[Warehouse—Valemire Forest—The Next Day—Evelina’s POV]

"Mmmfff—!" The sound hit first.

Muffled. Wet. Desperate. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

It bounced off the metal walls of the warehouse like a dying echo as the doors groaned open. The hinges screamed in protest, and cold forest air spilled inside—sharp, damp, and carrying the scent of rust and old oil.

We stepped in.

Cassian Vinter was tied to a chair at the center of the space.

Ropes dug deep into his wrists and ankles, biting skin raw. A thick black cloth was wrapped around his head, knotted tight at the back, swallowing his face whole. His body thrashed uselessly, muscles jerking in fury and panic, boots scraping against the concrete.

"Mmmffff—mmmf!"

I stopped walking. For a long moment, I just... looked, and then I smiled.

"What a beautiful scene," I said softly.

Theo’s low chuckle slid through the air like a blade being drawn. Rowan stood a step behind me, silent, watchful—but I could feel his gaze on me, measuring, steady.

Theo moved closer and placed his hands on my shoulders. Warm. Solid. Possessive.

"Do you like my gift, babe?" he murmured near my ear. "Isn’t it beautiful?"

I nodded slowly. "Very beautiful."

Because at that exact moment—DING.

The world flickered. Cold light bloomed in front of my eyes.

[System: Final Objective Reached. Kill Cassian Vinter. Form a true bond with the Deleted Male Lead: Theo Vinter. Reward: Return to your original world. Bonus Financial Reward: Millions transferred upon return]

My pulse steadied.

This was it.

The end of the game. The final episode. The door to home.

Cassian’s body stiffened as if he sensed it—some animal instinct screaming that the world had finally turned against him. Theo stepped forward, crouching until he was level with Cassian’s bound form. He didn’t remove the cloth. Didn’t need to.

"You know," Theo said calmly, "you talked a lot about control."

Cassian growled beneath the fabric, thrashing harder.

Theo smiled.

"You were right about one thing," he continued. "Fear is boring."

He straightened and turned to me.

"But this?" His eyes glinted. "This is art."

Rowan shifted slightly. "Miss," he said quietly, "are you sure?"

I met his gaze.

Not hesitant. Not afraid.

Certain.

"Yes."

Theo reached out and placed something cold into my hand. A gun. Clean. Heavy. Loaded. My fingers closed around it without shaking.

Cassian froze.

The warehouse held its breath.

The only sound left was Cassian’s ragged, furious breathing beneath the cloth—wet, animal, stripped of every trace of dignity he once wore like a crown.

I walked forward.

One step.Then another.

My boots echoed against the concrete, slow and deliberate, each sound landing like a countdown. I stopped in front of him and tilted my head, studying him the way one might examine a cracked mirror—something that once reflected power and now only showed rot.

Theo moved beside me.

Without ceremony, he reached out and pulled the black cloth free.

Cassian Vinter’s face was revealed—eyes blazing, veins standing out at his temples, mouth gagged with filthy, crumpled fabric. The sight of it was almost... underwhelming.

Theo lifted his hand in a mock greeting, smiling lazily.

"Hello, my dear brother," he said softly. "Long time."

Cassian thrashed violently, a muffled roar tearing out of his throat. His eyes locked onto Theo with pure, unfiltered hatred.

"Mmmfff—! Mmmffff—!!"

Theo chuckled, low and amused.

"Wow, wow," he said, clicking his tongue. "Why so angry?" He leaned closer, voice warm and poisonous. "Don’t worry. We’ll kill you elegantly."

His smile vanished.

"Not quickly," he added, his tone dropping into something dark and final. "But without chaos. After all... we need to return everything first."

Theo’s gaze flicked—slow, deliberate—to Alina’s absence, to the empty space she should never have had to fear.

"...All the pain you gave my niece," he continued.

"And," his eyes slid to me, possessive and burning, "...my girl."

Cassian’s fury shifted.

His eyes snapped to me.

I smiled.

Not wide.Not kind.

"How does it feel?" I asked quietly. "Being tied up. Helpless." I crouched slightly so we were eye level. "The ropes biting into your skin."

I tilted my head again.

"I felt that too," I murmured. "Fear. Powerlessness. Waiting to see what kind of monster would walk through the door."

Cassian shook his head violently, muffled sounds tearing out of him as panic finally bled through the rage.

That was when Rowan stepped forward.

A metal table rolled across the floor, its wheels rattling softly in the silence. He stopped it beside Cassian with surgical precision. No hurry. No emotion.

Cassian’s eyes widened.

Good.

I straightened and smiled again—slow, satisfied.

"What?" I asked lightly. "Scared?"

I stepped closer, voice dropping into something cold and intimate.

"Oh... don’t worry," I whispered. "I won’t rush this."

I met his gaze and held it.

"I’ll make sure you understand," I said calmly, "what it feels like to hurt your own child."

Theo didn’t interrupt. Rowan didn’t move. And Cassian Vinter—once feared, once untouchable—finally understood something far too late:

This wasn’t revenge.

This was judgment.

And it had already been decided.

Cassian realized it the moment Theo stepped forward. Not when the gun was raised. Not when the rope cut deeper into his wrists.

But when Theo smiled. Not the charming one. Not the amused one.

The empty one.

Theo rolled his sleeves up slowly, methodically, like a man preparing for work rather than violence. He glanced at Rowan once.

"Make sure he stays conscious," he said calmly. "I want him to remember."

Rowan nodded. No questions. No hesitation.

Cassian struggled again, the gag muffling a stream of furious sound. His chair scraped against the concrete, metal screaming briefly before Theo’s hand came down on the backrest.

"Easy," Theo murmured, almost gentle. "We’re not there yet."

He leaned down so they were eye level.

"You know," Theo said conversationally, "people always assume I’m violent because I enjoy it."

He straightened, pacing once around Cassian like a predator circling wounded prey.

"That’s not true," he continued. "I’m violent because it’s effective."

Cassian’s eyes flicked to me—wide now, desperate, searching for something that wasn’t there.

Mercy.

I didn’t look away.

Theo noticed.

His mouth curved faintly.

"You hurt a child," Theo said, stopping behind Cassian. His voice was soft now—dangerously so. "My niece. A little girl who trusted you because you shared blood."

He rested a hand on Cassian’s shoulder.

"Do you know what that makes you?"

Cassian shook his head violently, the gag tearing at his mouth. Theo leaned in, his breath warm against Cassian’s ear. "It makes you something even I can’t forgive."

He stepped back and nodded once to Rowan.

Rowan moved. Not fast. Not slow. Just inevitable. Cassian cried out as pain flared—sharp, controlled, never crossing into chaos. Theo watched closely, eyes calculating, adjusting pressure, timing, rhythm.

"No screaming," Theo said calmly. "You don’t deserve that release."

Cassian’s body shook, breath coming in harsh, broken gasps.

Theo crouched in front of him again.

"Every night," he said quietly, "Alina went to sleep afraid. Do you know how many nights that was?"

Cassian’s eyes squeezed shut.

Theo smiled.

"Good," he said. "Count them."

He straightened and stepped away, wiping his hands as if cleaning up after a meal.

"You thought you were untouchable," Theo went on. "You thought power meant you could erase consequences."

His gaze slid to me—just for a second. "And then you touched what was mine."

Cassian froze.

Theo’s voice dropped, heavy with finality.

"This ends now."

He nodded once.

Rowan moved in again, and this time Cassian didn’t struggle. Because somewhere between the silence, the precision, and Theo’s unwavering control, he understood the truth far too late—This wasn’t about pain.

This was about breaking the idea that he had ever mattered.

And Theo Vinter was very, very good at that, yet even then—he was slow.

I stepped forward.

"Let me handle it," I said quietly.

Theo turned his head, surprised—not alarmed. Just curious. Rowan didn’t move. I took the knife. Cassian’s eyes widened beneath the grime and sweat, his breathing hitching as he realized the shift. Not escalation.

Change.

I moved with calm intent, striking not to kill—never to kill. He cried out, muffled, his body jerking as pain tore through him in waves he couldn’t escape. I leaned close enough for him to see my smile.

"You spent your life hurting what couldn’t fight back," I said softly. "So let’s be fair."

I twisted the blade just enough to remind him this wasn’t mercy, then withdrew and struck again—measured, deliberate. His screams filled the warehouse, useless and unanswered.

Theo exhaled slowly.

"You’re truly a psychopath," he murmured—not condemning. Observing.

Rowan nodded once. Agreement.

I smiled, straightening. "That’s why I’m still alive."

I stepped back, kicked off my heels, and pressed my foot down—not to crush, but to ground the moment. To make him understand that power had changed hands and would never return.

Cassian shook, breaking in a way pain alone couldn’t achieve.

Theo approached, his shadow swallowing Cassian whole.

"How will you kill him?" I asked, voice steady.

Theo didn’t hesitate. "The same way we ended Kael."

I looked at him, eyes sharp. "Then I’ll take his final breath."

Theo studied me for a long second—then nodded. "I don’t mind."

The decision settled like a sealed verdict.

Rowan stepped back, giving us space. And just like that, the process began—not rushed, not chaotic, not cruel for cruelty’s sake. It was methodical. Final.