Then, finally, the door creaked open.
A plain-looking woman stood there, modestly dressed in a long linen skirt and fitted bodice over a simple blouse. Her hair was tucked neatly into a linen cap, but her wide eyes betrayed her fear.
“Um, ma’am?” she said softly, wringing her hands. “Are you here to see the master of the house?”
“I am,” I said. “I’m here for Master Costa.”
Before she could respond, Raul appeared in the hallway behind her, moving like a storm barreling toward the coast. His expression twisted the moment he saw me—an ugly mixture of fury and disbelief that drained the color from his face.
“Noemi,” he barked, “get away from the door. Now.”
The maid flinched and vanished down the hall without a word.
Raul turned back to me, and the years melted off him for a brief second. I saw the man he once was—before it hardened into grief and ruin.
“You,” he spat. “Howdareyou show your face here?”
The rage in his voice made the air crackle.
Even in his forties, Raul retained his former handsomeness, but time and tragedy had carved bitterness deep into his face. His features were drawn, his jaw clenched tight, his eyes wild with pain.
“It’s… good to see you, Raul,” I said, forcing a smile, though fear pricked beneath my skin.
He lunged forward and grabbed me by the throat, slamming me back against the doorframe.
“Youbitch,” he hissed. “You set me up! Because of you, Balthazar murdered my son.My son!He stole everything from me—my wife, my name, my peace. I havenothingleft because of you!”
His grip tightened.
“You played me for a fool.”
His voice rose with every word, each syllable crashing against me like a battering ram. It wasn’t just rage—it was fury forged inbetrayal. The hatred in his eyes burned so hot that it scorched straight through me, leaving me breathless andafraid.
“Raul, please—let me explain!” I gasped, gripping his hand where it clamped around my throat.
With a guttural growl, he shook me hard and shoved me back. I stumbled, barely catching myself before tumbling down the stone steps behind me.
“Please,” I repeated, my voice breaking. “Icaredfor you—I always did. But I couldn’t stay. Balthazar is a demon, Raul—a treacherous, soul-eating monster. I lived in fear every day with him. He’s hunting me now… That’s why I’ve come. To beg for mercy—to fix what’s been broken between us.”
I touched my aching neck, heart hammering in my chest.
“Mercy?” Raul roared, his voice shaking the very air around us. “You wantforgiveness? I should slit your throat where you stand—just like any Timehunter would do to a traitor like you!”
Before I could reply, he seized my arm and yanked me away from the door.
I stumbled after him, tripping over roots and weeds in the overgrown yard. He dragged me behind the estate and flung open a heavy door, revealing a narrow staircase that spiraled downward.
He hauled me into the depths of his home like a man possessed.
At the bottom was a circular chamber bathed in the eerie glow of oil lamps. Dozens of them lined the stone walls, casting a dancing amber light that gave everything the shimmer of a fever dream. A round table dominated the center, its surface gleaming like polished bone. Daggers were arranged in the shape of a sunburst, each weathered by time, their cracked hilts whispering of violence.
Raul didn’t stop.
He snatched a blade as we passed and shoved open another door, dragging me into a chamber that reeked of death.
Bones.
Bones were everywhere—scattered across the floor in heaps and piles, some so small they could’ve belonged to children. The flickering torchlight made the scene shift and pulse like something alive. The walls were lined with skulls, their hollow sockets staring blankly, eternally frozen in silent screams.
