CHAPTER 320: TAINTED SANCTUARY

The theatre doors creaked shut behind them, sealing off the noise and chaos of the outside world. The space inside was dimly lit, but not dark. Red velvet curtains hung like drapes of blood across the walls, their edges frayed. The air smelled thick. Not of dust or mold like Aria expected, but of alcohol, sweat, and something almost sweet that made her stomach turn.

Crystal wrinkled her nose. "It smells like a bar in here."

Aria’s expression darkened as her eyes scanned the space. The main seating area had been cleared of chairs and replaced with low tables and silk cushions. Bottles littered the floor and stage. A half-naked mannequin wearing a feathered boa had been shoved into a corner. One of the overhead lights flickered as if in protest to the things it had witnessed.

She didn’t need to ask what kind of private event this was. She already knew.

A party. Not just any party. One of those parties. The kind her father threw when he wanted to remind everyone of the power he held. The kind that were supposed to be kept secret. Hidden behind velvet and lies.

She turned to Ethan slowly. Her glare was sharp enough to cut.

"This is what your men were guarding? A playground for perverts while the city burns?"

Ethan averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.

"I just follow the patrol schedule, Miss Aria. I didn’t even know it was active today."

Aria wasn’t convinced. She stepped further in, heels clicking against the polished floor as she passed empty glasses and discarded clothes.

"Where is your sister?"

That made Ethan stop. His brow twitched with annoyance. His voice came out in a dry mutter.

"Probably slacking off somewhere with a bottle in her hand. I would give her a piece of my mind....if she wasn’t so damn strong! For all her strength, she is as stubborn as an ox!"

Aria chuckled at the thought of that. Ethan’s sister was inhumanely strong. She may have become a world class martial artist or a world record holder....if she wasn’t addicted to alcohol and cigarettes.

Aria sighed, a tired sound that felt too old for her age. Her wings shifted slightly behind her before folding in again. She wasn’t sure what was worse. The rot in the streets or the rot inside her own family’s walls.

Crystal wandered a bit further down the aisle, her arms crossed.

"This whole place makes my skin crawl. It’s not right."

"It never was," Aria replied, her voice low.

She paused near a couch, eyeing a tray filled with lipstick-stained flutes and half-eaten fruit. The tray itself had dried blood along one corner. Whether from a drunken fall or something worse, she couldn’t say.

Aria turned to Ethan again, her tone softer but still firm.

"Find your sister and tell her that I want to speak to her. Also make sure that the guards tend to the wounded but don’t let any of my father’s guests touch any of them."

Ethan gave a hesitant nod. He looked like he wanted to protest but knew better. Without another word, he turned and headed toward the back halls, weaving past fallen chairs and empty bottles.

As soon as he disappeared behind the curtain, Aria exhaled. Not just from stress. It was grief too. Grief for a family name that used to mean something. Or maybe it never had. She was finally seeing her father for the monster he truly was. She wasn’t going to turn her head away any more.

She stood and paced in front of the stage. Her heels tapped rhythmically on the floor, sharp like a ticking clock counting down to something she wasn’t ready for.

Crystal remained where she was, eyes flicking over the walls. It was a nice theatre once. She could tell. The arches, the subtle gold trim, the polished wood. All of it ruined by the filth that had taken root here.

"Do you think anyone decent ever comes here?" she asked.

"No. If they do, they leave with something broken," Aria muttered. "Reputation, innocence, dignity. Take your pick."

Silence fell between them again. They could still hear faint screaming outside, though it was muffled by the thick walls. Inside, the theatre felt like a corpse. Beautiful once, but now bloated and left to rot.

A muffled groan came from behind one of the curtains.

Crystal tensed.

A muffled groan came from behind one of the curtains. Crystal tensed, and Aria’s footsteps slowed as they moved toward the sound.

The curtain shifted slightly as they pulled it aside, revealing a woman lounging on a worn couch. She wore a sharply tailored suit, the fabric stretched tight over a figure both strong and strikingly well-proportioned. Her shoulders were squared, but there was an effortless grace in the way she held herself. Her light brown hair fell in tousled waves just to her shoulders, framing a face with sharp cheekbones and piercing chocolate brown eyes that flicked up to meet theirs.

In one hand, she loosely held a nearly empty bottle of wine. Despite the evidence of drinking, there was no hint of drunkenness in her steady gaze. Beside her lay a man sprawled unconscious, a swollen jaw the only sign of a sudden, decisive punch.

Aria stepped forward and spoke the name softly but clearly.

"Vivian."

Vivian’s eyes narrowed as she studied the newcomers, then a slow smile spread across her lips. She shifted on the couch, the bottle making a soft clink against the wooden floor as she set it down.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Aria," she said with a hint of amusement. "And you brought company?"

Crystal folded her arms, scanning Vivian from head to toe. "Who’s this?" she asked, nodding toward the blindfold wrapped tightly over her eyes.

Aria glanced at Crystal before answering. "This is my friend Crystal. Uhh....Long story short, the game that is the reason for the riot gave her special eyes. For now, she has to wear the blindfold."

Vivian’s smile flickered for a moment as she considered this. Then she shrugged, deciding not to press further. "Fair enough," she said. "I’m not one to question strange gifts and curses."

Before Crystal could reply, footsteps echoed from the back hallway. Ethan appeared, out of breath and wiping sweat from his brow.

"Sis. I was looking everywhere for you. Miss Aria is back....Oh. You found her first."

Ethan looked dispirited like he had been denied a chance at praise like a loyal dog. However, Vivian noticed that he was shifting his weight a little, a telltale sign that he had done something he was feeling guilty about.

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced sharply at Ethan. "What did you do this time?" she asked, voice low but edged with something dangerous.

Ethan avoided her gaze, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable.

"Nothing...."

Crystal scoffed. "You actually pointed a gun at me. You call that nothing?!"

Vivian’s lips curled into a slow, almost predatory smile. Her chocolate brown eyes gleamed with cold amusement. "He dared point a gun at her? That is not going to be forgotten."

Ethan swallowed hard, still silent.

Aria stepped forward, cutting through the tension. "Enough. We have bigger problems to deal with."

Vivian’s smile softened a little as she nodded, her gaze lingering on Ethan with a warning. "Fine. But after all this is over. You and I are going to have an extra special ’training’ session."

Ethan whimpered but nodded his head in slow acceptance.

Aria placed a hand gently on Vivian’s shoulder. "I need your help, Vivian."

Vivian’s expression turned serious, the playful edge fading. "Tell me what you need."

The theatre around them seemed to hold its breath as the four prepared for what was coming next.