Ethan climbed out of the carriage and stretched, boots sinking slightly into damp ground.
The air smelled like wet grass and distant smoke. A quiet place. Too quiet—like it was holding its breath.
Amm stepped down after him, looking… lighter, somehow. Not physically. More like the pressure in the air around him had eased.
“You’re in a better mood,” Ethan said.
“I’m in a better state,” Amm corrected. He glanced at the estate. “The old ones are recovering.”
“The old ones?”
“Silver Moon. Weaver Mother. Stranger in the Shadows.” Amm spoke their names with the care of someone touching hot glass. “They’ve reclaimed portions of their anchors. The burden on me is smaller than it was.”
Ethan understood enough to be unsettled. Amm was a divine proxy—an anchor point. If that weight was shifting, something big was moving under the surface of the Endless Sea.
They crossed the gravel path toward the front doors.
Ethan’s throat felt tight.
He’d already exposed himself to Morningstar.
Now he was walking into a house owned by Huang Yanyan.
If she really was a player, he couldn’t keep pretending. Not without turning every future conversation into a minefield.
The doors opened before they reached them.
Inside, the estate was warm. A fire crackled in a wide stone hearth. The smell of tea and old wood wrapped around Ethan like a blanket.
Someone was already waiting.
A young man sat near the fire, one ankle crossed over the other, posture almost leisurely. His clothes were tailored and expensive—too clean for someone who’d lived through what Ethan had lived through.
He stood when they entered.
For a heartbeat, Ethan’s instincts screamed: predator.
Not because the man looked monstrous—he didn’t. He was handsome in a sharp, ocean-born way, with dark hair tied back and eyes that held a faint, hungry glint.
Amm’s voice was casual. “Rhine, meet my new student and assistant. Xueyu.”
Xueyu bowed with perfect manners. “Lord Rhine. I’ve heard a great deal about you—from Delanna.”
Ethan kept his face neutral. “Nice to meet you.”
Xueyu’s smile widened. “Likewise. I’m… relieved. Delanna made you sound terrifying.”
“She has a gift for drama,” Ethan said.
Amm snorted like he’d heard that line used on him before.
Xueyu’s gaze dropped to Ethan’s pocket, to the modern rectangle hidden there. “Is that the phone?”
Ethan hesitated. “Yeah.”
“May I see it sometime?” Xueyu asked, voice polite but eager. “I want to build one. Or something close. Your world makes interesting toys.”
Ethan stared. “You want to reverse-engineer my phone.”
Xueyu spread his hands. “Only if you let me.”
Amm waved the topic away. “Later. Right now we have a bigger problem.”
Xueyu’s expression sobered. “Nightmare.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “You know about it.”
“I’m a Soul-Eater,” Xueyu said simply, like that explained everything. “Nightmare is our natural enemy. Its power is fear. Ours is what comes after fear. We can smell each other.”
“And?” Ethan asked.
“And it can smell you.” Xueyu’s tone stayed calm. “Not just your alias. Your truth.”
Ethan felt the hairs on his arms rise. “It can identify players?”
“Better than most,” Xueyu said. “If Nightmare’s attention lands on you, your disguise won’t matter. Not the clothes. Not the name. Not the face.”
Ethan’s mind jumped to Delanna. “What about Delanna?”
Xueyu’s mouth twitched. “Delanna is clever. But if she comes near, Nightmare might notice her too.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “So what do you suggest?”
Xueyu’s eyes glittered with mischief. “If she doesn’t want to be noticed… she could pretend to be you.”
Ethan blinked. “What?”
“You know.” Xueyu gestured vaguely, as if the solution were obvious. “Stand beside you. Speak for you. Become your shadow. Ideally, she’d also pretend to be your wife. People believe wives. No one questions wives.”
Ethan stared at him.
Xueyu leaned in, whispering like a conspirator. “Also, I like married women.”
Ethan’s face went flat. “Absolutely not.”
Amm rubbed his temple. “Ignore him. He’s only half joking, which is the problem.”
Xueyu laughed softly, unbothered. “Fine. No wife. No fun.”
Ethan looked at Amm. “Is he always like this?”
“Only when he thinks he’s being helpful,” Amm said. Then, more seriously: “Listen. Shia and Miss Warner are decent people. They’ve kept this place clean—cleaner than most aristocratic nests. Trust them more than you trust Stranger in the Shadows.”
Ethan snorted. “That bad?”
Amm’s expression turned grim. “That talkative.”
Before Ethan could respond, the sound of hoofbeats carried in from outside.
Fast. Approaching.
Xueyu’s posture shifted, all playfulness gone. Amm’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Someone had just returned to the Little Castle Estate.
And Ethan was fairly sure it was the one person he’d been dreading to face.