Mirror of the Past: The Villainess' True End

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Mirror of the Past

The spark in Kairos' eyes didn't waver, even after my indirect rejection. If anything, it deepened, radiating an intense emotion—something I couldn't bring myself to name. He reached out his hand—again and again, I failed to pull away, it felt harder to do than face death itself—his hand brushing against my chin, his touch was light yet deliberate. His gaze lingered on my lips for a while, before shifting his gaze to meet mine.

"If you weren't you, this conversation wouldn't even exist."

I drew in a shaky breath, a soft gasp slipped through my lips before I could stop it. The weight of his words lingered over me, heavy and inescapable—like a truth that I wasn't ready to confront. My chest tightened, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Kairos inhaled deeply as he took a step back to give me space—a lull to give me time to absorb what he had said—but his eyes stayed locked with mine. I should've looked away, walked off, or simply rejected him more clearly—anything to shield myself from the unbridled emotion in his eyes—but I couldn't. His gaze held me captive, his words ensnaring—compelling me to unlock the deeper layers of myself, the ones I kept veiled.

My lips parted, but no words came out. What could I possibly say after hearing something that I never expected—something that dissolved all my doubts and fears? Even though he was someone I held dear in the world I came from, in this reality I was forced into, he was supposed to be nothing more than a stranger—a temporary character in my life story who would cause neither happiness nor sadness in my renewed existence. A mere passer-by in this inherited life of mine.

Yet, like a seasoned assassin, he crept into my life with stealth, invading spaces I thought were safe from intrusion—no, he wasn't just an assassin. He was a storm—a howling storm that came undetected. Not to disrupt my life, but to clear my path.

His shimmering gaze lingered, like sunlight dancing on water, as I finally found my voice, "You are really cunning, you know?"

"I know." He answered in an instant, a sweet smile tugged at his lips.

A soft chuckle slipped through me, carrying my unspoken resignation. Before I could even retort to his cheeky taunt, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the corridor. It didn't take long before the owners of those footsteps appeared—it was Keiran and the twins. Their faces carried a tinge of worry at first, but upon seeing Kairos and me in a slightly compromising position, their expressions shifted almost in an instant—from concern to excitement, as if they'd seen something unexpectedly thrilling or promising.

"Stop it." I immediately cut them off from asking unnecessary questions as I discreetly distanced myself from Kai. "Whatever's on your mind, don't even bring it up." I said it calmly, but there was an unmistakable warning in my tone.

I'd had enough of hearing anything that could make my heart burst. One word from them would only make the turmoil in my head worse—like a bug corrupting an already corrupted system, sending error notifications that had been blaring since earlier.

Unfortunately, Keiran was still as clueless as ever—much like my twin, who never knew when to stop talking, even after being told to. A complete chatterbox.

"I just realized it, but you two seemed closer than before." Keiran uttered innocently, though his eyes told a different story. "Even in the clubroom—"

Kairos' epee flew toward him before he could even finish his words, grazing his cheek like a sharp arrow. Keiran looked at me, his face a mix of shock and disbelief after I had thrown the epee at him. Lila and Jaxon wore confused expressions, wondering what Keiran meant, their gazes shifting between him and me.

"Even in the clubroom?" Jaxon asked, slightly confused at first, but his face lit up as if he remembered something. Lila chimed in with a laugh, "Clubroom... oh... that..." She smiled sheepishly.