"But no one appreciates that. Everyone just says, 'What is this horrible handwriting?' No one ever asks what was going through his mind that made him write so fast he couldn't even keep his handwriting legible."
Henry replied dryly, "Or maybe… he just doesn't know how to hold a pen."
"Maybe." Kayden shrugged indifferently. "But I'd rather believe he's a genius… that way I won't feel as guilty when he beats me up."
"That's true. It definitely makes it hurt less," Henry answered without a trace of sarcasm.
Kayden pulled the journal closer and continued reading.
"Oh, look… there's no date here. This is completely random."
"I found these journals… I hate journals. Who owns them? Who's the so-called seer of the future? None other than that bastard… Magnus. Damn him."
Kayden raised an eyebrow.
"Who the hell is Magnus? Colton, do you know him?"
Colton answered immediately. "Lord of the future, I'll look for information about him tomorrow."
Before he could continue, Kayden interrupted in a calm but firm tone.
"Tomorrow morning we need to report everything to the Commander first."
Henry nodded as he slowly took the journal. "Right… I should also tell Fiona and Hugo."
Kayden blinked in surprise before staring at him suspiciously. "Have you actually become friends with Hugo?"
"You're way too social. Be careful that makes you an easy target."
Henry stood up lightly and patted Kayden on the shoulder.
"This time I'll introduce you to him properly. No surprises!"
Kayden's eyes widened as he snatched the journal back.
"The last time you introduced me to someone, it was Adam! Look where that got us! He's going to beat us up, and honestly… I can't even blame him!"
Henry laughed, waved goodbye, and walked out of the room, leaving behind unanswered questions… and pages waiting to be read.
Kayden's eyes suddenly landed on another page. This one felt different. Almost as if it were calling out to him.
His eyes widened before he shouted urgently, "Henry! You idiot, get back here right now! If you leave this room, I'm telling Adele you're the one who ate her food!"
Henry froze halfway to the door before slowly turning around. "What now? What did you find?"
Kayden silently pointed at the page. Henry took the journal. Silence stretched between him and Kayden like a dark cloud. Noticing the sudden shift in atmosphere, Colton walked over curiously.
"Read it. Hurry."
Henry cleared his throat. For once, his voice had lost its usual playfulness. "It says…'I discovered that twins are the best sacrifice materials.While searching for suitable sacrifices, I stumbled upon something we had never been taught before. I asked one of the instructors about it… but instead of answering, he spread countless rumors to bury the idea.…Whatever. I moved to Aren City with Ayrton. The twins there are annoying, but I confirmed that the theory is correct. Right now, Ayrton is working on removing the root of the problem… But will that really help?'"
Kayden pressed his lips together. "So… Adam is the reason all of this happened?"
Henry immediately shook his head."No. Definitely not. The instructor is the real culprit. Adam is involved, but we can't pass judgment on him yet."
Henry and Kayden looked at each other.
Then, at exactly the same time, their eyes gleamed with identical malicious grins.
"But this definitely makes it easier to justify beating Adam up."
A surprised smile spread across Colton's face, but he said nothing.
Henry excitedly turned the next page… Then froze. The page was filled with strange incantations.Twisted symbols.Warped letters.Heavy, disturbing handwriting.And beneath it was a single sentence.
"Whoever is reading these words…I know you have these journals.I know where you are.I know your location.It's only a matter of time…before you die."
Henry instantly threw the journal onto the floor as if it were on fire. He frantically wiped his hand on Kayden's clothes.
"Eww! Gross! Why did I read that?! Why?!"
"You idiot!" Kayden shouted in disgust. "Don't wipe your hand on me! Get the salt! Hurry, before one of us turns into a talking bat!"
Henry bolted downstairs and came back carrying a whole bag of salt.
Kayden snatched it immediately and began sprinkling it wildly over himself…and over Henry as well.
"You demon! Begone!" Kayden yelled as though he were performing a sacred exorcism.
Colton, who had been silently watching the entire spectacle, burst into loud laughter. "Now I get it! This explains everything! Kayden tried to drive me away with salt before! This is insane… How did you even come up with that?"
He laughed again before pointing at the journal. "But… look. The spell is incomplete. Adam forgot to finish it, so he probably won't be able to track you."
Henry slowly turned toward Kayden."Were you… trying to exorcise a demon… with salt?"
Kayden innocently nodded. "I'm innocent. I just… believe in taking precautions."
Colton waved his hand in surrender. "That's enough. Go to sleep already, for heaven's sake. Why do you two have so much energy at this hour? You're exhausting."
The twins exchanged glances but didn't argue.
Henry was finally banished to his room. Kayden stayed with Colton for a while longer, teaching him a few new words before eventually heading to bed.
That night, Colton sat with unusual focus, carefully repeating the words Kayden had taught him. "Hello… My name is Colton."
He spoke slowly, but his pronunciation was clear and steady.
Watching him master the alphabet so quickly, Kayden lazily stretched out on the couch and commented,
"Maybe you're not actually slow at learning like I first thought. Maybe you're just a genius pretending to be an idiot. Don't try that act on me."
Kayden laughed while Colton continued practicing
The next morning, Kayden woke up with unusual energy.
He put on the new suit Mary had given him as a gift.
Standing in front of the mirror for several minutes, he turned from side to side before placing his hands on his hips, adjusting his hair proudly. "Kayden… is handsome."
He hadn't expected the servants to have such impeccable taste. Now, feeling refreshed and well-dressed, he looked more confident than ever.
He skipped downstairs toward the sitting room, where Mary was chatting with his mother, Isabel. Stopping in front of them, he dramatically opened his coat to reveal the suit underneath as though he were unveiling a masterpiece.
"Look!" He proudly pointed at himself. "I look perfect , don't I?"
Mary looked just as proud. After all, her fashion sense had been proven right.
Isabel examined him carefully before asking, "Why did you style your hair like that?"
"So it wouldn't touch my forehead." Kayden brushed a hand across it. "I spent ten whole minutes in front of the mirror for this!"
His mother smiled warmly before asking with gentle concern, "So… are you and Henry finally going to stop playing your little game? By the way, he's already waiting for you in the carriage with Colton."
Instead of answering, Kayden quietly walked back upstairs.
For some reason…He wasn't ready to let that game end.
Inside the carriage, Henry was the first to notice.
"How did you do that?" he asked while staring at Kayden's hair. "Why didn't you tell me? You're hiding way too many things now. You're annoying… and you're yellow."
Henry was wearing the same suit Mary had bought for him.
Kayden answered quietly, almost embarrassed. "Mary bought you one too… Wait… what do you mean by yellow?"
"Yellow?" Kayden repeated, raising an eyebrow while staring into space as though speaking to himself. "You racist! Why are you insulting me? Do you think mocking people's colors is acceptable? You black-hearted villain, I'm going to hit you!"
Henry immediately seized the opportunity to explain. "Well… I heard people talking about it, so I asked them—"
"Social butterfly…" Kayden muttered with obvious annoyance, shutting his eyes as though Henry had committed an unforgivable crime.
Ignoring him completely, Henry continued. "Anyway, they said if someone does something important or hides something another person was expecting, people say they're 'yellow.' It's just another way of saying they're keeping secrets or being a little sneaky."
Kayden blinked slowly. As if he needed the explanation translated again.
Henry enthusiastically continued, "And some fortune tellers believe yellow represents envy, while others say it symbolizes optimism and energy. Remember Fiona? She once told Hugo, 'That's a yellow smile you're giving me.'"
Kayden snorted. "That sounds like something old ladies would gossip about."
With that, he deliberately turned away, ending the conversation in his usual irritating fashion.
Then, without warning, he reached toward Henry's hair.
Colton lowered his newspaper just enough to speak.
"The carriage isn't big enough for another fight."
Kayden ignored him. Pulling out a comb and a small container of hair cream, he carefully began styling Henry's hair.
Once he was finished, he produced a tiny mirror stolen from Adele's room and held it in front of Henry.
"We're never going to stop bothering people," Kayden declared proudly.
Colton looked up from the newspaper before muttering sincerely, "Annoying twins…"
He then pointed to one of the headlines.
"Look. George has started several new projects. He's mentioned here… something about expanding the railway routes. Sounds promising."
When they arrived, the three entered Ayrton's office.
To their surprise, Ayrton wasn't alone. Hugo, Fiona, and an unfamiliar man were already there.
The moment Hugo saw the twins, he and Ayrton exchanged the exact same exhausted look. "The twins…"
Neither Hugo or Ayrton could tell Kayden and Henry apart.
Once again…They failed.
Now that Hugo had spent more time with Ayrton, his presence had become completely natural.
Unexpectedly, he had even moved into Ayrton's house so he could protect him from any possible betrayal after his transformation from enemy to ally became public knowledge.
Fiona welcomed the three of them with a bright smile.
The twins took their seats before presenting their plan.
"We'd like to enter meditation," Kayden explained. "While we're gone, Colton will handle our responsibilities."
Ayrton nodded. "Fine. Just don't suddenly wake up halfway through again. We don't need another incident."
The unfamiliar man had shoulder-length black hair and deep violet eyes whose coldness perfectly matched his calm demeanor.
Kayden stared into those unusually dark eyes.
Quietly, he pinched Henry's palm and secretly traced a few words across it. 'He's a vampire.'
Henry stiffened. "No way…" he whispered nervously. "Vampires don't walk around in daylight… and their eyes are supposed to be red."
The office suddenly echoed with loud laughter. Hugo laughed so hard he pointed directly at the stranger. "Isildar! They think you're a vampire!"
"I am not a vampire," Isildar protested, glaring tiredly at Hugo."You annoying commoner… Are you saying that just to entertain idiots?"
Hugo only laughed even harder. Kayden simply shrugged as if to say, 'If you're not a vampire… prove it.'
Isildar sighed before standing and offering everyone a polite bow. "My name is Isildar. I work independently. I don't belong to any organization."
His gaze lingered on the twins. "This is my first time seeing twins… and suddenly, a great many things make sense."
Tilting his head slightly, he asked, "You're Henry… correct?"
Everyone assumed he had guessed correctly. Then Kayden casually replied,
"I'm Kayden."
Henry smiled as though being mistaken for his brother had become an everyday occurrence.
Without bothering to correct anyone earlier, he simply stood and greeted everyone politely.
"And I'm Henry."
At that moment, Kayden looked around the office.
For the first time in a long while…It felt unusually lively.
Ayrton broke the silence, turning to Isildar. "Will you be joining us temporarily?"
Isildar answered calmly, "When you truly find yourselves short-handed, you may call for me."
Ayrton pointed toward the twins sitting nearby. "In fact… both of them will be entering meditation soon. Which means we already have a genuine shortage. You can start today."
"It would be an honor," Isildar replied as he stood and bowed respectfully. "To work with you again."
On the other side of the room, Hugo was staring at the map spread across the table.
Countless markings covered it circles, arrows, notes all leading toward a single point near the southern border.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Hugo muttered. "Is it possible Adam got lost? Does he actually have a terrible sense of direction?"
He pointed at a location near the southern frontier. "He should have arrived here a long time ago… more than enough time has passed."
Turning toward Ayrton, genuine concern appeared in his voice. "Do you think he ran away?"
Ayrton didn't answer immediately.
He studied the map for a moment before speaking.
"Maybe… or maybe he's wasting time on purpose. Or perhaps something really is delaying him."
"Adam does like avoiding work," Kayden said flatly, barely looking at the map. "That's true. But he knows this area is genuinely dangerous. He's fully aware of that… so he'll come back. I'm certain."
"Exactly," Fiona agreed from across the room, raising an eyebrow with a sarcastic smile.
"But you, you damned Hugo…"
"You sent Adam to the farthest place imaginable! Did that cost you a lot of spiritual energy?"