Curse

Chapter 7: He knows

The air inside the hidden chamber felt heavier the moment the footsteps stopped above them.

Irene stood completely still.

Her back pressed against the cold stone wall, but she barely felt it anymore.

She wasn’t breathing properly.

She knew someone was directly above the seal.

And they were not leaving.

The librarian moved first, stepping closer to the sealing circle carved into the floor. His head tilted slightly, listening.

Then he whispered, almost to himself.

“…The mana is reacting upward.”

Irene swallowed.

“Upward?” she repeated, softer this time.

The librarian didn’t answer immediately.

That silence alone made her chest tighten.

Then he said, lower.

“…Someone is reading the seal.”

Irene blinked.

“What?” Her voice came out sharper than she intended. “That’s impossible.”

The librarian shook his head once.

“It should be.”

Above them, something shifted.

Just a faint sound.

Like fabric brushing stone.

Then a voice came through the floor.

Calm.

Controlled.

“I know what seal is beneath me.”

Irene went still.

Cold rushed into her hands.

No.

No, no, no.

The librarian’s expression changed instantly.

“…That voice,” he muttered.

Irene whispered, barely audible.

“No…”

Then it happened.

Click.

The hidden mechanism engaged.

The door began to open.

Light from the library corridor spilled into the chamber like a blade cutting through darkness.

And Zayn stepped inside.

No rush.

No hesitation.

Just… certainty.

Like he had already decided what this room was before entering it.

His eyes moved immediately.

First to the floor.

Then the sealing circle.

Then finally… her.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

The silence felt wrong. Too sharp. Too aware.

Then Zayn spoke.

“You used Layered Seal Seven.”

The librarian stiffened.

Zayn didn’t even look at him when he continued.

“In a restricted sub-chamber under ducal estate property.”

Now he glanced at the librarian.

“You really should know better than that.”

The librarian’s voice tightened.

“This has nothing to do with you.”

That finally made Zayn step fully inside.

The room felt smaller immediately.

“I decide what has to do with me,” he said simply.

His eyes returned to the seal.

Then to Irene.

“…And this does.”

Irene felt it instantly.

Pressure.

She took a step back without thinking.

Small movement. Barely anything.

But Zayn noticed.

Of course he did.

His gaze sharpened slightly.

“…You’re the source.”

Irene’s voice came out quieter than she wanted.

“Leave.”

Zayn didn’t move.

Not even a flicker.

He studied her for a moment, like she was a puzzle missing a piece.

Then he said it.

“No.”

Just that.

Simple.

Final.

Irene’s fingers curled tighter.

“I said leave.”

Zayn took one step forward.

Not aggressive.

Just closer.

“I didn’t come here by accident,” he said. “I followed a mana fluctuation that should not exist inside sealed estate grounds.”

A pause.

“And it led me here.”

The librarian stepped forward immediately.

“She is under controlled suppression,” he said sharply. “You are interfering.”

Zayn finally looked at him.

His eyes were colder now.

“This is not controlled.”

Beat.

Then quieter.

“This is unstable.”

That word hit harder than it should have.

Irene felt it sit in her chest.

Unstable.

Zayn’s gaze went back to her.

“…And it reacts to her emotions.”

Irene shook her head quickly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Zayn didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he moved again.

One step.

Then another.

Irene didn’t even realize she was moving backward until her back hit the wall.

She stopped.

Zayn noticed.

He stopped too.

Now they were close enough that she could feel his presence more than see it clearly.

Not touching her.

But blocking her.

One hand went up beside her head against the wall.

Then the other.

Not trapping her.

But closing the space.

Irene froze completely.

Her heartbeat was too loud.

Too fast.

Zayn’s voice dropped slightly.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Irene swallowed hard.

“Move,” she said.

He answered instantly.

“No.”

Silence stretched.

Irene’s breath shook.

“You’re not my guard,” she said, a little sharper now.

Zayn didn’t react.

“That’s correct.”

Pause.

Then softer, almost like an admission.

“But I’m not your enemy either.”

That made her pause for half a second.

Just one.

Zayn leaned in slightly, still not touching her.

His eyes flicked down for a moment.

To her sleeve.

“I felt it from above the seal,” he said quietly. “Something inside you responds to external mana pressure.”

Irene tightened her grip on her arm.

“I don’t have anything inside me.”

Zayn didn’t look convinced at all.

“That’s not what the seal reacted to.”

The librarian stepped in again.

“You are overstepping ducal authority.”

Zayn finally looked at him properly.

“I am the duchess’s son,” he said. “Don’t lecture me about authority inside my own estate.”

The librarian went quiet.

Zayn turned back to Irene.

His voice lowered again.

“This seal isn’t hiding you,” he said. “It’s suppressing something already awake.”

Something inside Irene shifted at that. A faint burn under her sleeve. Not strong.

Zayn noticed immediately.

“…There it is again.”

Irene quickly covered her wrist.

“I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Zayn didn’t respond for a moment.

Then quietly.

“You’re either lying…”

Pause.

“…or no one ever told you the truth.”

Silence dropped into the room again.

The sealing circle flickered.

Very faint.

Like it was listening.

Zayn slowly lowered his arms from the wall. But he didn’t step back.

Not yet.

“You’re not leaving alone,” he said.

Irene frowned slightly.

“What does that even mean?”

Zayn looked at her for a long moment.

“It means,” he said, “whatever is inside you is already affecting the seal structure.”

Pause.

“And I’m not letting something unknown walk freely inside this estate.”

Irene’s voice dropped slightly.

“I’m not dangerous.”

Zayn looked at her.

A long pause. Then quietly.

“I didn’t say you were.”

Silence again.

The seal pulsed once.

Faint.Unstable.Alive.