagined. I pity your wives—if you’ve ever had any. Honestly, you both give off the vibe of lifelong bachelors... and not by choice."
The short man snorted, but the tall one narrowed his eyes and licked his lips. "Oh, now that’s not very nice. I could show you exactly how much experience I’ve had."
Eira sneered. "Don’t flatter yourself."
The shorter one muttered, "Let’s just go. We’ve wasted enough ti. We need to get her out before it’s too late."
"Fine, fine," the taller man said, disappointed. "But I’ve been waiting for this mont..."
Together, they moved toward her, and the dark room emptied once more.
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