NOVGO.NET Chapter 353: Scary Illusion
Chapter 353: Scary Illusion
Merisa had just… looked.
And just as she looked, her heart suddenly stopped.
Not slowed. Not skipped.
It stopped.
As if something had grabbed it with a hand and crushed it mid-beat.
A violent shiver ran down from the crown of her head, straight through her spine, exploding outward into her limbs, making her entire body shudder uncontrollably. Her breath caught in her throat, refusing to come out, refusing to go back in. The scene in front of her was something beyond fear.. beyond shock something so wrong that even her calm, trained mind completely collapsed.
Her eyes widened.
Not in disbelief.
In horror.
She couldn’t even react. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t move. All the composure she had built over centuries.. gone. Stripped away in an instant.
She saw
Nova.
Nova suddenly entered through the door.
Her entire body was drenched, as if she had just walked out of a storm. Water dripped from her soaked hair, trailing down her face, her neck, her shoulders, leaving dark stains on the floor beneath her feet. Her clothes clung to her skin, torn in places, soaked not just with rain but with blood.
Scars. Fresh wounds and Cuts.
Her body looked like it had been dragged through hell.
Nova lifted her head.
Tears were flowing continuously from her eyes, not stopping, not slowing, spilling down her cheeks and mixing with rain and blood. And yet.. on her face there was a smile.
A wide, forced smile.
One that didn’t belong there.
One that looked stitched onto her face.
Her eyes were hollow. Completely empty. As if whatever soul once lived behind them had already left.
“I completed your mission, Mother.”
Nova’s voice was broken.
Cracked and Shaking.
Each word sounded like it was tearing something inside her apart as it came out.
That single sentence sent shivers crashing through Merisa’s entire body. Not metaphorical.. real. Her knees weakened. Her fingers twitched. Her mind screamed at her to reject what she was seeing, but her eyes refused to look away.
Because
In Nova’s right hand
She was clutching Razeal’s severed head.
Her fingers were tangled in his hair, gripping it tightly, as if afraid it might fall if she let go. His head dangled limply from her grasp, blood still trickling down from the jagged cut of his neck, dripping slowly, rhythmically, onto the floor below.
Merisa stared.
She stared at his face.
His eyes were open.
Lifeless.
Empty.
Gone.
Her son.
Dead.
“W.. what…?”
The word barely left her mouth.
Merisa stuttered, the sound weak, broken, foreign even to her own ears. The scene was too much. Too large. Too overwhelming. Her mind simply shut down. Thoughts collided and collapsed, exploding into nothingness.
Razeal?
Dead?
And
Killed by Nova?
It was the worst thought she had ever imagined.
Worse than anything she had feared.
Worse than any punishment, any regret, any mistake.
Somewhere, deep in her mind, she knew this was an illusion.
She knew it.
But the terror didn’t care.
The fear didn’t care.
The sight was too real. Too vivid. Too cruel.
It reached down into her soul and shook it violently.
Before she could stop herself.. before logic could reassert control she disappeared from where she stood.
In the next instant, she reappeared directly in front of Nova.
Her foot slammed into Nova’s abdomen.
The impact was brutal.
Nova flew backward, her body smashing into the wall with a sickening sound before collapsing onto the floor in a heap. Water and blood splashed outward as she hit.
Merisa was already moving.
She dropped down on top of Nova, straddling her, clutching her collar with both hands, fingers digging in, shaking uncontrollably.
“W..what did you do…?”
Her voice was breaking now.
“Did you kill your brother?”
Her grip tightened.
“Why did you do it?!”
Nova didn’t resist kr struggle.
Didn’t even react to the kick.
She simply looked up at Merisa with the same broken smile, the same dead eyes.
“What… Mother?”
Her voice was soft.
Confused.
“Didn’t you order me to kill him?”
The words hit Merisa like a blade.
“I… did I?”
Her eyes trembled violently as she stared at Nova, disbelief and fury colliding inside her chest. She wanted to scream that it wasn’t true, that she would never but the image in front of her refused to let her deny it.
“Yes,” Nova said calmly.
“You even ordered me to bring his head back.”
Nova lifted her arm.
Slowly.
Carefully.
She raised Razeal’s head higher and brought it closer.. closer until it was directly in front of Merisa’s face.
Then she placed it into Merisa’s hands.
The moment her skin touched his
Merisa’s soul trembled.
Her hands trembled violently as she held her son’s face. It felt too real. The warmth. The weight. The smell of blood. The sticky texture against her palms.
This wasn’t just sight.
It was touch.
It was sensation.
It was reality.
Even knowing it was an illusion, she couldn’t take it.
Her breath shattered into a scream.
“Nooooo!”
She hurled the head from her hands.
It struck the wooden floor with a dull, heavy thud, rolled away slowly, leaving a thin, dark trail behind it, before finally stopping in the corner of the room.
That moment..
Something inside Merisa broke.
Her eyes were wide, frozen, filled with a horror beyond fear, beyond despair. Her entire being was shaking, her chest heaving as if she couldn’t pull enough air into her lungs.
“I… I did it, Mother.”
Nova’s voice came from below.
“Now… are you happy?”
“You… you…”
Merisa’s lips trembled violently as she stared down at Nova, her eyes wide, horror overflowing so strongly that it felt like it might spill out of her body entirely. Her breath came out broken, uneven, as if her lungs no longer remembered how to work properly. “Why did you do it…?”
Her voice cracked mid-sentence.
“Why did you do it…?”
Nova looked up at her.
Her smile didn’t fade.
Tears continued to escape her eyes, sliding down her cheeks endlessly, but her lips stayed curved upward in that same broken, unnatural way.. as if smiling was the only thing left that her face knew how to do.
“Because you asked me, Mother,” Nova replied softly. “It was your order.”
Her voice didn’t shake.
That was what made it worse.
“You… you…”
Merisa staggered, her entire body trembling now, as if something inside her bones had fractured. Her fingers twitched uselessly at her sides. “How dare you…”
Her voice rose, sharp and hysterical.
“How dare you do it?! He’s still your brother!”
Her eyes burned as she looked down at Nova, disbelief and fury crashing together violently.
“Even if I give you an order.. how could you have the heart to kill him?!”
Her lips quivered uncontrollably.
“How… how could you…?”
Nova’s smile trembled slightly, but it didn’t disappear.
“You said you’d kill him if I didn’t,” Nova replied quietly. “I didn’t want him to feel sad… being killed by you.”
Her voice cracked then, just a little.
“He… he didn’t deserve that, Mother. He didn’t.”
Tears poured faster now, but her smile stayed.
“So… I killed him. With my own hands.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“As you said.”
“Noooo… noo… no.”
Merisa stumbled backward as if struck. Her legs gave out, and she fell hard onto her back, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. She lay there, frozen, staring up at Nova’s hollow eyes, terror spreading across her face like poison.
Those words.
Those exact words.
She remembered them.
The same tone. The same logic. The same authority she gave.
They were the same words she had once used when she ordered Nova to lash Razeal in public.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Her gaze drifted unwillingly to the severed head lying on the floor.
Razeal’s lifeless eyes stared back.
Open.
Empty.
Her soul screamed.
Her entire being recoiled in pain, as if something inside her had been ripped apart and crushed underfoot.
“My son… dead…?”
Her voice came out as a whisper.
“Why… why does this hurt so much…?”
She shook her head violently, trying to clear it.
“This… this is just an illusion…” she murmured, her voice thin and desperate.
She began sliding backward on the floor, palms scraping uselessly against the surface as she crawled away, trying to put distance between herself and that head.
“You… you killed him?” she whispered again, her eyes unfocused.
“He… he didn’t even do it…”
Her words fell apart as she spoke.
“Why… why did you do it…?”
She continued crawling backward, shaking, repeating under her breath that this wasn’t real, that it couldn’t be real… when suddenly
Selena rushed forward.
She dropped to her knees beside Razeal’s head and gathered it into her arms, clutching it against her chest as if holding something precious, something fragile.
“Noooo!”
Merisa cried out, her voice breaking completely.
“I didn’t… he’s my son… I would never!”
She shook her head violently.
“This is just an illusion!”
Her tears flowed uncontrollably now, streaking down her face without restraint.
“No… you did,” Selena shouted, her voice hoarse.
“I begged you not to. I begged you.”
Her eyes were red, swollen, filled with pain.
“And now are you happy?”
Her voice shook violently.
“You killed your son too.”
Merisa’s breath hitched.
“After your husband… and now your son…”
Another voice joined in.
Celestia.
She stood there, tears in her eyes, pointing accusingly at Merisa.
“What are you satisfied now?”
Her voice trembled with fury and sorrow.
“Tell me.. are you satisfied?”
“No… no, I’m not…”
Merisa sobbed openly now, her hands clutching at her chest as if trying to hold her heart together.
“I’m not… I’m not…”
Her words broke apart completely.
The cold, composed, untouchable matriarch of the Virelan family.. the woman feared by worlds was gone.
In her place was only a trembling woman, broken and collapsing under the weight of her own choices.
“But what is this then?” Selena demanded, lifting Razeal’s head and thrusting it forward.
“You killed your own son.”
Her voice was sharp, cutting.
“If not for your own happiness, then what was it for?”
She took a step closer.
“Noooo!”
Merisa screamed, scrambling backward again, panic overtaking her entirely.
“I didn’t… I didn’t…!”
Her hands shook violently.
“This is too much…”
Her voice rose into hysteria.
“I… I need to leave.. let me leaveeee!”
She screamed the words, desperate to escape the nightmare, desperate to tear herself away from the scene.
But before she could
A hand grabbed her wrist.
Merisa froze.
She turned sharply, her tear-filled eyes widening as she saw
Marcella.
She didn’t know when she appeared.
“My lady… my lady,” Marcella said urgently, gripping her hand tightly.
“I found a way.”
Merisa stared at her, breathless, stunned.
“A way… to redo everything.”
Marcella’s eyes shone with desperate hope.
“I found it. The solution.”
Her grip tightened.
“To correct everything.”
“W… what…?”
Merisa whispered, tears still streaming as she looked at her in shock.
Her attempt to flee vanished completely.
Her entire focus snapped back to the moment.
“What… do you mean…?”
This… this is… Regression stone…
Merisa’s hollow eyes trembled as Marcella pressed the object into her palm. The moment it touched her skin, she felt it.. divine energy, dense and ancient, flowing directly into her nerves, her bones, her blood. It wasn’t subtle. It wasn’t gentle. It was heavy and Real.
“My lady,” Marcella said again, her voice shaking with urgency, “I found it. With this you can go back in time And fix everything. Take it and go. Everything will be back. Please… turn everything right.”
Merisa didn’t answer.
Her fingers closed around the stone on instinct, gripping it tightly as if afraid it might disappear if she loosened her hold even a little.
Go back in time…?
Correct everything…?
The words echoed inside her head, colliding violently with everything she had just seen.
Her mind erupted.
Images replayed uncontrollably.. What had happened.. That day.. his rejection, his hatred, his words cutting deeper than blades. The punishment. The lashes. The public humiliation. The empire. Razeal running away?
Fix everything…?
She could punish him properly this time?
Not too harsh. Not too soft.. Just enough so not to break him.
She wouldn’t let him run away.
No… this way
No.
She could stop it outright. Stop everything before it ever happened. Never allow events to spiral the way they had.
Countless thoughts collided in her mind, relentless and overwhelming.
She should use it.
She should correct it.
The thought rose naturally, dangerously, as if it had always been waiting there.
But
This is… just an illusion?
The realization slammed into her again, cold and sharp, slicing through her spiraling thoughts.
Her eyes widened slightly as her breathing steadied, just a fraction.
This is still an illusion.
Everything here is fake.
Selena. Celestia. Nova. Marcella. The stone.
All fake.
She knew that.
She had known it from the beginning.
And yet…
Her gaze dropped back to the stone resting in her hand.
It felt real.
The weight was real.
The warmth pulsing inside it was real.
Even knowing it was an illusion, her senses screamed otherwise.
But… what if she just watched?
What if she just felt it?
What if she just experienced it?
She wasn’t saying she would actually use it.
Just… see.
Just see how it feels.
Just for a moment.
Just to know.
There’s no harm in seeing, right?
A faint, dangerous thought slipped in.
She could leave anytime.. She knew she could leave now.
She could tear this illusion apart with a single thought.
But then
Her eyes widened.
Wait.
This illusion…
Every time I try to leave… something stops me.
Her gaze snapped up, scanning the room, scanning every detail.
Every interruption?Every appearance? Every emotional strike.
Every time she gathered herself to leave, something happened.
Selena appeared.
Celestia appeared.
Nova appeared.
Now Marcella.
Every single moment the illusion dragged her deeper, not by force.. but by desire.
By regret.
By longing.
By guilt.
By hope.
Her deepest of emotions and desires.
It was restraining her emotionally.
She inhaled slowly, sharply.
Everything here is too perfect.
Too precise.
Too targeted.
It wasn’t random.
It wasn’t brute-force illusion.
It was weird.. This Illusion was
As if ..this illusion… knew her.
It knew exactly what she wanted to see.
And exactly what she never wanted to see.
It dragged her through her worst nightmare.. her son dead then immediately offered her the one thing she desired more than anything else.
A way to undo it.
This illusion is trying to trap me.
Not by locking me in.
But by making me choose to stay.
Her fingers trembled slightly around the stone.
She couldn’t believe she had let an illusion push her this far.
Make her cry?scream?
even cose to break
But at the same time
How could she not?
This illusion wasn’t wrong.
It touched the deepest core of her existence.
Her greatest regret.
Her greatest fear.
Her greatest desire.
Even she herself wouldn’t have been able to design something so perfectly tailored to her heart.
Not even as the strongest illusionist in the world.
Her mind raced.
How does an illusionist even know this much?
How does someone know things she herself refuses to think about?
How does someone reach this deep?
This illusion wasn’t just showing her things.. It was understanding her. And that terrified her.
She looked around again.
The room, the air, the presence.
Everything was flawless.
Five senses perfectly replicated.
The smell, texture, temperature.
The sound of her own breathing.
Reality and illusion were indistinguishable.
The only difference was knowledge.
And knowledge didn’t make it easier.
Because emotionally
This was real.
She swallowed hard.
This illusion destroyed all her hopes first.
Showed her the absolute worst possible outcome.
Her son dead.
Killed.
Because of her.
And then
It offered salvation.
Redo everything.
Undo everything.
Live in a world where she doesn’t lose him.
Where she fixes it all.
She stared down at the stone again.
Already knowing.
Already understanding.
This illusion wants me to keep going. It wants me to choose regression. It wants me to sink deeper.. wants me to desire it, wants me to accept it… And the worst part
She wanted to.
Even knowing it was fake even knowing it was a trap.
Even knowing it wasn’t real.
The desire was there.
Like lust.
Like a dream you know isn’t real but don’t want to wake up from.
Like a fantasy so perfect you willingly drown in it.
She exhaled shakily.
Should I… keep going?
The question echoed softly inside her mind.
Just a little more.
Just to see.
Just to experience it.
Just to feel what it would be like if she could truly go back.
Even if it’s fake.
Even if it’s a lie.
Even if it’s temporary.
She didn’t mind.
Not right now.
Living inside that dream.. even briefly felt better than facing the reality waiting outside.
Like it’s… not like she’s losing anything, right?
It’s just an illusion.
That thought kept repeating itself in Merisa’s mind, again and again, as if trying to convince herself rather than stating a fact. An illusion couldn’t take anything from her. It couldn’t steal time. It couldn’t change reality. It couldn’t bind her permanently. At worst, it would just fade. At worst, she would wake up.
She would automatically leave when she was satisfied.
Right?
It wasn’t like she was in a hurry to do anything. There was nothing waiting for her outside that required immediate attention. No battle she needed to fight right now. No empire collapsing without her. No urgent decision that couldn’t wait a few more moments.. Razeal could also.. Wait not like he can run. She’s sure about that.
Maybe just for some time.
Just for a little while.
She honestly just wanted to escape reality for some time.
Reality had been cruel to her. More cruel than she ever admitted out loud. More cruel than she ever allowed herself to feel. She had endured it silently for years, swallowing regret, swallowing grief, swallowing resentment, convincing herself that it was all necessary, that it was all right, that it was all the price she had to pay for doing the “right thing.”
But standing here, inside this illusion, with everything laid bare… she was tired.. Scared.
She hesitated.
Her gaze dropped again to the stone resting in her palm.
The regression stone.
Its surface shimmered faintly, divine energy swirling inside it like a living thing, as if it were breathing. It felt warm. Comforting. Heavy with promise.
Leave it… or not?
She didn’t know why, but at this point it felt like a crossroads she had never expected to face. If she chose it, something inside her whispered that she wouldn’t be able to return the same way. And if she didn’t choose it… another voice told her she would regret it for the rest of her existence.
As if this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
As if this was the only moment where the universe itself had opened a door just for her.
Go on, my lady… I can’t see you suffering like this. Please correct everything…
Marcella’s voice came again from the side, soft, trembling, filled with genuine pleading.
Merisa lifted her eyes to look at her.
That expression.
That face.
So sincere. So desperate. As if she truly believed this was the solution. As if she truly believed Merisa could save everything. As if she truly believed this was the right choice.
Merisa took a deep breath.
Slow.
Controlled.
Her mind felt strangely calm now, even as emotions churned beneath the surface. Somewhere deep inside, she already knew she had made her decision.
But suddenly
Her purple eyes sharpened.
Something cold settled into her gaze.
And then..
Without hesitation, without drama, without giving herself time to doubt again
She crushed the stone.
Crack.
The sound was sharp, final.
Divine energy burst outward for a split second before dispersing into nothingness, the fragments crumbling into dust between her fingers and falling to the ground.
“Even able to sway my heart…Very admirable.”
Merisa spoke in a cold, steady voice.
Her eyes had lost all softness now, returning to that familiar, distant sharpness. Her breathing was slightly heavier than usual, but she ignored it. She could feel her pulse, could feel how close she had been to losing herself.
“If not for their reminder… she might have.”
She closed her fingers, letting the last traces of dust fall.
Using my deepest emotions… to keep me here?
Her jaw tightened slightly.
She had almost fallen for it.
Almost chosen to drown in her own desire.
Almost chosen comfort over clarity.
Before leaving, she spoke once more, her voice low and firm, cutting through the illusion itself.
Enough.
And then
She tore the space apart.
Wait.. what? What happened so suddenly?
Levy’s voice rang out, confused and startled, as he watched from his elevated, godlike perspective over the illusion.
He had been focused. Deeply focused. Every part of his consciousness poured into maintaining the structure, the emotions, the flow. He had been sure.. absolutely sure that she was about to choose it.
And then
Everything collapsed.
The illusion shattered like glass.
What just happened?
Levy frowned deeply, genuinely baffled.
—
Outside.
Reality snapped back into place.
Razeal’s eyes immediately locked onto Merisa’s figure the moment her presence shifted.
She froze.
Completely still.
Her body remained suspended in front of him, her posture unchanged, her expression blank. No movement. No reaction.
Razeal’s head turned slightly toward Levy.
The green-eyed man had his eyes tightly shut, brows drawn together, clearly concentrating with everything he had. Sweat glistened faintly at his temples.
So… it worked.
A small, sharp smile tugged at the corner of Razeal’s lips.
He hadn’t really believed it would.
He had hoped.. but hope wasn’t the same as expectation.
Yet here she was.
Frozen, Caught and very
Still.
He tried to move.
Nothing.
His body still didn’t respond.
No matter how much he strained, no matter how much strength he tried to summon, the psychic pressure remained. Her control hadn’t loosened in the slightest.
What the hell?
Razeal frowned.
Is she seriously able to keep restraining me while being trapped in an illusion?
He turned his gaze back to her face, studying it carefully.
Something felt… off.
Wait.
His eyes narrowed.
Fuck.
He stared into her deep purple eyes.
Those fuckers.
The realization hit him instantly.
Those things… those things must be controlling this now.
She was definitely in that illusion..
Something else had taken over.
Shit.
He had almost forgotten.
Illusions won’t work now.
Not fully.
Not the way he hoped.. atleast
Razeal’s smile faded.
He exhaled quietly, already calculating, already shifting gears in his mind. If this didn’t work, he would need something else. Another idea. Another angle. He couldn’t stay like this.
He was just about to think further
When he stopped.
Completely.
Because something changed.
Slowly… unmistakably…
Tears began to fall from Merisa’s eyes.
They streamed down her cheeks in straight, silent lines, glistening as they drifted through the air.
From those deep, royal purple eyes.
Razeal stared.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
He had never seen this.
Not once.
Not ever.
No rage. No coldness. No command. No judgment.
Just tears.
Silent and Uncontrollable.
Falling from the eyes of the woman who had always seemed untouchable.
His eyes opened wide, but his mouth didn’t.
Not even a single word came out.
For a moment, Razeal genuinely didn’t know how to react. Not because he didn’t want to react.. but because he simply didn’t know how. His mind froze, his thoughts scattered, and for once, there was no immediate calculation, no instinctive defense, no cold response ready to surface.
After all… this was the first time.
The first ever time.
He had seen his mother cry… Like crying which seems real… Not crocodile ones.
From the day of his birth, through childhood, through punishment, through separation, through hatred, through everything.. never. Not once. Not even during moments where any normal person would have broken down. She had always been there, towering, unmoving, cold, unshakable. A presence more than a person. A law more than a mother.
But now
Tears were falling from her eyes.
And that alone was enough to throw his entire world off balance.
He didn’t know what to feel about it.
Honestly… he hated her. At least, that was what he told himself. He believed it. He clung to it. He had sworn to never call her “mother” again, to never acknowledge her as such. He had built that wall with his own hands, brick by brick, fueled by resentment and pain.
Yet looking at the woman floating in front of him now.. the woman he had vowed to erase from his heart his chest felt… Kinda strange.
Not pain.
Not anger.
Just something off.
Something he didn’t want to examine too closely.
Still, he didn’t let it show.
He forced a smile onto his face, twisting his lips upward as if amused, as if entertained, as if none of this mattered. As if he was enjoying the sight. As if her tears meant nothing to him.
“Hah…”
He shook his head slightly, pretending indifference, pretending superiority, pretending detachment.
I can never feel anything about this woman.
That was what he told himself.
That was what he needed to believe.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on her face.
“I wonder what he’s showing her in that illusion,” he thought silently, his gaze narrowing just a little. “To make even a heartless woman like her cry…”
He was still thinking
When suddenly, Merisa moved.
Her body twitched almost imperceptibly, and then her eyes shifted. She blinked once. Then again. As if waking from a dream.
As if something inside her had snapped.
Razeal stiffened.
If his body had been free, he would have immediately floated backward, putting distance between them without thinking. The look in her eyes for those first few seconds after she opened them was… terrifying. Raw. Unfiltered. Dangerous in a way he had rarely seen, even from her.
What?
She’s already out?
Not even ten seconds?
That realization hit him fast.
It wasn’t actually bad.. far from it. The fact that Levy had managed to trap someone of her level for close to ten seconds was beyond absurd. Ten seconds. Against an opponent like her, ten seconds could decide life or death. Ten seconds was enough to erase entire existences.
Even one second would have been insane.
Razeal couldn’t help but feel impressed.
Levy wasn’t useless at all.
Seems like he was worth the effort… worth nurturing a bit more.
His thoughts shifted again, sharper now.
And that look in her eyes…
What the fuck did she see in that illusion?
She’s not about to go on a killing spree, right?
For the first time since she arrived, Razeal felt a sliver of genuine uncertainty.
Merisa opened her eyes fully.
Tears were still streaking down her face, unbroken, unapologetic, cutting clean lines through her composed expression. She didn’t bother wiping them away immediately. Instead, she turned her head slowly toward Levy.
“It was an excellent illusion,” she said calmly.
Her voice was steady. Too steady.
Levy, who had just opened his eyes as well, nearly froze in place.
The moment his vision cleared, he found himself staring directly into the eyes of Merisa Virelan.
Danger.
Pure, absolute danger.
Yet… mixed with something else.
Praise.
It was such a bizarre combination that his mind couldn’t process it properly. His body felt cold, his heartbeat spiked, and his thoughts tangled together. Was he supposed to be proud? Terrified? Both?
He didn’t get time to decide.
“Now let me show you mine,” Merisa said.
She lifted her hand and pointed her finger directly at Levy.
In the next instant, her power surged.
An illusion slammed into Levy’s mind without warning, without resistance, without mercy. It was fast. Precise. Absolute.
Levy’s eyes went hollow.
His body froze mid-air, caught in place by her restriction, his consciousness dragged somewhere else entirely.
She had done it in a single moment.
Effortless, Silent and totally Brutal.
Everyone else remained silent.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The air itself felt heavy, as if even the ocean around them was holding its breath.
Finally, Merisa turned her gaze back to Razeal.
Tears were still in her eyes.
“Honestly…” she said calmly, meeting his gaze directly. “That was fucking scary.”
Razeal blinked.
He hadn’t expected that tone.
Not those words.
Something that could scare her?
Now his curiosity deepened into something sharper. Whatever she had seen in that illusion.. it wasn’t just painful. It wasn’t just emotional. It was something that had shaken her on a fundamental level.
His eyes searched her face, but she didn’t elaborate.
“Anyway,” Merisa continued after a brief pause, lifting her hands and wiping the tears from her face as if erasing them meant erasing the moment itself. “Let’s clear things out today.”
—-