Chapter 65: The Star of Betrayal
The tension in the room snapped like a dry twig. Ren stood frozen, his hand still reaching out toward Hana, but the gap between them felt like an endless abyss.
"Hana, you're overthinking this," Ren said, his voice desperate, trying to weave a net of lies to catch the falling truth. "I'm not a Vaner. I'm just... I'm just doing a job."
Hana didn't flinch. She looked at him with eyes that seemed far too old for her face. "Why are you so afraid to tell me the truth, Ren? I'm not a Vaner, I'm just a normal girl. Why are you trembling in front of your own sister?"
Ren's shoulders slumped. The weight of the golden revolver in his hand felt like a thousand tons of lead. He realized there was no point in hiding behind the mask anymore. "Fine. Yes. I am a Vaner. I've been hiding it to protect you."
"I already knew," Hana said flatly.
Ren's heart skipped a beat. "What? How? Since when?"
"I'm not as blind as you think," she replied, a cold smile touching her lips. "I followed you. I saw you. I even spoke to Go, and he told me everything."
Ren's blood ran cold. Go? The man who usually kept his mouth shut had talked to his little sister? He felt a surge of betrayal, but he quickly suppressed it. "Hana, listen to me. Don't think badly of me. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to be angry. I didn't want you to look at me like I was a monster."
"I'm not a child, Ren," Hana snapped, her voice echoing in the small room. "I understand how this world works. Now, go. You're going to be late for your Academy training. Just... go."
Ren looked at her, confused by her sudden shift in tone. "Are you going to school today?"
"I'll go when I feel like it," she said, turning her back on him. "You can't force me anymore."
Ren let out a tired sigh. "I never liked school myself, so I won't force you. Just stay safe."
He turned, opened the front door, and stepped out into the crisp morning air. To save whatever little money they had left, Ren decided to walk. He began his journey toward the Academy, his silhouette fading into the distance as he marched down the long, winding road.
Hana stood by the window, her eyes locked on his retreating figure. She waited. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Only when Ren was nothing more than a tiny speck on the horizon did she move.
She threw on a dark shawl and slipped out of the house. She didn't head toward the school. Instead, she navigated the crowded streets of the market district with a purposeful stride. The market was a chaotic mess of shouting vendors and colorful stalls, but Hana didn't stop to look. She reached a junction where three roads met and ducked into a small, nondescript shop tucked away in a corner.
The shop was empty of customers. Behind the counter sat a young woman with a sharp, calculating gaze. Hana didn't say a word. She walked up to the counter and pulled back the sleeve of her coat.
There, etched into the pale skin of her arm, was a deep, jagged cut in the shape of a Five-Pointed Star. The wound was fresh, made by a blade with surgical precision.
The girl behind the counter didn't look horrified. Instead, she smiled—a slow, creepy grin that revealed too many teeth. She nodded toward the back of the shop and led Hana into a hidden room.
As they crossed the threshold, the darkness was absolute until a series of flickering purple lights hummed to life. The room opened up into a large, underground hall. It wasn't a palace, but it felt like a cathedral of shadows.
In the center of the hall stood something that made the air feel heavy and suffocating. It was a massive, pitch-black statue of a human figure, but it was positioned in a terrifying way—upside down. The statue had the slender frame of a woman, her arms spread wide in a mock embrace, suspended from the ceiling by thick, rusted chains. A thick, rhythmic smoke pulsed from the base of the statue, smelling of sulfur and old blood.
Three figures were already there, kneeling on the cold stone floor before the inverted idol. They were chanting in low, guttural tones, their foreheads pressed against the ground in total submission.
Hana stepped forward, the purple light reflecting in her eyes, and she too dropped to her knees. The innocent sister Ren thought he was protecting was gone; in her place was a devotee of the dark.