Chapter 33: Ashes and Echoes
The morning light crept through the blinds, slicing the dimness of my apartment into fragile shards. I hadn't slept. Not really. My body had shut down for a few hours, but my mind... it never stopped burning.
I stared at the cracked ceiling above my bed, feeling the phantom weight of the mask on my face even though it rested quietly on the table nearby. The Fox of Flames. That's what they were calling me now. A symbol, a hero, a beacon of hope.
But beneath the mask, there was nothing heroic about me. Just Reynard Vale. A man drowning in the weight of someone else's expectations—someone who was no longer here to carry them himself.
Sienna shifted beside me, her hand instinctively reaching for me in her sleep. I gently slid out of bed, careful not to wake her. She'd done enough—her presence the only thing anchoring me when my mind wanted to drift into the fire.
Before I left, I checked my phone.
[1 New Message from Camille]
"I'll need some time, but the second mask will be a masterpiece. Trust me."
A small, bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I assume that Sienna had given her my number last night.
I slipped the Fox mask on.
And just like that, Reynard Vale disappeared.
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