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“If it was ordinary, then why was it cursed?”

That stumped Evan.

WhywasXen inside that containment mirror? What kind of crime had he committed to get locked away inside the mirror realm? Mirror realms were dark and lonely.

Out of nowhere, a thought flashed across Evan’s mind.

The talking tree in the Enclave Passage had said that Xen had vanished three centuries ago. Had he been cursed then? Had Xen really spent three hundred years trapped inside the mirror realm?

“I…don’t know why…” An ache stirred under Evan’s clavicle, and his eyelids fluttered. There was an inexplicable emotion stirring in his stomach, sitting uncomfortably heavy inside him.

Reaching up, he aimlessly rubbed his chest, breathing a little unsteadily. But the feeling seemed to tighten inside him, locking his muscles in place.

Something was wrong.

“Evan?” That was Celie’s voice.

Evan looked up, but all he saw were blurred faces and dancing lights fluttering past his vision. He shook his head and swayed.

“Big Bro!”

“What is happening?”

“Go get him some water.”

Aaron grabbed Evan’s arm to steady him, and Evan’s heavy head dropped onto his shoulder. There was a twitch in his joints, like the engine of an old machine shutting down, rendering him rigid and unable to move.

“He is just tired,” Aaron said, without blinking. “Two days of continuous wandering with no rest will do that to anyone.”

No, that’s not it.

Evan wanted to speak, but his face was frozen like the rest of him.

Aaron stood up, pulling Evan up to his feet. Wrapping one arm around his shoulder, Aaron addressed the anxious group. “He gets like this after every new case. Please don’t worry. I’ll take him to his room.”

With that, he turned. Evan swayed, eyes fluttering shut. Aaron’s steps didn’t falter as he led Evan to his room, his feet sliding limply across the floor. Once inside, the door soundlessly shut behind them.

The group watched, concern etched on every face as they stared at the two retreating figures. What had just happened?

“Will he really be…okay?” Elysia turned to Celie. “Does this happen often?”

Celie was still staring at the door, brows knit together. “I’d heard that after every case, he slept off the exhaustion to gain back the lost strength. Sometimes he slept for a couple of days straight.”

Just then, a soft voice unsteadily spoke up. “Didn’t you think he was acting a little strange?”

Everyone turned to the owner of the voice, surprised.

It was Rumi.

Celie quirked a brow. “My brother is inherently strange.”

“Not him,” Rumi swallowed. “His friend, Aaron.”

Everyone went silent. All eyes drew to Evan’s bedroom door, an uncomfortable tension stirring the air.

Suddenly, the front doors burst open, and everyone jumped.

A red-clad figure stormed inside along with a gust of strong wind that seemed to cling to his enormous body, making everyone shiver involuntarily. “Where is he?”