“Stop with the act,grandpa.” My words cut straight to the heart of the matter. “I know your true colors and intentions, Mathias. You’re a monster pretending to be this honorable and hospitable host when, in reality, you can’t wait to kill me.”
I was acutely aware of the danger I was courting by provoking Mathias and my mother. They were dark, dangerous, and unpredictable beings. Yet, something deep within me—perhaps pride, perhaps defiance—compelled me to press further, to push them toward the breaking point. It was a toxic cycle, one I couldn’t seem to escape.
It was a declaration, not just to him but to myself, a reminder of the reality I faced.
Mathias’ lips curled into a cruel smirk as he stepped fully into the room, shutting the door behind him with an ominous finality. The heavy walnut panel clicked into place, sealing us in. It felt like a tomb, and I knew there would be no easy way out of the looming confrontation.
“What can I say?” Mathias drawled, leaning casually against the doorframe. His shadow stretched long across the dimly lit room, cloaking us in an oppressive darkness. “Your mother and I were cut from the same cloth. Like father, like daughter.”
His voice raised the fine hairs at the back of my neck. The air seemed to thicken with tension.
I squared my shoulders, trying to steady my trembling hands.
“So you admit that you’re a ruthless monster?” I asked though it was more of a challenge than a question. My heart was racing, but I couldn’t let fear cripple me now.
“Yes,” Mathias said, his tone clipped and laced with malice. His eyes gleamed with a sadistic glint that made the air feel heavier. “The facade is over. Now, my darling, it’s time to make a decision. Hand over the Blade of Shadows, and I’ll spare your pathetic life. And, as a token of my generosity, I’ll even gift you my grand estate before we part ways. It’s that simple... unless, of course, you’d prefer to see just how far my sadistic tendencies can go.”
I met his gaze, defiant despite the dread twisting like a vice in my stomach.
“I don’t have the blade,” I lied. “The men are still looking for the moon dagger in the cave.”
“You’re lying.” His voice was like a steel trap. “I know you have the blade, and those men in the cave are just pawns in your little game.”
My heart pounded as I stood my ground. “I don’t have it.”
He scoffed, extending his hand, palm up, as if demanding tribute. “Don’t waste my time with your lies. Hand over the moon dagger now.”
“Even if I did have the dagger, giving it to you would be a death sentence.” Venom dripped from my words as I stared him down. “You’d kill me without hesitation...just like you killed everything else between us.”
Mathias’ expression darkened, the thin veneer of civility crumbling away like ash in the wind. As he stepped toward me, his slow, deliberate movements rang out like the ominous drumbeat of an execution march. With each step, he loomed larger, an unstoppable predator closing in on his prey.
His voice lowered, each word rolling out like a lethal promise. “I’ve reached my breaking point. There will be no limits to the cruel things I can do to you and your precious little daughter.”
The air around us felt electrified, the weight of his threat coiling tightly around my chest like a snake ready to strike. I stood frozen, every instinct screaming to run, but my legs refused to move. I couldn’t show weakness—not now, not ever.
His voice dropped to a menacing whisper. “I don’t want to take your family away from you like I did before.”
My breath hitched, the suffocating weight of his words pressing heavily against my resolve. This man, this monster, had already destroyed so much. He could destroy everything I held dear with a single move. But I couldn’t let him win. Not again.
A realization slammed into me like a freight train, rattling my very being.
“You...” I gasped, my voice trembling with fear and anger. “You were the one who killed Isabelle and Armand, weren’t you?” The memories of that life were still vague, but I clung to fragments.
Mathias’ posture stiffened before he erupted into a cackle that sent shivers down my spine.
“How clever you are,” he said with vitriolic sweetness. “You figured me out. What’s the point of keeping secrets anymore?”
I felt the blood drain from my face as he continued, his words like venom sinking deep into my soul.
“Yes, I killed your family in your past life,” he admitted with cruel satisfaction. “I killed you, Armand, your children—all but Rosie.” His voice was a serrated blade, slicing through the fragile threads of my hope.
A sob caught in my throat, raw and aching. “So, it’s true—you sent the Timehunters after us.”
“Indeed,” Mathias confirmed, his laugh reverberating in the room, a sound more terrifying than any scream. “And it doesn’t end there. I killed Balthazar’s family, too. His wife, his children—they all met their end by my hand. It was my actions that broke him, that turned him into the monster you despise. I created him.”
I staggered back, the weight of his revelations threatening to crush me.
“As for you,” he said, leaning in closer, his breath hot and foul, “I’ve resisted the urge to kill you so many times in this life. Do you know why? Because I needed you. I needed you to recall the location of that cursed weapon from your previous existence. But now that you have it—and refuse to give it to me—I’ll make sure your death is slow and agonizing.”
