Found Obsession

Chapter 133: Betrayal II

Rose descended slowly, her steps deliberate, every inch of her aching. Her chest burned, but her mind refused to allow her to feel it-

As she neared the group, Gavin's face was a sour mix of guilt and weight, mirrored by the expressions of others who had once worked alongside her. Her team, however, stood rigid and furious, their stances like tightly coiled springs ready to snap.

They all watched her as she approached, her once bright, commanding blue eyes now holding an emptiness that seemed to cut through everyone who dared meet her gaze.

They began walking and on her way she was brought closer to the others-Teresa, Riley, Lucas, and Levi at the forefront, with Elijah following at his usual distance. Always the outsider, she thought bitterly, her mind racing even as she appeared calm.

As she passed Levi, the wind shifted, her hood dropped, carrying with it a fleeting, almost nostalgic whisper. Her eyes flicked toward him, catching his confident smile, one he aimed briefly due to his conversation with his brother. But as her gaze locked with his for just a second, he looked away and then, his smile faltered, freezing mid-expression as he turn back. Rose didn't stop. She walked past him like a ghost, leaving him behind, and her focus shifted to Elijah.

Always in disguise.

She also walked past him, her hand briefly brushing his gloved one, slipping the key into his palm as her fingers lightly touched his. The motion was seamless, unnoticed by the others. But before Elijah could react, her movements became a blur as she deftly removed the Spear of Destiny from his gear. It was quick, calculated, and silent. Elijah didn't falter or look back; she moved like smoke, disappearing into the flow of soldiers.

Rose pressed forward, weaving through the crowd within her soldiers, her face unreadable as the tension around her grew. She saw people stopping in their tracks, their eyes darting toward her and the others quickly looking away. Recognition flashed in their gazes and the looks returned, and with it, nervousness, shame, and fear. These were the people who had delivered letters, passed orders, and played their roles in the charade that now threatened to unravel everything.

Her chest tightened, but she didn't stop.

As she walked, the weight of betrayal clawed at her team. Rose could feel their fury radiating from them, but it was the quiet, sharp pain of her own wounds that threatened to shatter her composure. She saw it in their glances, the way they avoided her gaze, looking down or away, unwilling to face what they knew.

The betrayal wasn't just cutting-it was carving deep, jagged wounds into her soul. The disappointment she saw in her team mirrored the growing hollowness in her chest, but even that pain would have to wait.

Ahead lay a far greater challenge. Her father.

And so she walked, carrying the invisible weight of a ship she knew was sinking fast, hoping, praying, that she could push everyone far enough away before it dragged them all down with her.

Rose placed the spear securely in her belt beneath her cloak.

As they approached the main tent, the air was heavy with silence-a grave, suffocating silence.

Suddenly, Levi grabbed her hand. "No," he whispered, his voice trembling with desperation. Rose didn't even glance at him but stopped in her tracks.

"Don't go in there," he begged.

Her voice was cold and steady. "How many?" she asked without turning.

Levi hesitated, and she could feel the weight of his panic. "Rose, I... I was only trying to help you," he stammered.