Zander sat lazily in his chair, smoking a cigarette with both of his feet resting on top of the table. He listened quietly to the news playing on the radio.
His hand paused midway through taking another drag when the report once again mentioned the series of dead male victims being discovered.
Every single body was missing its heart.
Zander frowned.
This wasn't the work of Chimeras.
If they were responsible, the bodies would have been completely torn apart, their organs ripped out without mercy.
So why was only the heart missing?
"Tsk… Something's wrong," Zander muttered.
He placed his cigarette into the ashtray and stood up.
Opening the window, he looked outside at the darkness that had already covered the night.
Without hesitation, he jumped out.
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At the dining hall…
"Zake, say ahhh," Lilith said as she brought a spoon toward his mouth.
Zake happily opened his mouth.
"Ahhh!"
Lilith smiled and fed him.
Maddison watched the two with an amused expression.
"You two are so sweet together," she teased.
Lilith immediately blushed.
Zake tilted his head.
"Really? We're sweet?" he asked. "I like sweet things."
Maddison burst into laughter.
"Hahaha. Are you trying to court Lilith, Zake?"
"Court?" Zake repeated in confusion.
"N-No… We're just friends," Lilith quickly answered.
Zake looked directly at her.
"I want to court Lilith."
Lilith's heart suddenly began to race.
Maddison could only laugh warmly.
"You two are really adorable."
The three of them continued eating together.
.
.
Meanwhile, in Aria's room…
Aria continued to isolate herself inside her chamber.
She could hear the conversations of her friends outside, but she covered her ears, unwilling to listen.
A knock suddenly came from the door.
She didn't move.
She remained sitting quietly in the corner of her room.
A moment later, the door opened.
Xenon and Blake walked toward her.
"Aria, are you okay?" Blake asked worriedly.
Aria only lowered her head.
"You haven't left your room for days," Xenon said gently. "You haven't even been drinking blood. You'll grow weaker if you continue like this."
But Aria remained silent.
Blake suddenly punched the wall beside him.
"Aria!" he shouted. "Wake up. You have to forget him."
Aria trembled and let out a painful sob.
"I can't…" she cried.
The room fell silent.
Xenon could only let out a heavy sigh.
For the first time in a long while, the ever-strong Aria looked completely broken.
And neither of her friends knew how to mend the wound left in her heart.
.
.
Heberlin was completely bored as he watched Xylon and Jade being affectionate with each other right in front of him.
"And you really had to flirt in front of me?" Heberlin complained.
"Hahaha, sorry, dude," Xylon laughed.
Heberlin rolled his eyes. "By the way, you've been married for two years already, and you still don't have a child."
The couple glanced at each other.
"I've been so busy that we honestly forgot about having a baby," Xylon admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"You idiot. Poor Jade," Heberlin said, clicking his tongue.
Before anyone could continue the conversation, Kan suddenly arrived with Zander.
Everyone was shocked the moment they saw him.
"Holy shit! Rebeus is alive!" Heberlin shouted.
BANG!
Everyone turned toward the staircase.
They saw Blake lying at the bottom of the stairs after falling down in shock.
"Hey, are you okay?" Xenon asked before casually kicking him.
"W-Wait… Rebeus is alive?" Blake said as he quickly stood up.
Maddison and the others also heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen.
They stared at Zander in disbelief.
"That's not Rebeus," Kan explained. "That is Zander, Rebeus' twin brother."
"He looks exactly like Rebeus," Blake said in amazement.
"Obviously. They're twins," Xenon replied flatly.
"I'm glad you came back," Maddison said softly.
Zander looked away.
"Kan just forced me to come back," he muttered.
"I see…" Maddison replied before turning around and walking away.
Blake blinked in confusion. "What was that about?"
"I smell something fishy," Heberlin said with a whistle.
Everyone slowly turned to look at Zander.
Zander looked around in confusion.
"What did I do?" he asked.
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.
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In the town…
A crowd of terrified people gathered around the latest crime scene.
Police officers stood nearby as they carried away the body of another man.
Just like the previous victims, his heart was missing.
Despite their investigations, they still had no clue who—or what—was responsible for the murders.
Fear slowly consumed the entire town.
Families locked their doors earlier than usual, and the men were forbidden from going outside at night, afraid that they would become the next victim.
.
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Meanwhile, inside Leviathan's castle…
Leviathan had created a castle of his own.
He sat elegantly upon his throne, calmly drinking fresh human blood as though it were nothing more than a fine wine.
In the corner of the throne room was Michelle, carefully counting the hearts preserved inside glass jars.
Collecting the hearts of her victims had become her favorite hobby.
Ji Park walked toward Leviathan.
"Papa, what are those things inside Sister Michelle's jars?" the child asked innocently.
Leviathan looked down at her and smiled.
"Those are her toys, Ji," he answered. "Don't touch them, alright? Your sister will get angry."
Ji Park nodded obediently and climbed onto Leviathan's lap.
Leviathan gently offered her human blood to drink.
The child accepted it without hesitation.