Sophia took a deep breath and, with a quivering voice, tried to exin.


    "Corora, it''s not what you think. Lyerin and I were forced—"


    Before she could finish her sentence, Lyerin raised a hand, cutting her off smoothly.


    "Let me handle this," he said, his tone firm yet calm. His gaze never left Sophia, and there was a seriousness in his eyes that made her fall silent instantly.


    She swallowed hard, stepping back as she cast her eyes down.


    Lyerin, however, allowed a faint smile to tug at the corner of his lips.


    "That''s what I like about you," he said, his voice softer now, almost yful. "I keep things running smoothly here in this tribe so you all stay safe. And you, Sophia, at least you''re the only one who listens to me very well. You always know your ce."


    He reached out, pinching her nose gently and yfully, his touch light but enough to send her heart racing.


    Sophia''s cheeks flushed a deep red, and her breath caught in her throat.


    Lyerin''s casual, almost tender action left her flustered and dizzy with emotions she couldn''t quite process.


    Then, without looking back at her, Lyerin shifted his attention toward Corora. His expression changed, his yful demeanor vanishing as his gaze hardened. "Now, Corora," he said, his voice colder, "what exactly do you want to say?"


    Corora stood there, rooted in ce, her mind spinning as she tried to find her words.


    Something was different about him, about Lyerin.


    The way he moved, the way he spoke—he wasn''t the same man she once knew.


    He seemed distant, colder, and far more dangerous than ever before.


    A sense of dread gnawed at her, and she couldn''t shake the feeling that something had shifted between them.


    With a shaky voice, Corora managed to stammer out, "But… Sophia had a boyfriend!"


    Lyerin''s brow twitched, and he cut her off with a sharp wave of his hand, his eyes narrowing as he stared her down.


    "Boyfriend?" he scoffed, the word dripping with disdain.


    "Do you think we''re living in some ideal world, where titles like ''boyfriend'' or ''husband'' matter anymore? Do you think I care about those kinds of trivial rtionships in this apocalypse?"


    He stepped closer to Corora, his presence looming, every word he spokeced with indifference.


    "Let me spell this out for you, Corora," he began, his voice low but firm.


    "Everything we once held dear, every attachment, every idea of love, marriage, orpanionship—none of that matters now. What''s a boyfriend? A husband? Nothing but remnants of a broken world that no longer exists. The world we knew is dead. What we have now is survival, and survival demands strength, not sentiment.


    Loyaltyes from power, not from some fleeting notion of love.


    "And besides," he continued, his tone growing more intense, "in this world, I''ll take what I want, when I want, and no one—not you, not Sophia''s boyfriend,'' not anyone—can stop me. If they try, they''ll die. The faster you understand that, the better off you''ll be."


    Corora''s breath hitched in her throat as Lyerin''s words washed over her, each one hitting harder than thest.


    Something''s really wrong with Lyerin and she doesn''t know what''s going on?


    Just what happened?


    Does he hate me because I went on my own?


    Corora opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out.


    For the first time, she felt something she had never associated with Lyerin before—fear. He had always been a mystery to her, but now he was something much darker, much more terrifying.


    His sweet aura became dark, and his confidence, it was incredibly unfamiliar to her.


    Lyerin smirked, reading the fear in her eyes.


    He leaned forward, his face inches from hers, his breath warm against her skin. His hand moved up, gripping her chin gently between his fingers, tilting her head slightly so she couldn''t look away from his intense gaze.


    "Now," he said softly, his voice a whisper that sent chills down her spine, "tell me, where are the others?"


    Corora''s mind raced, panic wing at her insides. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she stammered out a response. "Th-they''re... they''re sending messages... trying to contact the others."


    Lyerin''s expression darkened immediately, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. His fingers tightened ever so slightly on her chin, and she flinched.


    "Others?" he asked, his toneced with suspicion. "What others?"


    Corora hesitated, swallowing hard. She could feel the tension rising, the palpable danger in the air. "Th-the people we found in the city," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We… we thought we could bring them in."


    For a moment, Lyerin was silent. T


    hen, suddenly, he threw his head back andughed—a deep, maniacal sound that echoed through the abandoned sanctuary.


    "Hahahhahahahaha!"


    Eachugh grew louder, more powerful, until the very ground beneath their feet trembled.


    The air itself seemed to ripple, bending under the weight of hisughter, and Corora instinctively stepped back, her fear mounting.


    Sophia watched in horror as Lyerin''sughter intensified, her hands trembling as she tried to process what was happening.


    She had seen him in dangerous situations before, but this… this was something entirely different.


    The energy radiating off him was oppressive, overwhelming.


    Corora, for the first time in her life, felt pure, unadulterated fear. Her legs shook, and her breath came in shallow gasps as Lyerin''sughter finally subsided.


    "Eeerhhmmm-" he said as he cleared his throat.


    His face twisted into a cruel smile, and without warning, he gently set Sophia down before grabbing Corora''s wrist in a vice-like grip.


    "L-Lyerin, what are you—?" Corora gasped, wincing as he effortlessly lifted her off the ground by her arm. Pain shot through her shoulder as she dangled in the air, her legs kicking weakly beneath her.


    Lyerin''s gaze was cold and unforgiving as he held her there, his voice a dark, dangerous whisper.


    "What did you think would happen, Corora?" he asked, his tone chilling. "Did you think I wouldn''t notice you moving on your own? That I wouldn''t be angry?" your-chapter-source


    Corora''s eyes widened in panic, her voice trembling as she tried to exin herself. "I-I didn''t mean to! We just thought—"


    Lyerin shook his head, cutting her off. "You displeased me, Corora. But that''s not the only thing you did wrong, is it?"


    Corora''s heart pounded in her chest, her mouth suddenly dry as she tried to make sense of his words. "W-what do you mean? I didn''t—"


    He tilted his head, his smirk deepening as he leaned in closer. "Do you want to know what you really did?"


    Corora swallowed hard, her eyes wide with terror. "Is… is it because I went on my own? Along with the others?"


    Lyerin''s gaze sharpened, his smile widening. "That certainly displeased me. But no," he said, his voice dangerously low, "that''s not the only thing you''ve done wrong. Do you want to know?"


    Before Corora could respond, a voice suddenly rang out, filled with anger and desperation.


    "Let go of my sister!"


    Lyerin''s grip loosened slightly as he turned his head toward the source of the voice.


    Standing in the doorway, with a furious expression and clenched fists, was a young girl—Corora''s sister.


    Corona.