cHApTEr 8. THE DATE (1 of 3)

As soon as he caught a glimpse of Reyna, Mioray turned away. There was no reaction from her, so she must not have noticed him. He was lucky. He listened to what she was saying.

“Well, Nadir, of course we’re supposed to be here. We're part of Lady Anetta’s Foundation,” she explained to someone in a patronizing tone. “There’s nothing much I can do. We’re expected to help organize these events when we’re not actively on a case. And the development of a device that can make visible that thing we saw on the video has been painfully slow. Though, if you ask me, I’m sure the Order already has one.”

Mioray glanced at Claire and Erinel, uncertain what to make of what he’d just heard. Reyna Kayree was part of Lady Anetta’s Foundation, but he had a hard time understanding what the Foundation had to do with him becoming undead. Wasn’t it just a charity organization? Yet, when Reyna came to the hospital to see him, she had clearly known something about his condition. That meant the Foundation was somehow tied to all of this. No wonder they had such a dangerous relic as the Cursed Blade of Avalon in their possession.

He was in a tricky spot. If Reyna recognized him, their plan to steal the blade would be ruined. And for some reason, she had stopped right behind him, continuing her conversation with her companions.

Claire, who was supposed to be polite to the event guests, was getting annoyed at Mioray for stalling and not answering her. A wide smile was glued to her face, but she was looking for an excuse to leave and do her job. She had no idea she was marked to die, and it was doubtful anything could convince her.

Mioray was the only one who could protect her since Erinel showed no interest in helping people fated to die. Yet he felt useless. It was like standing at the edge of a pit, fully aware of the danger, yet surrounded by darkness, unable to see where to step. The moment he moved, he’d fall.

Go ahead and try escaping that.

Erinel finished her glass of sparkling wine and placed it back on a tray with perfect accuracy. Her expression was blank as ever: smooth skin, no sign of concern. Mioray couldn’t tell whether she was disappointed or indifferent. From where she stood, she had a perfect view of Reyna’s face, yet she didn’t even flinch, ignoring her entirely. Maybe she didn’t remember her. Erinel was conveniently invisible to those who weren’t marked by death, and as an ancient being, she didn’t bother memorizing people she only saw for a few seconds. It was likely she would forget Claire, too, once they moved into the room where the blade was showcased.

“Sorry, Claire, I mistook you for someone else,” Mioray murmured quietly so Reyna wouldn’t overhear. “You see that blonde woman in glasses behind me? She’s my boss. Can you serve her, please?

Claire didn’t respond, only shot him a doubtful glance. Mioray offered a sheepish shrug, silently pleading for understanding. After a moment, the server girl moved to Reyna’s side, offering drinks to her and her colleagues. That was enough to keep Reyna occupied while Mioray hurried toward the stairs, leading Erinel by the hand.

The hall with the Cursed Blade inside a glass case was no less crowded than the entry hall. From where Mioray stood, he could barely see the relic – just its twisted silver handle and a sharp blade of black.

Large rectangular windows lined both sides of the hall, their frames made of dark wood. Along the walls, tables stretched out, laden with hors d’oeuvres. Kevin stood next to one, holding a glass of sparkling wine. It was full. Clearly, he had no intention of drinking it. He simply stood there, watching the host near the glass case, who was inviting the audience to gather and hear about the blade’s origin, its significance to Lady Anetta’s Foundation, and its place in modern history.

Under different circumstances, Mioray would have stopped to listen, eager to learn something new about the relic’s story. But right now, he had other priorities, like avoiding the security cameras. He didn’t approach Kevin; in fact, Kevin soon disappeared from view, obscured by the crowd. Instead, Mioray moved to the opposite side of the hall, stopping by a window.

“I saw the woman from the hospital,” he said, facing Erinel. “Reyna Kayree. She’s working for Lady Anetta’s Foundation.”

The corner of Erinel’s lips twitched, just slightly, but that was it.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “She won’t interfere with our plan.”

Mioray looked down at his hand. He was still holding Erinel’s, and she hadn’t pulled away, letting him hold on. He shifted his gaze to her, but he couldn’t read her. What was she thinking about? The blade? The complications Reyna posed? Him?

He let go of her hand. She didn’t react. Not even a blink. She hadn’t given it any importance. Should he act like nothing had happened, too?

“But if Reyna sees me…” Mioray murmured, tucking his arm behind his back.

“Everything will be fine as long as we succeed,” Erinel said, but Mioray didn’t believe it was that simple. “But I have to be sure you won’t get distracted. What was that, with the human who offered us drinks?”

“What do you mean?” Mioray asked. “She could see you. Doesn’t that mean she’s going to die sometime soon?”

“Yes. That’s the point. I already told you.”

“Isn’t there something we can do to change that?”

“There isn’t. Death can’t be changed.”

“But don’t you think me being here right now contradicts that?”

Erinel’s reply was as straightforward as it was cruel.

“It doesn’t,” she said firmly. “You did die. What happened afterward is an entirely different story.”

Maybe she was right. She had dealt with death far longer than he had. Heck, he had never seen anyone die until that grim day when Impact Corpse attacked the university. What did he know about cheating death? He was here, in the museum, after being killed, but Erinel made it sound like it didn’t matter. He was still dead.

Would he ever reach her level? Be her equal? Mioray looked into her hazel eyes and saw his own reflection. That would be nice, being her equal. Like Kevin was, in a way. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t worth it if it meant abandoning the hope of saving others.

Had Erinel or the other greanrips ever tried to defy death’s rules?

“Maybe there is another way,” he said stubbornly. “You just don’t know it yet. Throughout history, humankind has often thought something was impossible until one day, we made it possible.”

“That’s because you know so little of the truth,” Erinel said, gazing out the window.

Mioray could have sworn he saw sadness in her eyes. It was barely there, because almost instantly, that gentle smile returned to her face, as if it was the only way she knew to hide her real emotions. Maybe she didn’t realize that a smile could be sad, too.

When you live so long… you must know pain, Mioray thought as he studied her. The pain of losing someone. The pain of keeping a memento of them, like a jewel ring.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Mioray took it out and read the message.

“Mia has done her part,” he said. “Security cameras are deactivated.”

To say he was impressed would be an understatement. To be fair, he had been skeptical about Mia succeeding in disabling security. Yes, she was athletic, and during the fight with the Soul Collective, she had shown how capable she was, but dealing with trained guards? Guards whose entire job was to prevent intrusions, especially from people intending to steal?

Looks like she pulled it off anyway. Mioray would have to ask her where she learned that. He hadn’t considered Mia to be skilled in martial arts, but there was simply no way she wasn’t. Unless, of course, the security guards here weren’t as professional as they seemed.

“Good,” Erinel nodded. “It’s your turn now, then.”

She stepped closer, pressing Mioray against the wall. He could barely move. She was so close. He could feel her breath on his skin, warm and sweet, more tangible than raindrops in the morning. And he wanted it to be. If only this moment could last forever.

Erinel reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a glove, slipping it onto his hand. She looked at him expectantly.

Mioray let out a nervous sigh. He raised his arm and imagined it stretching upward. And it did. His arm detached from his body, leaving behind black threads trailing from the sleeve of his suit. The limb shot toward the ceiling.

No one noticed. People chatted, glasses clinked, and the host continued his speech as if nothing unusual was happening.

Mioray directed his disembodied arm to crawl along the ceiling toward the glass case that held the Cursed Blade. This was another trick he had learned in recent days, controlling the movement of his severed limbs with precision. He had to stay perfectly still, focusing entirely on the black threads that guided his hand. He didn’t know the exact limit of how far he could stretch, but he had learned that the farther his arm extended, the harder it was to control. Still, it should be enough to reach the relic.

“I still can’t fathom how it works,” Mioray murmured, though he wasn’t referring to his ability. No, he meant something else entirely, and Erinel understood.

“I’m invisible to humans, but that doesn’t mean I don’t exist,” Erinel said softly, her golden eyes locked onto his. There was no hesitation, no shyness in her gaze. “I wear clothes. I picked up a glass of sparkling wine, drank it, and put it back on the tray. That was real. Everyone should have seen it, but they convinced themselves it didn’t happen. Their perception of reality is clouded. They ignore me without realizing it.

“If I move something, they’ll believe it was always in that spot. Of course, it doesn’t work with big items or those drawing a lot of attention at the moment. If you’re looking at a painting and it suddenly starts moving, you’ll notice it right away. But if you’re not focused on it, you won’t even realize it moved. You’ll just assume it was relocated at some point and that you simply forgot.”

Erinel brushed Mioray’s hair playfully. She glanced toward the people in the hall.

“If I stand in front of you, obstructing their view, they won’t see your black threads stretching toward the ceiling. To them, everything remains perfectly normal. But if someone sees me, like that girl…” She trailed off thoughtfully before turning back to Mioray. Then, she stepped even closer, pressing against him. “Hopefully, they’ll understand that we shouldn’t be distracted.”

If steam could come out of Mioray’s ears, it would have. Was she teasing him?! Because if she was, it was a very bad idea. He was barely holding control of his arm. If he lost focus, it could fall on someone’s head!

Mioray squeezed his eyes shut, trying to center himself. He had to focus on what she had said, about how people perceived her.

From what he understood, there were multiple layers of reality, and different people saw different parts of it. It was hard to accept, but he had seen proof with his own eyes. The way Erinel moved through crowds unnoticed, the way objects she touched seemed to be ignored.

Could it all be an elaborate trick? Could the people around him be actors, paid to fool him into believing Erinel was invisible? That would be ridiculous. Why would Erinel go to such lengths just to convince him that only the doomed could see her? That would be an absurd waste of time and money.

Mioray opened his eyes again. Naturally, Erinel’s face was the first thing he saw. So close, still watching him. And smiling. Not a sad smile this time, but amused.

So far, everything was going well. Reyna was nowhere in sight, and even if she was, Erinel’s strange ability ensured that no one paid attention to them. Mioray glanced toward the glass case. No one was allowed to get too close to the Cursed Blade, forced to view it from a distance. It was more of a decorative piece for the charity event, meant to attract attention and spark conversation.

Thus, no one noticed the small, crescent-moon-shaped objects embedded in the back of the glass. A circle had been etched, large enough for an arm to slip through. Somewhere in the crowd, Kevin was at work, using his sharp fingernails to carve through the glass. Apparently, they had their use besides paralyzing people.

Meanwhile, Mioray had successfully lowered his gloved arm behind the glass case. Now, he just had to wait for Kevin to finish.

A few days ago, Mioray had asked Kevin how he controlled his severed fingernails. He hadn’t expected an answer, but, surprisingly, Kevin had given him one. Kevin suspected that his nails retained a portion of his soul’s power, allowing him to control them until that energy faded. It was a plausible theory. After a minute or so, his fingernails, now dull and lifeless, crumbled into dust before they could even hit the floor. But before they vanished, new ones replaced them, continuing to cut through the glass. How many fingernails had Kevin prepared for this? How many did he have stored away? The man had been cutting them every single day…

Mioray’s thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected question.

“So, that movie you mentioned… Are we going to watch it?”

He nearly jumped. Erinel wanted to talk about that now?! Wait, didn’t she forget about his offer?! Was she seriously saying she had been thinking about it all this time?

“I mean, I’m free whenever,” Mioray stammered. He was in the most awkward position imaginable. One arm missing, the other stretched out behind the glass case with the Cursed Blade. “When do you have time?”

Erinel tilted her head, thinking. “The day after tomorrow?”

Was this really happening?

“Works for me. It’s not like I have anything else to do.” Except, you know, running from the authorities if this heist goes wrong. “Any preference on what to watch?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never watched a movie.”

“Oh. Right.”

It was easy to forget Erinel wasn’t human and that she had lived for so long that she’d lost interest in life. Or never experienced it in the way humans did.

“Well, there’s a new one playing. It’s about a brother and sister fighting demons. An action drama with some comedy. We could try that.”

Erinel clasped her hands together in front of her.

“I’ll trust you on that.”

His heart almost melted. Old and wise as she was, Erinel was putting her faith in Mioray. It didn’t matter that choosing a movie was a trivial matter. No, actually, it wasn’t trivial at all, because it would be the first movie she ever saw, and it would leave an impression on her forever. Mioray would be a part of that memory too. For that reason alone, he couldn’t screw up. Not in choosing a movie, not in succeeding in the heist.

Kevin’s fingernails had almost finished their work. The cut-out glass circle shifted, then fell inside the glass case. Watching it happen, Mioray could almost hear the sound of glass hitting the bottom of the wooden surface inside the case, but that was merely his imagination. The chatter in the room hid any suspicious sounds. Mioray raised his hand and slipped it inside the glass case.

“Are you sure I won’t get possessed by it?” Mioray asked, hesitating before grabbing the blade.

“I can’t guarantee that being dead will protect you from possession,” Erinel said, unfazed as usual. “But with the glove on, it shouldn’t have any effect on you. Only direct contact with flesh, including skin, is dangerous.”

Well, that was oddly specific. Mioray had no choice but to trust her word. Erinel had put her faith in him, so he would do the same. Dispelling any last-minute doubts, he grabbed the blade.

Unintentionally, he shut his eyes, frozen in place. On the outside, everything remained the same. The hum of people moving around never stopped. No alarm sounded – so far, so good. Mioray opened his eyes. He began reeling in the black threads, his arm slowly crawling back along the same trajectory it had taken. He wasn’t possessed. At least, it didn’t feel that way. He was still Mioray. The same dead guy, somehow alive, staring at the beautiful woman in front of him. Her hazel eyes radiated gold.

It didn’t take long for people in the hall to notice the relic missing from its glass case.

“The Cursed Blade of Avalon! It’s gone!”

And just like that, a pleasant evening was cut short.

No one could understand how the blade had vanished from inside the glass case. The host rushed forward, peering at the display and noticing the hole in the glass, yet it still didn’t explain how the theft had happened right under the noses of hundreds of people. No one thought to look up. Not yet, at least. Mioray patiently reeled his arm, holding the blade, back.

Guards rushed toward the host, whispering urgently. Then, the host turned to the crowd and announced, “Everyone must stay where they are. No one is allowed to leave until the police arrive and investigate.”

That was expected. Kevin had foreseen this happening. Hence, the final act was about to begin.

“The day after tomorrow then?” Erinel asked, taking a step back.

“I’ll come get you,” Mioray nodded. Somehow, her calmness in all this disorder soothed him as well. Smiling, he etched this image of Erinel, dressed in fine wine-red silk, into his memory. He looked forward to their movie date.

Erinel turned away, the hem of her dress fluttering as she lifted her hands and began casting magic. Not magic, of course, not in the way fiction described it, but it was the most fitting word for what transpired next.

Out of nowhere, a swarm of rats flooded the floor, pouring in from every nook and cranny, their squeaks filling the air. There were so many of them, it was impossible not to notice. And then, the screaming began.

Panic spread like wildfire. Guests who had been composed and dignified just moments ago were now shrieking in horror as the rodents scampered over their polished shoes.

Mioray grimaced, though he was prepared for this spectacle. They needed a distraction to escape unnoticed, and Erinel had provided it with her eerie abilities. She had a gift that allowed her to summon and command the creatures of nature at a basic level, rats included. Ironically, that gift did not extend to controlling humans. Other methods existed to manipulate them.

And the chaos before him was proof enough. The guests completely forgot the host’s announcement. The wealthy, elegant attendees, just minutes ago sipping sparkling wine and discussing charity, were now stampeding toward the exit, desperate to escape the rat-infested hall.

Mioray didn’t move until his arm had fully reattached. Only then did he merge into the frantic crowd, following the wave of people rushing to escape. He had to be careful not to lose his balance, not to step on a rat scurrying beneath his feet. The blade was tucked inside his suit. It wasn’t large, maybe thirty centimeters long, but in the crush of people, carelessness could be disastrous. The last thing he wanted was for some poor soul to end up possessed because of him.

Suddenly, someone yelled at him.

“You! It’s you!”

Mioray came face to face with Reyna. He cursed under his breath. Why couldn’t this woman leave him alone? First those detectives showed up at his home, now this? People like them were the reason he was forced into hiding.

Reyna lunged to grab him, but someone pushed her aside in the chaos. Taking his chance, Mioray threw himself into the crowd. The force of the fleeing masses carried him down the bifurcated staircase, through the entry hall, and outside. Reyna’s shouting followed him, but it was drowned out by the screams and the stampede of footsteps.

Mioray squeezed through the bodies, making his way toward the stairs’ railing. He climbed over and jumped down. Mia and Kevin were already waiting for him below. Without a word, he passed the blade to Kevin, who was also wearing gloves, then turned back toward the stairs, looking for Erinel.

But instead, he saw Claire.

She was by the railing, struggling to keep her balance amid the shoving crowd. Then, someone’s elbow struck her side. With a sharp gasp, she tipped over the railing.

Mioray’s stomach twisted, his breath caught in his throat. Claire was supposed to die. That was the way things were meant to go. There was no surviving a fall like that, not when she was plummeting headfirst.

And it was his fault. If he had refused this stupid heist, if he had walked away, perhaps Erinel would have reconsidered. Maybe the charity event would have gone on as planned. But they had stolen the blade, and now Claire was falling. Because of him.

I can’t allow it.

The crowd blurred into insignificance. Mioray shot his arm forward, not straight, but in a twisting, spiraling arc. What had Terry called this move? It didn’t matter. Mioray’s arm reached Claire, coiling around her like a lifeline. The momentum carried him forward, stretching his arm further until his fingers caught the railing.

He stopped her fall.

Claire dangled for a heartbeat before Mioray pulled her back, lowering her gently to the ground. She was alive.

“What’s happening here?”

Erinel’s voice was calm as she arrived at Mioray’s side. She hadn’t run. She never needed to. She walked with purpose, her wine-red dress pristine despite the chaos. While Mioray, Kevin and Mia had been shoved and dirtied in the frantic escape, she remained untouched, as if the disorder couldn’t reach her.

“I saved her from death,” Mioray said solemnly. He let go of the railing and stepped back, retracting his arm. Claire, still dazed, sat on the ground, staring up at him.

“What... are you?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant screams.

Mioray hesitated. What could he possibly say?

“I’m just some random guy,” he answered, the words clumsy in his mouth.

“Come on.” Kevin grabbed Mioray’s shoulder, tugging him away. “We need to move.”

Mioray nodded, casting one last glance at Claire before following the others toward the road. A white car was waiting for them.

He frowned. That wasn’t part of the plan. At least, not the part he knew about. Now that he thought about it, Kevin had never actually explained how they were supposed to escape once they got outside. It made sense that the police would be on their way. Kevin must have anticipated that.

In the driver’s seat, Terry grinned.

“You can’t do a heist without a getaway car, am I right?” he quipped as they piled in. “Not a fan of hovering cars, but a wheeled one would stand out too much. So, buckle up, I’m going fast.”

And fast he went. They left behind the museum, the crime, Reyna Kayree and Claire, still sitting where Mioray had left her. She stared after them, her wide eyes reflecting the retreating car, unable to grasp what had just happened.