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Chapter 14 — When Silence Began to Weigh
Ana woke with a jolt, gripped by the unsettling feeling of having slept too long… far too long.
She blinked several times before slowly sitting up. The light spilling through the window felt wrong—higher, harsher, less gentle. The sun was never at that angle when she usually woke.
Her gaze drifted to the side table.
No breakfast.
She frowned and looked toward the magical clock embedded in the wall. The floating runes shifted as they sensed her attention.
2:07 p.m.
"…What?" she murmured, disbelief heavy in her voice.
She rubbed her warm, dark-skinned face, still foggy with sleep, and her black curls fell messily into her eyes. She knew she had trained until exhaustion the day before… but even so, something didn't add up.
She didn't have time to think about it.
The door opened without ceremony.
Yeana walked in.
"Get up," she said flatly.
Ana turned toward her at once.
Something was wrong.
It wasn't just the words, or even the tone. It was… her presence.
Yeana was always restrained, precise, almost surgical in every movement. But now, even before she spoke, something about her felt off.
Her colorless white eyes—normally calm and calculating—were tight with visible strain, as if something were pushing against them from the inside. Her posture was straight, yes, but rigid in a way Ana had never seen before.
"Is something wrong?" Ana asked, still half-asleep.
"Yes," Yeana replied. "And we don't have time."
She snapped her fingers, and two lycanthrope maids appeared almost instantly, bowing respectfully. They carried a tray of food.
"She eats. Now," Yeana ordered.
Ana opened her mouth to protest, but Yeana had already picked up a spoon.
"Uh…? Yeana, I can eat on my own—"
She didn't listen.
Yeana scooped up a bite and, without any delicacy, brought it straight to Ana's mouth.
"Open."
Confused, Ana obeyed.
"Hey, wait, you're going too fast—"
Another bite.
"Yeana—"
Another.
"Cough—kh—!"
Ana started coughing, clutching her chest as the air left her lungs for one second too long. The maids stiffened, but Yeana stopped immediately.
"…Tch," she muttered, pulling the spoon away. "Eat by yourself. But quickly."
Ana took several deep breaths until she recovered. When she looked up again, she noticed something that unsettled her even more.
Yeana was… tense.
Not physically—her breathing was controlled—but there was a strange rhythm to it, like she was forcibly holding something back. Her lycanthrope ears, usually relaxed, were angled slightly backward, tight, alert.
That was never a good sign.
"Yeana," Ana said, more seriously now. "Can you tell me what's going on? Why the rush?"
Yeana didn't answer right away. She walked to the window, stared out over the palace grounds for several endless seconds, then spoke without turning around.
"I'll tell you later. What matters is that we leave. Now."
"Leave? Why?"
"I already told you—you'll know soon."
Her voice was firm. Too firm. Forced.
Ana lowered her gaze to the plate, but her appetite was gone. Something uncomfortable had settled in her chest.
"You're not going to tell me… are you?" she murmured softly, more to herself than to Yeana.
Mistake.
Yeana's ears snapped sharply.
She turned.
And for the first time since Ana had met her… she lost control.
"I told you I'll explain later!" she snapped. "What part don't you understand!? Are you a monkey or what!?"
The air tightened.
The words hung there like a blow.
Ana froze.
Not because of the insult.
But because of Yeana's state.
Her breathing was uneven now, her chest rising and falling with restrained urgency, and her white eyes almost seemed to glow—as if something inside her was on the verge of spilling over.
Ana closed her mouth.
She didn't reply.
She had never seen Yeana like this.
Not even when Ana had failed spectacularly during magical practice.
Not even when she had made mistakes that, in any other context, would have been unforgivable.
This was different.
This was serious.
Very serious.
Ana remained silent as Yeana began pulling clothes from the wardrobes.
And that was the second strange thing.
She didn't take dresses.
Not fine fabrics.
Not ornaments.
She took sturdy pants. Simple shirts. Clothes meant for movement, for running, for survival. And finally…
A cloak.
Dark. Functional. Heavy.
Ana watched in silence as she was dressed. Her brown skin contrasted with the muted fabrics Yeana placed on her, and her black curls were partially hidden beneath the hood.
Yeana, meanwhile, moved with mechanical speed. Her pale white skin stood out in the light, and her long gray hair fell loose for the first time in a long while, framing her tense, alert lycanthrope ears.
"Ana," Yeana said suddenly. "It's not safe here. We need to leave."
Ana's heart skipped.
"Leave… where?"
"We'll hide for a few days," Yeana replied. "In a cabin, in the southern hemisphere forest."
"Earth region?" Ana repeated, confused. "But you belong to the Wind Region. Wouldn't it make more sense to go there?"
Yeana stared at her.
"That's exactly why we're not going there."
"…Why?"
"Because it's obvious."
Silence fell again.
Ana didn't understand anything. Everything felt wrong, as if she had woken up in a distorted version of the same palace.
"And Leo?" she finally asked. "And Nella?"
Yeana hesitated. Just for a second.
But Ana noticed.
"Nella is asleep," Yeana said. "And Leo… is outside the palace. On important business."
Ana frowned.
Something didn't fit.
Leo always informed them.
Always.
And yet… her instincts screamed otherwise.
She had no proof.
No information.
Only an uncomfortable certainty settling deep in her chest.
Right now… her safe place was Yeana.
No one else.
She nodded silently.
"Alright," she said at last. "I trust you."
Yeana closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"Thank you."
When they left, the palace felt different.
Too quiet.
And for the first time since Ana had arrived in that world…
the luxury didn't make her feel safe.
It only reminded her of something she still couldn't put into words:
Things were happening far beyond her reach.
And this time…
Leo wasn't there to explain them.
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