Chapter 708 Something Is Wrong With Liam

Irina immediately crouched down and gently helped Mira back onto her feet, placing both hands on her shoulders as she looked into the woman’s tearful eyes. "It’s alright," she said softly. "You’re safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you. Nobody is going to hurt you again."

Mira nodded repeatedly, wiping the tears from her cheeks with trembling fingers as though she was still struggling to believe that she had actually been taken away from that house. There was still fear lingering in her eyes, but beneath it was something Irina had not seen there before: relief.

After a few moments, Mira glanced down at herself and seemed embarrassed by the state of her clothes. She hesitated before asking quietly, "Where... where can I take a bath?"

Irina looked at her for a moment before pointing toward the bathroom. "There," she said. "Go wash up. When you’re done, you can change into something clean." Her gaze briefly traveled over the clothes Mira was wearing, and her expression tightened. "Because, honestly, those clothes are in no condition to be worn anymore." Mira looked down at herself and gave a faint, embarrassed smile before quietly thanking her and walking toward the bathroom.

Irina watched until Mira disappeared behind the bathroom door before turning toward the window. She folded her arms across her chest and stared outside, observing the village as the morning slowly progressed. The chaos that had erupted earlier was beginning to settle. Villagers who had rushed out of their homes after hearing the rumor about Liam discovering the source of the dome were gradually returning to their normal routines. Some looked embarrassed, others disappointed, and a few seemed genuinely angry that someone had spread such a rumor and given them false hope. From the way they were behaving, most of them had clearly concluded that somebody had simply played a cruel joke on them.

Irina’s expression remained unchanged as she watched them. To be honest, the town reaction was wild to her, Liam was out there somewhere, trying to uncover the truth and find a way to free them, but how could he possibly accomplish in two days what nobody had managed to accomplish in fifteen years? It sounded ridiculous when she thought about it. For a brief moment, they had allowed themselves to believe that they might finally be free, that the nightmare hanging over this village for so long might actually be coming to an end. Now that hope seemed foolish. Fifteen years was a long time, and whatever had trapped Elaris was clearly not something that could simply be solved because Liam happened to arrive.

But irina knew Liam, maybe a little too well.

Liam had never been normal.

She had watched him accomplish things that should have been impossible, and even when everyone else thought a situation was hopeless, he always seemed to find something nobody else had noticed. She trusted him, perhaps more than she trusted anyone else in the world, but even that trust could not completely silence the uneasiness growing inside her chest. She glanced toward the direction he had disappeared earlier and silently wondered what was taking him so long. All he had to do was investigate the location and return. Surely it shouldn’t take that much time.

"Don’t take too long," she whispered under her breath.

The hours passed.

Five hours later, Irina was sitting in a chair near the window, one leg crossed over the other as she stared outside for what felt like the hundredth time. Her patience was beginning to wear thin, although she refused to admit that she was worried. She kept telling herself that Liam was capable of handling himself, that there was no reason to panic, and that he would walk through the door at any moment with that irritatingly confident smile on his face.

On the couch beside her, Mira was deep asleep.

After finishing her bath, Mira had changed into fresh clothes and looked like an entirely different person. Her hair had been cleaned, her face was free of the grime that had covered her before, and the clean clothing had restored a small amount of dignity to her appearance. Irina had also made sure she ate properly, refusing to let her sleep on an empty stomach after discovering just how poorly she had been treated. Mira had eaten until she could barely keep her eyes open, and not long afterward, exhaustion had finally taken over.

Irina occasionally glanced at her sleeping figure, making sure she was alright. There was something strangely peaceful about seeing Mira sleep without fear, especially after everything she had endured. For the first time in years, she was sleeping somewhere that Eldric couldn’t reach her.

Then came a sound.

Knock. Knock.

Irina’s eyes immediately widened.

Her head snapped toward the door, and the exhaustion that had been slowly settling over her disappeared completely. Her eyes lit up with expectation as she stood from the chair.

Finally.

"Liam."

She crossed the room quickly and reached the door, already imagining his expression when he returned. She pulled it open.

Nobody was there.

Irina’s smile disappeared.

She stepped outside and looked to both sides, her sharp eyes scanning the quiet surroundings. There was nobody standing near the entrance, nobody walking away, and nobody hiding in the immediate vicinity. The village appeared almost unnaturally calm.

"Liam?" she called softly.

No answer.

Irina’s eyes narrowed. She was certain she had heard the knock. It had been clear, deliberate, and unmistakable. Someone had stood outside that door.

Then a sudden wave of coldness washed over her.

Irina froze.

The temperature around her dropped so quickly that she immediately knew what it meant. She didn’t need to turn around or activate her senses. She already knew who had arrived.

Voss.

Irina quickly stepped back inside and closed the door behind her. She turned around, expecting to see the young man standing somewhere in the room, but what she saw instead caught her slightly off guard.

Voss was already there.

The Cryovail Veil was being removed from his body, the strange blue material peeling away as he quickly pulled the suit from himself. His face was visible now, and unlike the cautious young man Irina had met before, there was no trace of calm in his expression.

His face was filled with concern.

Irina immediately became serious.

"What is it?"

Voss looked at her.

His breathing was slightly heavy, and for several seconds he seemed to struggle with how to say what he had come to tell her.

Then his expression darkened.

"It’s Liam."

Irina’s heart skipped.

Voss swallowed.

"I think something is wrong with him."

Irina’s expression changed instantly. The warmth that had appeared in her eyes when she heard Voss mention Liam disappeared, replaced by a sharp seriousness that made the entire room feel colder. She stepped toward him quickly, her voice coming out more urgently than she intended. "What do you mean something is wrong with Liam?"

Voss took a slow breath, forcing himself to calm down before answering. His hands were still slightly tense from what he had seen earlier, but he knew there was no point in panicking. "This morning, I saw Liam following Eldric away from the town," he said, his voice steady but solemn. "I didn’t interfere because I thought he knew what he was doing. But six hours have passed now, Irina, and he still hasn’t come back."

Irina’s eyes narrowed as she processed the information. Six hours. She glanced toward the window, then back at Voss. "Maybe Eldric lost his way," she said, trying to convince herself more than him. "Liam could have noticed something strange and decided to stay hidden until he found his way back. You know how he is. He probably has some reason for taking so long."

Voss slowly shook his head.

It was not the reaction Irina wanted to see.

"Irina..." His voice became quieter. "Eldric came back three hours ago."

For a moment, Irina simply stared at him.

She could not believe what she had just heard. It was almost as if someone had struck a hammer inside her head, leaving her thoughts ringing and disoriented. Her breathing stopped for a second, and every explanation she had tried to create for Liam’s absence collapsed at once.

"Eldric came back..." she whispered.

Voss nodded. "Three hours ago."

Irina’s hands slowly curled into fists. If Eldric had returned three hours earlier, then Liam should have been back as well. There was no reasonable explanation for why he would remain away for so long unless something had happened to him.

"And Eldric’s expression when he came back..." Voss continued, his face darkening. "He was gloating. He looked like someone who had just won something. I don’t know exactly what happened, but the way I see it, Liam must be in trouble."

Irina’s heart sank.

She slowly lowered herself onto one of the chairs, her movements almost mechanical. She stared at the floor for several seconds, but her eyes were not really seeing it. Her mind had already gone somewhere else, replaying the morning over and over again.

Liam leaving.

Eldric leading him away.

Her choosing another path.

The plan they had made.

Her decision to ignore it.

Her fingers tightened against her knees as guilt began to settle heavily inside her chest. "It’s my fault."

Voss blinked and looked at her in confusion. "Huh?"

Irina lowered her head. Her voice was quieter now, filled with regret. "It’s my fault."

"What are you talking about?"

"They were supposed to go together," Irina said, lifting her eyes toward him. "Liam and I were supposed to go together. I was supposed to stay at the farthest back and get him out of trouble if there was any surprise. That was the plan."

Voss’s expression slowly changed as he understood what she was saying. He had already suspected that Liam had not gone alone by choice, but hearing it from Irina made the situation clearer.

He sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. "Let me guess."

Irina remained silent.

"You chose to go save her instead?"

Irina’s eyes lowered.

She gave a solemn nod.