Ethan slowly opened his eyes. "What do you mean by 'strange', Kaivan?" he asked, voice calm yet serious.
Kaivan gripped the railing tighter. "The Tome Omnicent started giving strange orders," he murmured. "One of them… it told me to make up with Tania."
The name froze everyone in place.
Tania, Kaivan's darkest chapter. A person who once used him, broke him, and left scars deep enough that remembering her alone was painful.
Raphael finally spoke. "Maybe it wants you to settle your past. To close an unfinished chapter."
Radit let out a bitter laugh, exhaling smoke. "What's the point? Kaivan already cursed her out the last time they met. I remember Tania's face, shocked, regretful. But the damage was done."
Kaivan said nothing. He knew Radit was right. That encounter had been his last outburst… yet the tome's command still gnawed at him. As if there was something hidden behind its words.
"And now," Kaivan continued quietly, "when I asked the Tome Omnicent what I should do next… look." He opened the tome and placed it in the center.
Blue letters formed on the page, light like carved starlight.
"Isabel… can you read it?" he asked.
Isabel leaned closer and read, her voice low. "Make preparations immediately and build connections with several gangster groups to confront the mafia factions in this city."
The air tightened.
Frans stared at Kaivan. "We have to fight the mafia? You mean… an actual war?"
Kaivan nodded wearily. "That's why I'm conflicted. We're just a bunch of teenagers. We've been through strange things before, but this is different. I don't want all of you dragged into something deeper. We already have enough money. I don't want our lives dictated by this tome."
Thivi's voice softened. "I agree, Kaivan. This has gone too far. Why not live peacefully instead? And… what will happen if we stop following its orders? What is that tome truly aiming for?"
Night deepened, and the cold air brushed their skin. The city below sank into quietness. On a pedestrian bridge not far away, streetlights cast a dim golden glow over the empty walkway.
There, a girl stood alone, her long hair hanging over her downcast face.
Tania.
Her body trembled, not from the cold, but from regret that refused to fade.
Her steps dragged, her gaze hollow as it wandered through the blur of city lights. Her heart was trapped in the past, in the days she had spent with Kaivan, before the mistakes she could never undo. The memory of his angry face haunted her endlessly.
A tear slipped down her cheek, falling onto the dark pavement beneath her feet.
"Kaivan…" she whispered, her voice barely rising above the rumble of traffic beneath the bridge. "I just… wanted to apologize. But I don't even know how."
She lifted her gaze to the star-filled sky, as if the distant lights were kind enough to listen to the burdens she could never say aloud. The night wind brushed through her hair, carrying away a fraction of the ache tightening her chest.
From the far end of the bridge, two figures approached, Vella and Rapi. Vella walked with confident steps, her sharp eyes quietly studying Tania's silhouette. Rapi, beside her, looked awkward, as though he knew accompanying Vella at this hour was anything but a wise choice.
Vella offered a faint smile, her tone gentle yet laced with subtle irony. "A girl standing alone on a night like this? You look heartbreaking. Why are you crying?"
Tania flinched, hastily wiping her tears even though it was pointless. Vella's gaze cut through every attempt to hide. "I… I know I've made so many mistakes," she murmured. "I hurt someone I should've cherished. Now I just want to make things right."
Vella studied her quietly, her expression somewhere between sympathy and a dangerous curiosity. "And who is this someone?" she asked, sounding almost sincere.
"Kaivan," Tania finally answered, regret trembling in her voice. "He was so kind to me back then. But I took advantage of him… until he hated me."
For a brief moment, Vella's eyes gleamed, surprised, yet intrigued. But she quickly steadied herself. She slipped her arms around Tania from behind, offering a soft smile… a smile hiding something far less innocent. "Do you know where Kaivan lives?" she asked, her tone almost sweet.
Rapi stiffened behind her. She knew that smile, that subtle shift whenever Vella found something she could use. He watched Tania anxiously, sensing that tonight might be the beginning of something darker.
Tania nodded, feeling Vella's embrace falter for a split second. "Yes… I know," she replied honestly. "He used to take me there often, but I haven't visited in a long time. I'm too ashamed to see him again."
Vella nodded gently, though her eyes held a depth only Rapi could read, something layered, dangerous. "I see…" she murmured. She lifted a hand and placed it on Tania's shoulder, giving a small reassuring pat. "Tania, maybe this is your chance to fix everything."