Meanwhile in the Castle
Ciel's POV
I jolted awake, drenched in sweat. Serena… Her name echoed in my skull like a curse. Dawn had already broken, and golden light filtered through my window—mocking me with its serenity.
I pushed myself out of the chair and walked, no—staggered—toward the garden. Each step was a battlefield, haunted by the fragments of my nightmare. Her screams, the look in her eyes when they dragged her away. No, she has to be safe. I told myself. She has to be.
I clenched my fists as my boots crunched over gravel. The guilt was eating me alive. I failed her. I let them take her.
With a growl, I slammed my fist into the stone wall. "Damn it!"
I had to stay calm. I had to. I couldn't afford to spiral. Not now. Not when she needed me. "Jason!" I barked.
He appeared at once. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Any word from the demons I sent to search?"
"None, Your Majesty."
I cursed under my breath. "And the investigation on the spy?"
"It's progressing. I'm getting close."
"Good. Keep going." I dismissed him and collapsed onto the garden swing, staring up at the rising sun like it might answer me.
Hold on, Serena… just a little longer. I'm coming for you.
Clara's POV
I flinched awake as someone yanked me from the creature's grasp. It was him again—the man with the twisted laughter. He dragged me to the center of the room, to a platform that began to open, revealing a dark, endless pit below.
"It's time for the revival ceremony," he said like it was some festival event, and the crowd responded with applause.
"No! What are you doing? Let me go!" I thrashed, panic clawing at my throat.
He leaned in close, his breath hot against my skin. "The revival ritual has begun."
Then he flung me into the pit.
The world blurred. I hit the cold, hard ground, pain radiating through me before everything went dark.
meanwhile in the castle Lucien's POV
"Damn it!" I shouted, slamming my fist into the wall. My mind wouldn't stop replaying the scene at the dining hall. I should've been faster. If anything happens to her—if she dies—my deal with Ael will be shattered. And all of this, everything, will be for nothing.
A knock broke through my thoughts. Lila stepped in, cloaked in secrecy.
"You? What are you doing here?"
"Shh," she whispered. "I'm leaving the castle soon. Jason's onto me. It won't be long before I'm exposed."
I gritted my teeth. "That little rat…"
"But that's not all." She leaned in. "I think… I think there's another spy in the castle."
"What?! Are you sure?"
"Yes. I felt a strange spiritual pressure weeks ago, in the garden. And again last night—right when the fallen angels vanished. I think whoever it is helped them take Clara."
I swore under my breath. "No. This just got worse."
"And they haven't found Clara yet," she added. "This was my final warning. I'll try to stay in touch."
I watched her go, my head pounding. Clara was gone. Lila, my only contact, was gone. And now there was another enemy among us.
But first, I had to get Clara back.
Clara's POV
I woke in suffocating darkness. Pain stabbed through every inch of me. My breath hitched as I tried to sit up.
"You're awake," a voice said.
That voice.
"What are you doing?! LET ME OUT!"
He laughed—that sick, gleeful laugh. "Sorry. You're no use to me like this. You need to return to your true form."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"A little birdie told me revival happens under intense danger… or pain. So, I've arranged a little test."
The ground trembled. My heart dropped.
"This pit you're in? We're going to fill it with water. Drowning—now that's a dangerous situation, don't you think?"
"NO! YOU'RE CRAZY!"
"Let it pour!" he called out.
A rush of water thundered into the pit.
"No, no, NO!" I screamed, scrambling for a way out. The cold water rose quickly—up to my legs, then my waist. My screams were drowned by laughter and gushing water.
I clawed at the slick stone walls in the dark. Nothing. No grip. No way out.
The water reached my chin. My nose. Then—I was submerged.
I can't breathe—I can't—
My lungs screamed. My chest burned like it was on fire. I thrashed, trying to break the surface, but it was no use. No escape. No air.
Tears streamed into the water. I'm going to die. The thought echoed in my mind.
I released the last of my air.
Agony flooded me.
And then—nothing.
Only darkness.