Ch 136
Zed had been doing his best.
I saw it in the quiet way he moved around Mira, always one step ahead of danger. Shielding her like he'd done since the beginning.
Even though she still hadn't spoken a word or looked at him like she used to—he didn't mind.
He never asked for anything in return.
His only goal was to protect her. And quietly, piece by piece, he was trying to help her open up again. No pressure. No expectations. Just presence.
And things had been—if not good—then at least stable.
Until the day a certain news report shattered that.
[BLOOD-DEVIL ON THE FACE OF EXTINCTION!]
That was the headline.
The words on the screen seemed to pulse with weight, cutting through the air like blades.
Zed froze.
The truth in those words dug into him, and for a long moment, he just stared.
How could he tell her?
Would she break even further?
But that fear—that question—soon became the least of his worries.
Because in the days that followed, strange things began to happen.
