Chapter 11: Assassin
The translucent flash of blue light erupted at the very center of my vision. It message was clear, a warning of sort.
[ EVENT AVAILABLE: ASSASSIN’S ATTACK ]
The words, clear and stark, drifted in my mind. Assassin’s attack. Here. Now. Blood drained from my face so fast I felt lightheaded. My carefully constructed mask of calm, the one I’d painstakingly maintained through the armory incident and the diary’s revelations, broke into a thousand pieces.
Evelina, still seated on the bed, her smile slowly fading, noticed the immediate, drastic change in my expression. Her head tilting in concern. "Kai? What is it? You look... worried. And a little scared." Her voice, usually so sweet, was now laced with a genuine, almost palpable concern. Her hand, which had just rested on my arm, instinctively reached out again, as if to offer comfort, or maybe to check if I was alright.
I couldn’t let her know. Even if I wanted to, I simply couldn’t explain it. The system, the assassin, the entire impossible reality of my situation – it was too much. She wouldn’t believe. Even if she would, I just couldn’t drag her into this. I couldn’t trouble her. I definitely couldn’t let her realize I was seeing a holographic warning about an assassin.
"Nothing," I managed to say out, my voice coming out thin and strained, betraying the lie. I quickly pushed myself off the bed, trying to appear nonchalant, as if a sudden thought had just struck me. I moved towards the window, my back partially to her, feigning interest in the view outside. "Just... a sudden chill. This old manor can be quite drafty, even with all the tapestries." I hoped the excuse was flimsy enough to be believable, but not so flimsy as to raise more questions. My hands, I noticed, were trembling slightly. I shoved them into my pockets.
As I reached the window, my back mostly to Evelina, I subtly waved my hand through the air, a gesture required to visualise the system . The blue screen, now expanded, filling my vision with its squared, digital interface.
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NARRATIVE OVERRIDE ENGINE
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Host: Kai Lorne