WHOOSH!
A peach-blossom-patterned dagger shot through the air, radiating a faint golden aura.
The instant Kaelen stepped across the threshold of the safe apartment, the cold steel blade sank deep into the thick wooden doorframe—exactly one millimeter from the main artery in his neck.
A strand of Kaelen's black hair was severed, drifting slowly before landing on the marble floor.
Kaelen did not even blink. His cold, labored breath faintly fogged in the night air.
The man slowly glanced to the side, staring at the magic dagger gleaming as it reflected the dim neon light from outside the penthouse window.
"Poor reflexes, Serin," Kaelen said shortly. His voice was hoarse and flat, without the slightest hint of surprise. "You veered one millimeter too far to the right."
At the far end of the room, Serin stood straight. Her pale fingers still trembled faintly in the air, the remnants of the magical force she had just released.
Her silver gown had been replaced by loose black silk clothing, but her gaze was far sharper than the steel blade she had just thrown.
"I didn't miss," Serin whispered, her chest rising and falling as she held back the hot pulse that continued to gnaw at her soul. "That was a warning shot. My next move will split your throat."
Kaelen did not answer the threat. Calmly, he closed the heavy iron door reinforced with magic behind him.
The boom of the tightly locking hinges echoed through the spacious living room.
The man swept his gaze around Serin's penthouse—a shelter enclosed by thick glass walls that offered a view of Megacity's landscape.
Outside, the city lights flickered in pale blue hues, shrouded by a layer of ancient icy mist that grew increasingly thick.
"Your warning will have to wait." Kaelen removed his leather gloves and tossed a document bearing a red wax seal onto the glass table. "An official order from the High Council was just signed."
Serin stepped closer, her eyes fixed on the golden-crowned phoenix emblem atop the scroll. "What are those old politicians up to now?"
"Effective immediately, this apartment has been designated the Primary Isolation Zone." Kaelen looked straight at Serin, uncompromising.
"The city's temperature is plummeting. The Peach Blossom Core inside your body and the ice magic in my blood are the two poles holding back the collapse of the city's seal. If either of us moves more than five hundred meters away, the magical fluctuations will trigger an instantaneous freezing explosion."
One corner of Serin's lips lifted into a bitter, deeply ironic smile. "Live under one roof? With the man who slaughtered my entire clan?"
"This isn't an offer, Serin. It's a final-level evacuation order," Kaelen said firmly. He stepped forward one measured pace at a time, his military boots making no sound against the thick carpet.
"You can hate me as much as you want. But we need forty days to stabilize the artifact before that meteorite hits the ground."
"I'd rather freeze with this city than breathe the same air as you!" Serin snapped, her voice and emotions breaking apart.
The resentment she had harbored for twenty years exploded in an instant.
Heat from the Peach Blossom Tattoo on her chest spread wildly, surging through every vein until her fingertips radiated a blazing red glow.
She lunged forward, trying to seize the dagger in the doorframe and drive it straight into the man's chest.
But Kaelen was faster.
TAP!
Instead of bracing himself or stepping back, Kaelen yanked the magic dagger from the wooden doorframe in one swift motion.
The air between them suddenly froze as Kaelen turned the dagger around, gripping its sharp blade in his bare palm.
Fresh, deep-red blood dripped between Kaelen's fingers, staining the marble floor.
Serin froze in shock, her advance coming to an abrupt halt.
Kaelen seized Serin's wrist and pulled her close, erasing all distance between them.
Before Serin could process what was happening, Kaelen pressed the dagger's hilt into her grasp, then set the sharp tip directly against his own chest—behind his black tactical uniform, precisely where his heart pounded hard.
The sharp blade pierced the thick fabric, drawing blood across Kaelen's chest.
Kaelen's gray eyes stared straight into the depths of Serin's soul, cold yet burning with concealed desperation.
"If you want to kill me, do it now," Kaelen whispered, his voice deep and heavy, trembling inches from Serin's face. "Do it before this city freezes... and before I forget why I have to keep living."
Do you think Serin's really going to stab Kaelen? Come on, let's continue to Chapter 5!