The noble then walked up to the Elera look-alike. "Cassie. Dispose of him,"
he whispered before turning away.
Cassie pulled out a long, slim blade. Solved caught his reflection in the steel, his head lowering.
"Come on..." he muttered.
The blade came down with surgical precision, but Solved snapped the chain up to block.
"Argh!" he grunted as the impact rattled his bones. Cassie's knee slammed into his jaw, sending him crashing to the floor.
"Damn—that hurts," he spat, blood dripping from his split lip.
Cassie circled him like a predator, then grabbed his head and kicked it hard. The world spun. He tasted iron and spat out three broken teeth onto the floor.
"You're lucky I don't hit ladies," he rasped, a crooked grin tugging at his bloody mouth.
Cassie paused, tilting her head at him—expressionless, eyes cold, as if she didn't even hear him.
"What, no words? Not even a smug grin? You're more terrifying than him, you know."
From afar, the noble watched in silence.
Solved raised his eyes toward him, defiance burning even through the pain.
"At least let me know the name of the one rocking me to sleep tonight… my pacifier."
The noble smirked faintly.
"Pacifier, hmm? You're braver than most. I'll humor you…"
Eyes sharp with pride. " Aldrey Blackwood."
"I enjoyed the hospitality," Solved hissed, the sting of his split lips twisting into a smirk. "Been to worse pig farms… this is better."
Aldrey's eyes widened, fury flashing.
In a blink, Cassie was already at Solved's throat, blade kissing his skin before he could react. It was as if Aldrey hadn't spoken a word, yet she moved—obedient, precise, like the order had passed between them without sound.
Then—clang. Metal rang out as someone deflected Cassie's sword away from his neck.
Solved smiled, a dark little thing. The plan had worked.
"Took you long enough," Solved croaked, lifting his head to see Nika standing there.
"Your little stone triangle was clever. Made tracking you through the domain barrier possible." Nika's tone was already sharp, aggressive. "But you're not still smarter that Captain Val"
"Never said I was—" Solved replied
Aldrey staggered back, stupefied. How had she appeared there? He touched his cuffs, frowning. "I knew, from the onset," he said at last, tilting his head toward her. "You… you were tracking me."
"Royal guards," Aldrey hissed, accusing.
Nika turned to him, voice cold. "Aldrey—your games are over. Surrender yourself, or die quickly." She flexed her fingers like a gauntlet around a threat.
Aldrey laughed, contemptuous. "You think you can threaten me? Think again."
At his words, hundreds of figures rose from the shadows, blades catching the dim light.
"Let me see you win," Aldrey said, amused—challenging the world to try.
Nika didn't rush. She didn't draw her blade. She simply walked forward, her eyes locked on Aldrey.
"Fool," she said, voice calm, almost casual.
"Hey—look out!" Solved shouted, spotting Cassie's sudden strike from the corner of his eye.
But Nika didn't move.
The blade cut straight through her body like smoke, like a ghost. No sound of flesh, no blood. Nothing.
Cassie blinked, her expressionless mask flickering for the first time.
Solved's breath caught. What the—? His mind reeled, trying to reconcile what he'd just seen.
Could this… be her power?
He staggered upright, bones aching, mouth tasting of iron. Every breath burned his chest, but his eyes were locked on Nika.
"How's that possible?." The blows that had shattered him—teeth, ribs, pride—meant nothing here. Against her, they were zero.
NIKa blurred and clashed blades with Aldrey, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Their blades crashed, sparks flying.
NIKa spun with an arc from the side, but Aldrey blocked. Shadows flared, but they did no harm.
She twisted again, striking from below. Aldrey leapt back.
"Curse you!" he spat, then swung from above—only for NIKa to split the strike, flipping and kicking him in the abdomen.
"You disgust me," she said, landing with sharp grace. "Fool."
They leapt apart, then clashed again.
All Solved could do was watch, still chained. NIKa didn't look like she needed help anyway.
Then the environment began to shift. The house bent, warping like time itself. Solved watched Aldrey struggle to keep up with her strikes.
What's happening? he thought. The shadows Aldrey creates can't harm. This place is reacting to his exhaustion. Is this… an illusion?
But if it was, then why did he still feel pain?
The clash stopped. Solved raised his head. Aldrey stood bleeding, scars etched across his body, but he still refused to fall.
"I'm not done," Aldrey hissed.
"I know." NIKa placed her hand on her waist, sassy, almost bored. "You haven't begged for mercy. Fool."
What's with her and that word…? That's like the third time.
Then Aldrey screamed, and the world shattered. The manor vanished. They were now in a jungle, monstrous creatures lurking in the brush. Solved would've sworn it looked straight out of Jurassic Park.
The chains on his wrists were gone—but not the damage.
"Hell no…" Solved groaned, dragging himself up.
"NIKa!" he shouted, staggering toward her, pain stabbing his ribs.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Stand aside. You'll only slow me."
"I'm good. Never wanted to join anyway." He clutched his side, then pointed weakly at the dagger at her hip. "At least lend me that."
"Hmph. Fool," she muttered. "You can't be compared to the Captain. Waving a blade at mere illusions."
Then it clicked. Illusions. She'd confirmed it.
But then—why did it hurt him?
It had to be what Aldrey said earlier: belief. This place worked only if your mind accepted it as real. The alleys, the room, the blows. Illusions made real only by faith.
Aldrey's monsters lunged.
This time, Solved turned his back on them. Fear clawed his gut, but he forced it down. Not real. Not real.
And just like that—he found himself outside, below the cliff.
He looked up. The jungle, the manor, the monsters—they were gone.
"So it was that easy…" he breathed. "I only escaped because I thought it was real."
Then his eyes caught it—a cave, gated, waiting in silence.