Murmurs began to fill the room, forcing me to look around the blue box of holographic blocks that I never seemed to understand.

Kael was pacing in small circles, eyes wild.

"What the hell was that even supposed to be?" he barked. "That wasn't a test! That was a damn massacre!"

"At least you got to fight," muttered a new voice.

I turned to see Team D's figures reappearing in a slow shimmer of lights.

Five of them, each looking like they'd just walked out of hell.

Ashy.

Blood-soaked, their eyes hard.

Their leader, a silver haired guy with twin sabers I never bothered to name, stepped forward, fire burning in his gaze. "We didn't even make it to the last five minutes."

Lucas smirked. "You should've been faster."

The air seemed to crackle all of a sudden, making me realise that it was that peaky power of Ren I had experienced earlier while fighting him.

Eren stepped between the two before things escalated. "Cool it, guys. Save the drama. We're all still alive, aren't we?"

"Yeah, it was just a stupid competition set up by Uncle Venus to judge our abilities and teamwork— Grow up, guys…" Dario said, making me nod my head in approval.

Although Grandpa had made the game very dirty by adding that highest point gets a reward thingy, but atleast it made us realise each other's strengths and weaknesses while also testing our compatibilities.

Team D didn't answer.

Not directly.

But their stares said everything.

Especially Lina.

Her face was pale—paler than it should've been, lips were pressed into a thin line, and her eyes were empty. Like she hadn't recovered from whatever killed her.

From how she died.

I remembered what Lucas did to her.

Had seen it happening from afar when I was rushing to where the boss monster was located.

No powers, no glory, just pure brutality.

'Yea—even I agree that he's a more suitable villain compared to you in most aspects.' Damien muttered, making me unable to help but nod my head.

I hated the guy's guts along with how he played dumb almost 24/7.

Looking at him right now, no one could believe that he had single handedly plotted the whole of Team D'a demise as well as killed kane and Lina so brutally.

Lucas had literally strangled her with those threads like she was some ragdoll to be discarded.

And now she was standing again, sure—but her hands were trembling.

Usually, Pixie would be one of the first few people to notice things like things but even now, she seemed to be in a world of her own.

Not only that but the fact that all the injuries and fatigue from her face and body had disappeared meant that Grandpa had given her a preferential treatment…again—

Not that I minded it, I was happy as long as she was fine.

As for Venus?

He had been sitting right at the middle of all of us like some invisible entity.

Exactly at the middle of all of our fancy looking thrones sat a very simple and ordinary wooden chair with our very own patriarch sitting upon it.

No grand entrance.

No dramatic lightning bolt or floating platform.

He had been there, sitting beside the floating orb of whatever it was since the time we had all teleported for phase 2.

There he was, with one hand lazily swirling a cup of steaming tea. Lavender scent wafted from it, cutting the tension in the air like a warm breeze in the winter.

He didn't look at any of us right away.

Just sipped.

Observing and taking note of all of us and how we fought and interacted with each other.

Smiling faintly, the old man set his teacup aside on a small wooden bench which had suddenly appeared beside him as he coughed, gaining the attention of us all.

He smiled faintly, like this was a tea party and not a bloodbath aftermath, as he continued.

"You all did well," he said.

"Well, most of you."

Nobody spoke.

Not even Lucas.

That told me everything.

Venus Romero, head of the House, self-proclaimed kingmaker of this generation, didn't need power to crush people.

He just needed to exist.

To look at you with those hazel-black eyes and make you feel like you were already kneeling.

"Team D," he said, tone still pleasant. "You died quicker than I expected. Was it strategy, or just pure incompetence?"

The redhead girl in their group, Tamara Romero, grit her teeth but didn't respond.

"Lucas," Venus went on, now glancing at the boy sitting exactly in front of me. "Your threads have improved. You kill better now."

Lucas didn't flinch at the compliment. If you could even call it that. Enjoyingthestory?FindmoreatMV-LEMPYR.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Venus smiled again.

But it didn't reach his eyes.

"And Pixie."

My breath caught.

Why was he looking at her?

The girl flinched under the sudden attention. She looked smaller somehow, fragile—but still holding herself upright.

"You survived," he said.

The girl gave a small nod.

"No powers. No skills. Yet here you stand." He leaned back in his chair, casting me a side glance as if he was sure that fact had something to do with me. "Not unexpected." The old man continued.

The girl's jaw tightened.

She didn't speak.

She didn't need to.

Because I could see it in her eyes.

Whatever had cracked inside her during that fight—it was still bleeding. But beneath the pain was something sharper.

Resolve.

That realization made my chest twist. I hated seeing that look in her eyes. I hated that she had to get it like that.

But maybe…

Maybe she needed it.

Venus turned to the rest. "Consider Phase 2 over. You have all shown what you're willing to do. Who you're willing to protect. And who you're willing to sacrifice."

Again, his eyes lingered on me.

It felt like a slap to my face.

"I hope you're all ready for the results." He finished, reaching again for his tea.

A soft breeze swept through the void.

Warm.

Heavy.

Like the calm before a new kind of storm.

And somewhere deep inside my chest, I knew—

That the real game of relationships between us cousins would be decided here.

Right now.

***