The music deepens.
Not louder—just heavier. Like it's pressing down on the room.
And then it happens.
A figure in red breaks from the crowd.
He moves with careless confidence, the kind that doesn't ask—it takes. His mask gleams under the lights, sharp edges catching every flicker.
He stops in front of—
Princess Sameen.
And bows just enough to be polite.
"a dance with me?."
Sameen stills.
Just for a second.
Then her gaze shifts—
Three steps behind.
Xavier stands exactly where he was.
Calm.
Unmoving.
But his fingers curl slightly at his sides.
His jaw tightens.
A small detail.
Easy to miss.
Impossible not to feel.
Sameen looks back at the him
And places her hand in his.
A ripple moves through the room.
Soft.
Dangerous.
They step onto the floor.
His hand settles at her waist—firm, practiced.
His touch is unfamiliar. Too confident. Too sure.
Sameen's posture is careful, measured—like she's expecting something to go wrong
.
But it doesn't.
Instead—
He spins her.
Smooth.
Effortless.
Not forceful.
Guiding.
Her breath catches—not from fear this time, but surprise
"You're thinking too much," he murmurs lightly. "loosen up"
She giggles from the sudden surprise
Eyes follow them,whispers build and
Jealousy moves like wildfire.
Xavier doesn't move.
But the air around him sharpens
Daphne watches too.
Quiet than her usual self
Trying harder herself
The music carries on.
The dance continues.
But something beneath it has shifted.
A different presence cuts through.
Quieter.
Stranger.
From the edge of the crowd, a figure in black approaches.
A warlock
His energy doesn't match the room—uneven, like something slightly out of rhythm.
He doesn't look at the crowd.
He looks straight at Daphne.
Like he sees through her.
He slides into the seat beside her without asking.
"You know," he says casually, voice low, familiar in a way it shouldn't be, "in a place like this… people still find ways to enjoy themselves."
Daphne doesn't respond immediately.
Her shoulders tense slightly.
He reaches into his pocket.
Careful.
Subtle.
A small vial catches the light for half a second.
Dark.
Thick.
Not allowed.
"Something stronger than what they're offering," he adds softly.
She hesitates.
Just for a moment.
And that moment is enough.
A hand appears.
Fast.
Dex.
He doesn't speak.
Doesn't make a scene.
But his eyes lock onto the warlock's hand.
The vial disappears just as quickly as it appeared.
The warlock leans back, unbothered.
Daphne's expression shifts instantly.
Tight.
Exposed.
Angry.
Her gaze snaps to Dex.
Dex doesn't flinch.
"Funny," he says quietly. "I thought I was right on time."
She scoffs, stomping out
Something else catches his attention
" Someone is enjoying herself then other"
something unreadable behind his mask.
"That's so unfair"he grins
Slight.
Knowing.
And the music keeps playing.
As if nothing at all is wrong.
He stood up slowly.
For a second, nothing felt strange. Just a normal body, breathing, steady.
Then he paused,his shoulders stiffened,fingers twitched once… then went still.
A quiet tension built under his skin, like something pulling away from the inside.
His chest rose sharply.
And then—
It happened.
Kael slipped out
.
Not loudly. Not violently. Just… gone.
Like a shadow peeling off a wall,the body he had been in swayed for a second, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Kael stood free.