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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST NOVELS || LATEST MOVIES || LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 261 Way Too Long
"Who is hiding?" The silver-haired man replied with an arch of his brow. "I just got here too, Alex."
Alexander crossed his arms in front of him and stood in a very relaxed posture. "And where have you been all these while? And I see that you're alone... where is Iryz?"
"I can't believe you're immediately jumping at it and interviewing me like this the very moment we met again." The man named Zeres sighed. Just like how she had reacted the very first time she met Alicia, Zeres' out of this world features made Elle unable to help but stare. She knew it might be rude of her doing so, but the visual impact he made was just amazing!
"Well, fine then. Here..." Alexander spread his arms wide at Zeres, causing the silver-haired man to blink at him. Other than his eyes, there was no other movement.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, stop playing hard to get, Zeres. Didn't you want a hug first and foremost?" Alexander smirked playfully, gesturing at Zeres to jump into his arms.
The ethereal-looking guy just gave Alexander a deadpan look before turning his attention to Elle, completely ignoring Alexander's mischievous goading. It's obvious he was quite used to the man's ways over the long years they have known each other.
"Hey... hey... what's with that attitude now, Zeres? You can stop acting tough in front of Elle. She's family... She'll understand. I know you missed me..." Alexander continued, but Zeres simply tuned out the other man's voice and acted as though he was deaf to Alexander's voice, as he continued looking silently at her again.
Just one look at them both in that moment had Elle immediately felt that both Zeres and Alexander must be really close friends. They exude the air of two men who have known each other for the longest time ever.
"Hello..." Zeres greeted Elle with a beautiful gentle smile. "I'm Zeres."
Elle smiled back before giving him a greeting nod. "Nice to meet you, I'm Izabelle."
"She's Sebastian's wife." Alexander butted in, uninvited. He sounded serious again.
Due to Elle's focused attention on the silver-haired man, she noticed the way his eyes stretched a little upon hearing that she was Sebastian's wife. It was as though that news was utterly shocking to Zeres. Which was something surprising to Elle because no matter how she looked at it, Zeres' reaction was not just the normal kind of surprise. It was like there was more in his reaction that carried the impression that he knew more serious things.
"Oh... I see..." Zeres said, his tone sounding light and natural before smiling again. That surprised look was completely gone now.,
"Uncle!!!" Alexis' voice pulled at everyone's attention. And then the boy executed a perfect landing with only the thump of his shoes hitting the ground. His eyes were bright as he looked at Zeres. "I didn't know you're coming too!"
The silver-haired man looked slightly stunned for a moment before he approached Alexis and fondly ruffled the boy's hair. "How did you grow so fast, huh, Alexis?" he asked. His eyes and smile turned even softer. "You were just a tiny little baby the last time I saw you!"
Alice and Azy on the other hand, made a soft and quiet landing behind Alexis in the next second. Both their grey eyes looked up at Zeres with surprise.
"Uncle..." Alice said and Zeres immediately dropped to his knee, spreading his arm wide towards her in silent invitation. The little girl dashed forward and jumped into his embrace without hesitation.
While Zeres was busy enjoying his reunion with the twins, Elle's attention was pulled to focus on Azy. The boy did not approach Zeres and just stood there, quietly watching the siblings welcome and got all excited over their Uncle Zeres.
Though she could not see even a tinge of expression on his adorable face, Elle could no longer bear seeing him just stand back and watch as though he was not a part of it.
"Hello, Azy. I'm back again." Elle waved her hand at him. The boy looked at her and his face brightened up.
"Azy! Come here." Alexis went to grab Azy's hand and led him to Zeres who now had his attention on the quiet boy. "You were so small when uncle was still visiting. But you still remember him, right?"
Azy stared at Zeres for a long while before he finally nodded, surprising Elle and Zeres as well.
There was a tinge of sadness and regret that momentarily flashed across Zeres' eyes before he lifted his hand and ruffled Azy's hair. "Have you been well, little guy?" he asked. His voice sounded incredibly tender.
When Azy nodded, Alexander spoke.
"We better get going. Everyone's surely waiting impatiently now." Alice immediately ran to him, grabbing her father's hand as they walked ahead of them hand in hand.
"Want to ride on my back?" Zeres asked Azy and Alexis. But the boys both shook their heads, causing Zeres to raise a brow.
"Azy and I will be sprinting ahead!" Alexis said and with just a tacit glance at each other, the two boys disappeared the next second.
"Those two think that they're no longer children." Alexander told Zeres as a wry smile curled one corner of his lips. He then breathed out a long, slightly unhappy sigh. "I didn't want them to mature too quickly... but it seems that I can't do anything about it."
"Well... you always knew your children are different from normal kids, even compared to us both when we were still children. Those two are born with immense power and that's definitely a huge influence on their development." Zeres replied calmly and rationally.
"Right. Makes me a little uneasy every time I think of it." Alexander's voice drastically changed into something almost sullen. "I wish there's a way to at least bind or lessen their power. At least only until they have grown up."
Zeres smiled at Alexander. "Don't worry too much, Alex. I'm sure everything will be alright. They have amazing fathers like you and Kiel after all."
Alexander whipped his head towards Zeres and was about to say something when he belatedly realized that Elle was right behind them, quietly following. Clearing his throat, Alexander turned his gaze ahead again. "Well... I can only hope that Zeke's returning very soon for Azy and Alicia's sake. He's been gone for way too long. That guy..."
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 262 Personal
"So, what's the reason for your unannounced visit?" Alex asked. The four of them, Alexander, Abigail, Alicia and Zeres, were seated around a bonfire outside the house. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that you're here to visit. But I'm quite sure you aren't just here for that. There should be more to this visit, am I right?"
Izabelle had been dragged off by the kids into the house a while ago as they had wanted to show her, their latest academic achievements. Once they left. The atmosphere had very quickly turned a little serious.
Alexander was staring intently at his friend. As though he was trying to decipher something in his face. But even so, he was not able to read his poker face.
"I found that Lilith is back here in the Black Forest. Is that right? I have some ... business with her." Zeres replied. It had been so many years since Zeres and Iryz just kind of disappeared. They just thought the two of them had decided to go travel the world together without leaving any word to the others, but the fact that they did not even return to visit or made their presence known was a bit unsettling to Alex and everyone.
"So, if Lilith's not here, you're not going to visit, are you? Just what have you been up to?" Alexander continued questioning. He did not even bother hiding what he was feeling from Zeres.
"I'm sorry if I made you guys worry. But please don't worry. Everything's alright on my end."
Zeres' response made the muscles on Alexander's face twitch a bit. But he did not continue to press on the matter anymore.
"How about Iryz? How is she?" Abigail spoke. "We haven't seen her in a long time. Why didn't you bring her along to visit as well?"
Iryz had become part of their inner circle ever since Zeres announced their engagement. The sweet girl had also been the kids' favorite auntie and that was why they had been so sad when she and Zeres just stopped coming to their home.
"She's busy."
The simple reply had Abigail's brows creasing a little. They had been thinking of looking for Zeres and Iryz. They had planned to at least find out where they were even if they could not go visit. But the people Alexander had sent to look for them came back unsuccessful every time. Alex and the two of them could not go because their hands were full, especially with Alicia and Azy needing them. Still, Alexander had sought the witches' help to look for them. But years passed and they were still nowhere to be found.
And here was Zeres today, suddenly showing up. Uninvited, but very much welcomed. He looked alright, at least on the outside. His hair was back to its usual length and there seemed to not be anything suspicious about his strength and power. Still, the three of them could not help but think there was something amiss about him right now. They just could not put their finger on it.
"You two are still together, right Zeres?" Alicia was the one who questioned him this time. There was no need to mention who she was talking about.
"She's still with me."
Again, his response made the three of them speechless.
"I can't feel Lilith's presence. She's not here anymore, isn't she?" Zeres continued talking, ignoring the probing gazes that Alex, Abi and Alicia were throwing him.
"Lilith left just this morning. She said there's something that she needs to deal with. Also, she did not say where she went or when she'll return." Alicia told him.
Zeres sighed and threw his head back as though to express his exasperation. Then he stood up in the next second without saying a thing.
"I'm leaving then. I'll come back again a�"" those words are just blurted out.
"Wait a moment, Zeres." Alexander cut him off. His dark eyes now turning really serious. "What's with you? Don't even think you can fool us with that bad acting of yours."
Zeres rubbed the back of his neck. "I know, Alex. But I'm really fine. Whatever problem I have is not something you guys need to know, okay?"
They all lifted their brows at him. Zeres is having a problem?
"Like I said. My problem is something personal. And I'm gonna deal with it on my own, do you three understand?"
"Are you and Iryz about to split or something?" Alexander asked straightforwardly. "Is she leaving you? Wait... could it be that she's pregnant?"
Zeres' lips parted but then he closed it. He turned around and shook his head. "I'll come back to visit again soon." He said and with those last parting words, he was gone.
"Do you think he's really alright?" Abigail asked worriedly after looking at the empty spot that Zeres had recently occupied. "It's definitely just maybe a couple's fight, right?"
"Or maybe, Iryz might really be pregnant." Alex was rubbing his chin. "They've been living together for a long time already after all. Maybe those two really got married in secret."
"But I still find it questionable that he just one day upped and disappeared with her for years. And why can't he tell us more?" Alicia pondered out loud. "He's trying to avoid us at all costs."
"I'm sending someone to tail him. Though it might be almost impossible for them to follow him, it's better that we try." Alex said and the two ladies agreed, also feeling helpless with Zeres.
Meanwhile, Elle who had just returned to join the adults, saw how Zeres literally disappeared into smoke and she just stood there, utterly shocked, until Abigail saw her and called her over to join them.
"Oh Elle... how long have you been standing there? Come over here and have a seat , dear."
Elle sat down on her seat and Alicia started to tell her about what she just saw.
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 263 A Couple Of Minutes
A horrified gasp escaped Elle's mouth the moment she realized she was not dreaming. And that she was not in her room nor anywhere near Alicia's house. What… what was she doing here? How had she suddenly appeared right in the middle of… the forest?!
Panicking, she looked around and a little relief bloomed within her when she noticed the tiny glowing white flowers on the ground. She recognized these flowers as only belonging to one place specifically. This meant that she was still in the Black Forest!
But… how did she end up here?!
The only explanation that made sense was that she had sleepwalked all the way here. She remembered thinking about all the things she had heard from Alicia before she fell asleep. Alicia had given her information about the powers of the witches. She had explained to her about what she had witnessed and told her that the witches can teleport.
All the things Alicia had told her were mind-blowing. When she had gone to bed, her mind was filled with thoughts of the witches' magic. And about how unbelievably amazing it was that those kinds of magic really did exist.
Elle could not remember if she had any dream after she fell asleep. She just fell asleep and the next time she opened her eyes, she was already here. Alone in the middle of the woods and standing there in her pajamas. Should she call out for help? But what if that was a bad idea?
She calmed herself by reassuring herself that this place was safe. As long as she was inside the Black Forest, she would be safe. However, she did not know what kinds of wild animals were prowling around. Perhaps there are other more unspeakable things other than the animals that she should be wary of. Thus, she came to the conclusion that yelling might actually be a bad idea.
So, she turned around. There was no path behind her or anywhere else. But if she had sleepwalked, then she must have walked straight ahead without taking any turns. So she thought that if she just turned around 180-degrees and walked straight back the other way, then she should end up reaching Alicia's house.
Hastily, Elle turned around and walked off in the exact opposite direction that she was facing in. She wished she could just run, but the surroundings were dim. She was just glad that those little flowers were growing all around. Because without them, she would not even know how to begin navigating her way around in total darkness.
Her heartbeats were thundering loudly in her ears as she rested her hand against a tree. How far had she gone? She had been alternating walking and running for maybe twenty minutes or so by now.
After taking a few moments to catch her breath, Elle continued. She needed to get back to the house as soon as possible before any more trouble was stirred!
Something bright flashed like lightning in the distance, causing Elle to halt and hold her breath. There was no sound but a cool gust of wind blew over her. That felt unusual to Elle as she knew there should not be such a breeze in the forest that was so thick with trees. This kind of wind could only be formed in areas of land that are beside large bodies of water - specifically the seas or oceans. Thus, Elle knew that this was something unusual.
The only good thing was that she did not feel any danger from it. All she was feeling was… curiosity that kept bubbling.
With measured and quiet steps, Elle walked towards the source of that bright light.
She hid behind a large tree trunk that was before her and the moment she peeked out from the sides, her eyes slowly widened. There was a woman there! She had long silver hair and was dressed in flowing silken material. The hem of her white dress kissed the ground and the skirt fluttered elegantly along with the silvery lights floating around her. She looked like a deity of light came down to earth, or perhaps a wingless angel.
Her eyes were closed as she slashed her long sword in the air with such smooth and impossibly fast moves that her eyes even failed to follow it. It did not even make any sound but instead, produced a quiet gleam that had sliced all the falling leaves into pieces before her.
Elle's jaws dropped. Awe and amazement shone in her eyes as she continued watching that lady start to move - no, dance - with her sword like a blur. It only made Elle feel like she was watching some kind of an ethereal dance of silence.
She immediately knew this must be… Lilith. The witch queen she had heard so much about. She already knew there were only three witches with silver hair – Alicia, Zeres and the current witch queen, Lilith. Lilith was so much younger than she had even imagined –!
Her thoughts were cut off. A sword was pointed at her in an instant. Even much faster than a blink of an eye.
Lilith was already right before her, standing there as though she had been in that spot forever, looking a little surprised seeing her there.
"You are… Izabelle…" she said as if she could not believe this was indeed her.
Somehow, Elle could not help but wonder why everyone seemed to be having this kind of shocked expression the first time they saw her.
"Yes." Elle replied unblinkingly and Lilith's sword shattered into tiny white glitters before disappearing into nothing. That long and majestic looking sword that was utterly breathtaking had literally vanished before her eyes!
"I… I apologize." The witch queen said.
"Oh…oh! I… am the one who came here unannounced and disturbed you."
"May I know how long you have been here?" Lilith asked as she looked unhesitatingly into Elle's eyes.
"Maybe just a couple of minutes. I couldn't help but watch because your swordplay was absolutely amazing…" Elle trailed off at the sight of shock on her face. The witch queen tried to hide it almost in an instant but Elle already saw that look. Why… why did she look like she could not believe she had been there for about two minutes?
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 264 Lost
"Amazing!" Lilith suddenly burst out. Her eyes widening with awe as both her hands shot out and she clutched Elle's hands. "I didn't know you had such an amazing ability!"
Blinking in utter confusion, Elle replied. "Uhm... I think I should be the one telling you that, Queen Lilith."
"Oh dear, you should really know that you're the only one who managed to sneak up on me for around two minutes undetected!" she stressed on that last word like she still found it unbelievably amazing. Her excitement was obvious from the way her eyes were sparkling.
But while the witch queen was still busy being all amazed, Elle was just getting more and more confused.
"I've already heard about you from Lady Alicia, but she had never once mentioned that you actually have this kind of incredible ability! You truly had caught me off guard..." Lilith trailed off, seemingly finally realizing the genuine confusion in Elle's expression.
"I..." Elle awkwardly spoke to break the silence between them. "I don't think I have any... unusual ability. Well, I do know martial arts and am quite proficient at it. But that barely counts as an ability in this place... I mean against supernatural beings... like you."
Elle herself could hear the tinge of helplessness coloring her voice as she stated her last sentence. Well, it was a fact and there was nothing wrong with her admitting to it. She did not know why Lilith was saying all these, but she knew herself. And she knows she does not have any special abilities like what this queen was claiming that she does.
"Also, I... I wasn't trying to sneak up on you. I'm actually... err... lost." The last word came out from Elle's lips with a sheepish lopsided smile.
The awe was back in Queen Lilith's eyes again. It even twinkled a bit and she could almost see the words 'then that's what makes you even more amazing!' flashing across her face. Honestly, Elle was beyond surprised at this queen's attitude. She had thought the witch queen Lilith was... well, someone who was unreachable and insanely powerful. She actually was powerful. She had felt and seen it with her own two eyes and she knew that what she had witnessed was just the tip of the iceberg.
However, what surprised her was the fact that she had such a down-to-earth vibe when communicating. A down-to-earth angel inside and out! She just felt really light-hearted around her even though she had literally only just met her.
It was not the same feeling that she felt with Abi. It was like with Lilith, she could instantly feel that they could be the best of friends despite their obvious differences.
"You are lost..." Lilith repeated, her voice obviously in disbelief and one beautiful brow ached elegantly in question.
"Yes. And while I was trying to find my way back, I saw a really bright flash of light and decided to look for the source. This is how I ended up here. You are... so terrific. Nothing less than a real life beautiful warrior angel." She finally blurted out the praises she was meaning to shower her with. "Watching you made me feel like I'm watching some sort of a powerful magical dance."
"Thank you..." Lilith almost sounded a little shy accepting the compliment. It was as though she was not used to getting such compliments at all. "But that was actually just me, doing my normal training routine."
Elle's lips formed an 'o'. "It didn't look normal to me at all. You're really amazing, Lilith... oh, I mean, Queen Lilith."
"Oh, you can just call me Lilith." Lilith flashed her a sweet smile. "Do you want to take a seat or should I accompany you back to Lady Alicia's?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay for a bit and watch you perform your magic. It's mesmerizing."
And with that, Elle watched Lilith continue her training. She was secretly thrilled that Queen Lilith was not opposed to having an audience as she was running through her training routine. She knew she should not have requested it, but Lilith's swordplay was too enthralling that she just had to watch it again.
When it was done, Lilith did not make her sword disappear this time. Instead, she handed it over to Elle, sword handle facing her, so she could touch it since she noticed her eyes staring at it so curiously and longingly.
Elle stared at the sword in her hand. It was as though her eyes were the sky and countless stars had filled it up. "It's so much lighter than I thought! And it's so lovely! Like it's made of light ice! Can I try swinging it?"
"Of course."
Thrilled, Elle moved back to what she perceived was a safe distance from Lilith and swung the sword. "Wow. It even feels awesome. I wonder if... this can kill vampires."
Lilith stared at her with eyes stretched wide and Elle fell silent as well after realizing exactly just what she had said. She could not believe she had blurted that out loud! She caught her lower lip between her teeth and worried about it.
"It can." Lilith responded in a quiet voice. "The truth is... most of the witches' weapons were made to kill vampires."
The information had Elle keeping her silence. She remembered that in the books she had read in the library, it had stated there how the vampires and witches were never recorded to ever have been in a good relationship. That the two races had been enemies since a long time back.
"I want to..." Elle started, looking down at the beautiful hilt of the sword in her hand. "... to be able to at least defend myself against enemies that are targeting me. It's frustrating... being so helpless and always needing others to rescue me."
The sword in Elle's hand shattered and disappeared into smoke right before her eyes. She was momentarily awed by the display before her gaze flew to the witch queen's face.
"I don't think it's a sword that you need, for you to do that." Lilith said in a serious tone, causing Elle to crease her brows a little.
"What... are you trying to say?"
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 265 Real
Lilith's gaze suddenly shifted behind Elle before she could answer Elle's question.
"Alicia." Lilith called out.
Turning to look behind her, Alicia was indeed standing right behind her. The beautiful woman was clad in a nightgown covered over with a thick and long grey colored robe.
"Queen Lilith," Alicia stared at Lilith before her gaze fell onto Elle, her eyes scanning her from head to toe. "Are you alright, Izabelle?"
Elle nodded. "I'm totally fine. Please don't worry about me at all, Alicia."
"I'm glad you're alright." The elegant lady looked relieved. "I realized that you weren't in your room and got worried when you did not appear after I waited some time for you to come back. When did you leave? None of us noticed you leaving the house."
"I was..." Elle was a bit embarrassed to answer Alicia but she knew she needed to explain. "I think I sleep-walked. I don't really know how I ended up all the way out here, but I believed I merely sleep-walked."
Alicia's serene expression changed for a moment. "I see..."
"She ended up coming across me on her way back and decided to watch me train." Lilith said to Alicia. The way the witch queen spoke and looked at Alicia was something that Elle could not ignore. It was so obvious how Lilith seemed to look up to Alicia. Respect and admiration were brimming in the witch queen's eyes, despite the fact that right now, Lilith was obviously far more powerful.
Seeing the way this witch queen behaved before Alicia, only made Elle realize how amazing and powerful Alicia was when she still had her full powers in her.
"Auntie a�" oh..." Alexis landed on the ground followed by Azy, pulling at everyone's attention, and most especially Elle. She was surprised to know that she had actually woken everyone in the house up and must have caused them so much worry for these kids to even be here, obviously searching for her.
"Princess Elle! Are you alright?" the boy asked, approaching her.
"I'm fine. Oh dear... why are you boys out here too? You both should be in bed." Elle said, feeling apologetic for all the fuss just because she was missing for a while. But Alexis grinned.
"Waking up in the middle of the night is not a problem at all to us, Princess. Right, Azy?" Alexis turned to Azy behind him and the boy nodded. "We are glad you're okay. Azy was worried because he said that a�""
"Alexis." Alicia called out and the boy immediately stopped mid-sentence and turned to face Alicia.
"Yes, auntie?"
"You and Azy should go back and let Abi and everyone know we've found Elle." Alicia reminded him and at the same time, effectively distracting him from continuing his sentence.
"Oh, right. Got it, Auntie." The boys then disappeared in blur, leaving the three ladies alone once again.
When Elle looked at Alicia, the lady smiled at her. "Please give me a moment to speak with Lilith, Elle."
Nodding, Elle smiled back and just stood there, watching as the two silver-haired beautiful women widened their distance to have their private talk. She did not bother to wonder what they were going to talk about anymore. Since she heard the first question Alicia asked Lilith as they walked away.
"I believe you already know that Zeres was looking for you." Alicia asked.
"Yes. But even I am not certain what he needed from me. I honestly find it strange that he's seeking me out as soon as he reappeared for the first time after such a long while keeping himself under the radar. Do you want me to try spying on him?"
"No. I don't think Zeres will show you anything even if you try. He'd hidden himself for years already so I don't think he'd be careless now and show you what he's hiding so easily. Just make sure to observe him carefully when he seeks you again. And do let me know once he returns."
"I understand."
"Also... about Izabelle." Alicia glanced towards Elle before she continued. "Refrain from saying anything about whatever peculiar thing that you had observed about her for now, Lilith." Her voice dipped even lower to ensure Elle would not overhear her words.
Lilith's brows creased, not hiding her curiosity from Alicia at all. "Why? I mean... I believe she needed to know. Izabelle is obviously so clueless... she should really know something more at least."
"I know where you're coming from, Lilith. But there's a reason why we are trying our best not to say anything to her as of yet." The slightly pinched look on Alicia's face told Lilith that there must be more complicated things involved for them to be behaving so cautiously like this.
The two ladies stared at each other until eventually, Lilith sighed and gave in. "Okay, I understand."
...
Meanwhile, on top of a certain tall building.
Elijah's foot was dangling from the edge of the building. His other foot was bent while he was lying parallel to the edge of it. A black kitten could be vaguely seen, rolled into a furry ball and sleeping peacefully on his chest.
His gaze was staring unseeingly at the starry sky.
The image of him and that kitten on his chest was something that screams serenity and peace, compared to the buzzing and brightly lit city down below.
Until the kitten suddenly awoke, arched its back and hissed with its claws on display. It's lovely black fur standing.
"Shh... it's okay..." Elijah purred, pulling himself up and hiding the kitten back inside a deep pocket on his coat.
"I'm listening. Go on." He then said, his voice back to the usual deep and darkly melodious.
And that female voice echoed again. "So, it seems that the divorce is indeed real. However... I believe Sebastian is just trying to take our attention away from that girl."
"How can you say so?" Elijah stroked the kitten's warm fur under his coat as he asked.
"Isn't it obvious? He allowed her to stay in the country and even let her hide in the Black Forest for safety. He's obviously still trying to protect her!"
Elijah looked up again, staring at the moonlight. The soft breeze blowing and lifting his hair in slow, lazy drifts.
"But well, let's let him think he'd managed to fool us. The game would be more fun that way, isn't it?" The woman's voice was filled with malice as she chuckled evilly.
"Of course." Elijah replied. The corner of his lips tugged up into a mysterious smile.
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