Kieran remembered everything that happened within the castle walls.

Thankfully, he didn't have to fight.

And they all came out with no issues.

'And my body is adapting to the energy from Bethar,' Kieran thought to himself, feeling the energy flow within his veins.

Castan gritted his teeth in annoyance, seeing Kara disobey him so openly.

'How dare this squirrel!' he thought angrily.

"Very well, you'll all die here!" Castan roared, raising his hands into the air.

The large wheel above the elven settlement began to spin once again.

Rains of metallic spears with sharp points poured down on the helpless elves.

They could only stare in despair, tears leaking from their eyes.

Bethar raised several large branches and trees to block.

Alexa threw a flurry of flames.

Yet none was sufficient to stop the rain of spears.

Mira gritted her teeth angrily.

She instantly dashed into the field.

She felt the gravitational pressure pull down on her as she stepped into Castan's zone.

However, she bore through the overbearing pressure, gnashing her teeth.

Each step she took became harder than the last.

Eventually, she could barely even move from her spot.

"Pathetic. You should have just waited outside the zone. I would've come for you just as soon as I finished with these insolent subordinates!"

"Subordinates? Look at you! Turning your people into slaves! Look around you, see what you've done! Do you really think all this is worth it?! A selfish person like you. You were never worth being king." Mira shouted, tears pouring from her eyes as she spoke.

Castan hung in the air, his anger momentarily shifting as a pang of guilt hit him.

He gritted his teeth, watching Mira struggle under the pressure of his power.

From the very start he hadn't been bothered about her or Kieran.

Their presence made no difference.

It only made things easier for him.

But no matter how much he wanted to ignore the feeling brewing in his chest, she was his sister—the only one he had left.

"I'm ashamed to even call you my brother! Dad will never be proud of the man you've become!"

Her voice tore through the air, dragging him straight out of his thoughts.

Castan looked down, his hands scrunched up tightly, fingers digging into his own flesh to the point of drawing blood.

"Yes... maybe I'm not meant to be your brother then. Dad did everything for these stupid elves! Where did he end up! I won't make the same mistakes he did. I'm selfish, so what?!" Castan shouted, his eyes wide with madness.

His voice cracked, the air around him swirling with energy.

"Will I lose everything for the sake of my people?! I've lost my father, mother, brother and now... I've lost my sister as well." Castan's voice faltered—sadness, loneliness. They could all hear it in his words.

Mira stopped in her tracks. A flash of understanding flickered in her gaze.

More than anyone, she could understand how he had felt after their father's death.

Their father was more than just a parent to him.

He was a role model, an icon.

Castan had always wanted to be like their father.

And the father-son bond between the two even betrayed the love for his wife.

Their father had put so much hope on Castan.

Praised him as the light of the beast elves.

He prepared the all-mighty and powerful Phoenix as a beast for his son.

All Castan had to do was become strong enough to be acknowledged by the powerful beast.

Every day he trained.

Became stronger.

It became an obsession.

He wanted to meet his father's expectation.

But a few days before he finally made his breakthrough—right before he could finally make his father proud by claiming the all-powerful Phoenix—that was when it happened.

That man appeared out of nowhere.

He fought with their dad and won... taking with him the Phoenix.

Castan not only lost his icon, but also lost what he had worked years for.

That was when everything started and she failed to notice it.

His loneliness led to all this, lack of direction.

He had been confused all through the time.

Mira felt her chest tighten.

'How come I didn't realize this on time?' Mira thought, a feeling of guilt brewing in her chest.

Castan didn't care, though. While she was lost in her own thoughts, he raised his hands, conjuring another massive rune above Mira.

'If I noticed this on time... I could've helped. Brother wouldn't be like this...' Mira thought, holding her gaze down.

Her thoughts churned.

She too was affected by the death of her family.

And that was why she decided to look at her people as her own family, just like their dad did.

But in doing that she neglected the true family she had.

She felt a pang in her chest.

'...I blamed him. I blamed everyone but...'

"I didn't want to lose you too, but what else is left to lose?" Castan said, his voice filled with pain.

'But in the long list of things I had to blame...' Mira closed her eyes.

"Who knew you'd turn against me as well."

'I forgot to add my name,' Mira thought.

The runic wheels spun slowly, and long pointed metallic spikes emerged from within.

'I accept my fate... It's not like I would've won in the first place. In this fight, I was the villain,' Mira clenched her teeth.

She looked up with determination, her steeled gaze fixed on the fleet of spikes ready to dart straight for her.

Standing in the face of death, her gaze didn't shake—she didn't falter.

Because in this story, she was the villain all along.

'...I'll pay for my sins with my death.'

Castan steeled his heart upon seeing her unwavering gaze and, without a second thought, he willed the runes.

Quickly, the sharp pointed metallic rods shot toward her.

PEOW!

They sliced through the air, covering the short distance in a mere second.

Prepared, Mira didn't move from her spot.

But right as the rod was only a meter away from her, an intense heat wave spread through the entire realm.

The rods melted in the presence of such fierce heat.

And then she heard a voice.

"Enough with the family drama. If you die here, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep the promise I gave you. If you want your brother to be alive, you'd better not die."

Mira looked at the dull eyes that stared deep into her, almost as though seeing through the very essence of her being.

'Those eyes...'

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