Chapter 59: LIAR

Zayn cursed in his mind.

’Axel... why did you have to be so popular?’

It wasn’t a well-kept secret — or even a secret at all — that whatever was budding between Leora and Axel had begun to reach beyond mere camaraderie.

Through his own selfishness, Zayn had ended two love stories before either could properly begin.

The star crosser guided by fate’s hand.

Leora let out an awkward laugh.

"Why are you guys so quiet...?"

Zayn averted his eyes, unable to look at her any longer.

"This prank isn’t funny..."

Maks lowered his gaze to his trembling hands.

"It’s not funny."

Even Lucas couldn’t meet Leora’s face when she screamed:

"It’s not funny at all!"

Ruby’s voice faltered:

"Please—"

Then she rushed over and wrapped her arms around Leora from behind.

"L-Leora, please stop!"

"D-do you not know what they’re—"

Ruby cut her off:

"I— I know! But they haven’t told us what happened yet. Maybe—!"

Zayn spun around in his chair. His eyes locked on the floorboards, he said:

"She assumed right... Axel, Connor, and Ryon. They’re dead."

Leora stood frozen, her mouth agape as she stared blankly at Zayn.

Ruby’s arms went slack. Slowly, she drew away from Leora as hope drained from her face. She had allowed herself to believe, however briefly, that the three men before her might be joking. That this was just a distasteful, horribly crude joke.

It wasn’t.

Wearily, Zayn’s gaze climbed up Leora’s body, eventually meeting her vacant stare.

With wide eyes, Leora whispered:

"You."

Zayn braced himself for what was coming while preparing his apology.

’I’m sorry...’

The phrase he’d been and would be saying for quite some time. The contemptible phrasr.

Leora’s jaw clenched as she rasped:

"You..."

Zayn was the strongest among them. It was only natural that their blame would settle on him.

He was ready... to bear it.

Her jaw slowly unclenched. When Leora spoke again, her voice had gone small:

"You lied."

Her eyes were locked on Zayn, but it was clear her mind saw something — someone — else.

Then the accusation tore from her as a scream:

"You lied!"

Her voice cracked on the next words:

"Y-you... you promised."

Leora swayed, then collapsed to her knees as tears spilled down her burning cheeks.

"You liar! You promised! You promised you would survive!"

Ruby dropped beside her and reached for her shoulder.

"Hey—"

Leora seemed not to feel her touch as she continued:

"Why... why did you leave me?! I hate it! I hate this place! I just want to go home! Please... please, let me go! I-I need to go home!"

Knowing no words could reach her, Ruby said nothing. She simply wrapped Leora in the tightest embrace she could.

Around them, Zayn and the other patrons could only watch.

Not even Martha tried to quiet the outburst, despite the risk of disturbing her other customers.

"W-why?!"

The last of Leora’s composure shattered. She clawed at her face, clawing red lines across her skin between ragged sobs.

Ruby caught both wrists and pulled them down, pinning them between their bodies as she tightened her embrace.

"I— I hate you, Axel! Why did you leave me?!"

Lucas rose from his seat, circled the table, and knelt before her.

"Leora, calm down."

"C-calm down, Lucas? Calm down?! Why do you always—"

Lucas cut her off:

"It’s my fault."

"Huh...?"

"My plan was inadequate. Axel died because of it. So did everyone else who died... I’m the one to blame. If you need someone to hate, don’t let it be Axel. Hate me. He didn’t leave you; I took him from you."

A dry, humorless huff escaped Leora.

"Do you think I’m stupid?!"

Leora flooded her body with Aether, tore herself from Ruby’s hold, and shot to her feet.

With Aether cloaking her fist, she drove a punch into Lucas’s jaw.

The blow sent Lucas stumbling backward into the table. He spun off its edge and crashed face-first onto the floor.

"I know what you’re trying to do, asshole!"

Lucas sat up, rubbing his jaw as he shook off the blow. A bit of blood trailed from his nose.

Leora’s gaze dropped with him. Tears slid from her chin and darkened the wooden floor between them.

"I j-just want to go home..."

She choked on a sob, then screamed again:

"I just want to go home!"

Lucas slowly pushed himself to his feet. When he answered, his voice was hollow:

"Don’t we all."

Another voice joined the grim chorus, drawn from the rooms above by the commotion:

"Is... is it true?"

Julia stood beside Jade at the top of the stairs, staring down at the group. Behind them, Zayn spotted Amaya studying him with little effort to hide it.

Of the nascent guild, only Hae-Ryung and Kakeru were absent.

The look Lucas returned Julia was answer enough.

Leora dropped back to her knees, her sobs breaking loose all over again.

Julia’s hand flew to her mouth as she sank onto the step. A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye, her usual smile nowhere to be found.

Confused, Jade knelt beside Julia and tentatively placed hand on her shoulder. Then she looked to Zayn and raised her hands:

«What is happening?»

Zayn stared back at her, before his hands slowly rose and twisted. Slowly, he signed:

«Axel, Connor, and Ryon. They died.»

Jade’s hands slowly dropped to her sides. A strained sound slipped from her throat as her expression emptied.

Zayn could only watch the grief ripple outward, one shattered expression giving way to the next.

The scene he’d been the playwright for.

By the time his reign of terror ended, how many more people would he bring to their knees?

How many lives would he ruin?

How many times would he play the role of the star crosser?

How many times would he play the role of the world’s greatest hypocrite?

’I hate this world and these damned gods. When I’m done with the disasters, it’ll be time to drag a few more characters onto this bloody stage...’