Below the Abyss of Morai
After Tiff pulled her hand away from Iya's, she realized she couldn't hear Iya's voice. Standing in the fog, with everything in front of her in white, she could only hear people talking quietly nearby, and she walked in that direction.
The fog suddenly dissipated, and the scene before her was all too familiar to her—it was her high school from before she traveled back in time. The voice coming from behind her made her stop in her tracks.
That voice was so familiar, it made her miss it, and it made her hate it.
"Miss Gu, I'm hungry." The girl behind me sounded a little aggrieved and coquettish.
"What would you like to eat? It's my treat." Another voice rang out, its tone cool and slightly amused.
A cold glint flashed in Tiff's eyes as she slowly turned around. Two girls were standing hand in hand in front of her. One of them looked exactly like Iya. When they saw Tiff, they both smiled in unison, which was strangely eerie. Then, the one called Miss Gu picked up a dagger and stabbed the girl next to her in the chest again and again.
Blow after blow, warm blood splattered on Tiff's face, hair, and clothes.
Tiff didn't make any move, just watched coldly as the blood entered her eyes, she just stared without blinking.
A blood-red scene unfolded before her eyes, the landscape shifting rapidly. She found herself in a magnificent palace within the royal palace, where a throne stood atop a long staircase. Upon closer inspection, a person sat upon it who looked exactly like Tiffany. The person smiled and reached out to Tiffany, enticing her to ascend.
As if she had lost her soul, Tiff slowly walked towards "Tiff." Watching her step onto the stairs and get closer and closer to her, "Tiff's" smile deepened, and she didn't retract her outstretched hand.
Tiff walked up to "Tiff" and raised her hand. Just as she was about to place her hand on "Tiff's" arm, a sword appeared out of thin air in her hand. With a swift stroke, she severed "Tiff's" arm, which rolled down the steps and landed on the ground.
She is Tiffany's desire.
Everything before her eyes shattered like a mirror, leaving fragments scattered on the ground, and she returned to the Abyss of Morai.
A gold ring appeared before her, plain and without any gemstones. Tiff picked up the ring, and a child's voice echoed in her mind, "This ring will inexplicably terrify someone for a moment. In that moment of fear, you can see what they are afraid of."
"This is your reward for completing the game. Only you get it." His tone carried the laughter of a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.
Tiff held the ring, seemingly lost in thought, before putting it on her right index finger.
She took two steps forward.
"How pathetic." The voice came from above. Tiff looked up and saw the young man with a smirk, his black hair blowing in the wind as he sat on a tree branch.
His eyes were curved, but there was no smile in them.
Hicks, the master of the Demon Tower.
The moment she met his gaze, Tiffany could clearly feel her heart pounding rapidly, so fast it felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.
But it just beats very fast, without any emotion, no fear, no love, just a simple beating, like…
A hint.
Tiff was covered in wounds and blood, her clothes were soaked, and her once tied-up blonde hair had fallen loose during the battle with the python, with a few strands still sticking to her cheeks.
Tiffany was indeed in a very sorry state.
She didn't even try to hide it from Hicks, nor did she put on a naive and innocent act. She ignored him, changed herself into a new set of clothes, and used magic to dry her hair.
Seeing Tiffany remain silent, lower her head, and change her clothes, looking truly pitiful, I was afraid I would have been deceived if I didn't know her true nature.
This was the first time I'd ever seen her so disheveled. Thinking back, I'd never seen her in such a sorry state in my past life. Oh, now that I think about it, part of her disheveled state seems to be her own doing. After all, he was the one who arranged for that giant python, and he was the one who replaced Simonton's note with the Abyss of Morley.
Hicks jumped down from the tree and approached Tiffany. He believed that although Tiffany was not as strong as she would be three years later, she was not strong enough to be reduced to this state by a snake.
At that moment, footsteps approached, and Ia Allen and Phyllis's team came over. When Ia Allen saw Hicks, she paused and ran to Tiff's side.
"Are you alright? And..." Iya looked up and secretly glanced at Hicks, "Why is the Tower Master here?"
Tiff shook her head. "I don't know either. He arrived just as I emerged from the mist."
"Is your injury healed?"
"No, I just changed my clothes and dried my hair."
Hicks looked at Tiffany, his face expressionless. "What happened?"
Iya recounted the whole story to him, and Hicks stared at Tiff.
I never expected they would become enemies now.
"In that case, I'll take you out now."
“Wait a minute.” Tiffany frowned. “Lorry hasn’t come back yet.”
Hearing Tiffany's words, his eyes darkened, and he snorted coldly, "Then go find him."
Tiffany felt that his tone was a little strange, but she continued to pretend.
“Then you should go first. After all, he is Rother’s brother…” Tiffany lowered her eyelashes, looking like a pure and innocent girl.
She looked at Hicks with a belly full of anger.
Iya gripped Tiff's arm tightly. "But you're injured."
Tiff didn't speak, just looked at her face.
"I'm here." Rory's voice came from behind. His voice was tired, and he didn't look as aloof as before, as if something had happened.
The group exchanged glances but remained silent.
—————
After entering the mist, he witnessed Tiffany and Rother's wedding ceremony. They had successfully completed it, and Rother was able to inherit the title ahead of schedule.
He was imprisoned for plotting against Rother, and could only watch as Rother inherited the title, watch his parents praise how outstanding Rother was, and watch the disdain in their eyes when they looked at him. He was resentful. Just because Rother was the eldest son, did he not even have the right to compete for the title?
The scene shifted, and when he opened his eyes again, he had become Rother, receiving praise from his parents and inheriting the title. However, he dreamed of Rother every night, watching him without speaking. Every night was the same. He felt like a thief, and even killing Rother would be better than secretly using his identity like this.
Later, he returned to himself and successfully inherited the title. He sat in that position for one year, two years, three years, until one day he suddenly remembered Tiffany, the graduation exam, and the Abyss of Morai. He was afraid; he feared it was just a dream, and indeed it was.
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