Chapter 132: Bad Blood Between Us

Daniella stared at her brother.

Alcris stood several meters away, his expression unreadable.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence between them felt heavier than the darkness surrounding the abandoned building.

Daniella broke it first.

"You ignored five messages."

Alcris glanced toward her hand.

"I was busy."

"Busy?"

She laughed once, without humor.

"You disappeared from the academy. You stopped answering me. I found your coat in an abandoned district, followed your trail into a building nobody uses, and your answer is busy?"

Alcris said nothing.

Daniella’s eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

That answer changed her expression.

"You’re my brother."

"I know."

"Then don’t talk to me like I’m some stranger."

Alcris looked away.

Daniella stepped closer.

"I know when you’re lying."

His eyes returned to hers.

"And?"

"And you’re lying now."

The faintest smile appeared on Alcris’s face.

"You’ve always been observant."

"And you’ve always been terrible at hiding things from me."

For several seconds, they simply looked at each other.

Daniella noticed something unusual.

There was a tiredness in his eyes.

Not physical exhaustion.

Something deeper.

"You haven’t slept."

Alcris didn’t respond.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Alcris."

"Daniella."

Her expression hardened.

"Stop."

He remained silent.

She took another step.

"Whatever you’re doing, stop before you make things worse."

Something shifted in Alcris’s expression.

"You don’t understand."

"Then explain it."

"I can’t."

"Can’t?"

His voice became colder.

"Won’t."

Daniella stared at him.

That hurt more than she expected.

"So that’s how it is?"

Alcris didn’t answer.

"You disappear. You lie to me. You walk into some abandoned building and refuse to tell me why."

She clenched her fist.

"And you expect me to just leave?"

"Yes."

Daniella laughed bitterly.

"Not happening."

She drew her weapon.

Alcris’s eyes narrowed.

"Daniella."

"I’m not fighting you because I want to."

She raised her weapon.

"I’m fighting you because talking clearly isn’t working."

Alcris sighed.

"You’ve always been stubborn."

"And you’ve always been an idiot."

She lunged.

Steel struck steel.

The impact echoed through the abandoned hall.

Alcris caught her weapon with his own and pushed her backward.

Daniella recovered instantly, twisting around his guard and striking again.

He blocked.

She attacked from another angle.

Blocked.

Again.

Blocked.

Their weapons collided repeatedly, sparks flashing in the darkness.

Daniella’s breathing became heavier.

"You’ve gotten stronger."

"So have you."

She suddenly changed direction.

Alcris barely avoided the strike.

The blade cut through the fabric of his sleeve.

He looked at the damaged cloth.

Daniella smirked.

"Still think I should leave?"

Alcris’s expression finally changed.

His eyes sharpened.

"No."

The pressure in the room suddenly increased.

Daniella’s smile disappeared.

Alcris stepped forward.

For the first time, she felt the difference between them.

Not a difference in skill.

A difference in power.

She tightened her grip.

"Fine."

Her mana surged.

"Let’s see what you’ve been hiding."

The abandoned building trembled beneath their feet.

Neither noticed the faint glow beginning beneath the floor.

Three ancient circles slowly illuminated in the darkness.

And somewhere far beneath Hildgard...

something awakened.

Daniella felt the pressure before Alcris moved.

The air around him had changed.

His mana wasn’t simply increasing. It was becoming denser, pressing against her skin with enough force to make every instinct in her body scream.

She steadied her breathing.

"Alcris..."

He disappeared.

Daniella barely raised her weapon in time.

CLANG!

The impact sent her sliding across the stone floor.

She twisted her body, caught herself with one hand, and immediately launched forward.

Her blade swept toward his shoulder.

Alcris leaned aside.

She followed with a kick.

He blocked it with his forearm.

Daniella used the contact to spin around him and strike again.

This time, her blade grazed his cheek.

A thin line of blood appeared.

Alcris touched it.

He stared at the blood on his fingers.

Daniella froze.

For a moment, she thought he was going to become angry.

Instead, he smiled.

"You really are serious."

"I told you."

Daniella tightened her grip.

"I’m trying to bring my brother back."

Something flickered across Alcris’s face.

It disappeared almost immediately.

"You can’t."

"Why?"

"Because the person you’re looking for isn’t here anymore."

Daniella’s expression fell.

"What does that mean?"

Alcris didn’t answer.

She stepped forward.

"Tell me."

Silence.

"Tell me what you’re doing!"

Her mana erupted.

Daniella charged.

This time, she didn’t hold back.

Their weapons collided again and again.

The abandoned hall shook with every impact.

Daniella fought with everything she had, using speed and precision to keep Alcris from establishing a rhythm.

For several exchanges, she actually forced him backward.

But Alcris gradually adapted.

He began predicting her movements.

A strike was deflected.

A second was avoided.

A third was caught.

Daniella realized the truth a moment too late.

He wasn’t merely defending.

He was studying her.

Alcris suddenly stepped inside her guard.

His palm struck her abdomen.

The force threw her across the room.

Daniella hit the wall hard enough to crack the stone.

She dropped to one knee, gasping.

Alcris stood several meters away.

"Enough."

Daniella forced herself upright.

"No."

"Daniella."

"I said no!"

She charged again.

Alcris’s expression hardened.

He moved.

One strike.

Her weapon flew from her hand.

A second.

She was forced to the ground.

A third stopped inches from her face.

Daniella stared at the blade.

She was breathing heavily.

Alcris lowered his weapon.

"I don’t want to hurt you."

"That’s funny."

She looked up at him.

"Because you’re doing a terrible job of proving it."

His eyes softened for the briefest moment.

"You should leave."

"Not without you."

"You don’t understand."

"Make me understand."

Alcris looked away.

His silence told her more than an explanation could have.

There was something he couldn’t tell her.

Something he had chosen over his own sister.

Daniella slowly reached for her fallen weapon.

Alcris turned toward the corridor.

"Wait."

He stopped.

"Whatever you’re planning..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"Don’t become someone I can’t recognize."

Alcris remained still.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Finally, he spoke without turning around.

"It’s already too late."

He disappeared into the darkness.

Daniella remained on the floor.

She stared at the empty corridor.

Her brother had beaten her.

That wasn’t what frightened her.

What frightened her was the feeling that Alcris hadn’t been fighting her at all.

He had been holding back.

And whatever he was preparing for...

was far beyond a family argument.

Beneath Daniella’s hand, the ancient floor gave another faint pulse.

Three circles glowed for a single second.

She looked down.

The light was gone.

Daniella slowly stood.

"Alcris..."

She didn’t know what he was doing.

But she knew one thing.

She wasn’t going to let him face it alone.