Chapter 173 I told you!!

Chapter 173: Chapter 173 I told you!!

Kai didn’t know why his body felt as though it no longer belonged to him.

He had been walking toward the house with the others, yet every step felt strangely unfamiliar. It was as if his body knew where it was going, but his mind remained somewhere else, desperately trying to understand what was happening.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Nevertheless, he continued walking until he reached the sitting room. Without saying anything, he sat down on the couch and stared at the people moving around him.

Luna led the way toward the kitchen, apparently intending to prepare something for everyone to eat. The others followed behind her, leaving Kai sitting alone in the sitting room.

Well, almost alone.

Ethan remained behind.

The silver-haired man had been watching Kai from a distance, and it didn’t take long for him to notice how unusually quiet he was. Normally, Kai would have found something to complain about, made a ridiculous joke, or teased someone until they threatened to throw him out.

But today?

He was sitting on the couch with a troubled expression, looking as though he had just witnessed the end of the world.

Considering the apocalypse they had survived, that was saying something.

"Mr. Blackwood, what’s your problem? You look so down."

Ethan approached him, studying his face.

Kai turned toward him and shifted slightly, making room for him to sit. However, Ethan didn’t seem interested in taking the seat. He remained standing in front of him, his expression becoming more serious.

"I’m fine," Kai replied.

He forced a smile.

"I just saw you here all alone, and I didn’t want to leave you by yourself. So I decided to come over."

For someone who usually had a playful attitude, Ethan could be surprisingly considerate.

Kai appreciated the gesture.

Unfortunately, his smile probably wasn’t convincing anyone.

Ethan stared at him for another moment.

"Okay, Kai. That smile was eerie."

Kai’s expression twitched.

"Eerie?"

"Yes. What’s wrong with you? Look at how miserable you are. You look like something is disturbing you, and I know damn well that something is indeed bothering you."

Well, that was certainly one way to put it.

Kai glanced toward the kitchen to ensure the others weren’t listening. Then he reached out, grabbed Ethan’s hand, and pulled him toward the nearby chair.

Ethan raised an eyebrow but eventually sat down.

Kai leaned closer.

"Do you ever get the feeling that we’ve been somewhere before? I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like we’ve already come here."

Ethan’s expression changed slightly.

He studied Kai’s face before looking around the sitting room.

For a moment, he appeared to consider the question seriously.

Then he shrugged.

"I’ve never felt that way. But if you have, maybe you should think about why."

Kai waited.

Ethan continued.

"This is our damn home, isn’t it? Not just any home, but our base. It’s been our refuge for so long that being here should feel familiar. Maybe that’s all you’re experiencing."

He gestured toward the room.

"After everything we’ve been through, I don’t think it’s strange that you want to be somewhere familiar."

Kai stared at him.

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Was he really the only person who found the situation suspicious?

He felt like pulling his hair out.

How could everyone be so comfortable when he was practically screaming inside his head?

"Ethan, come on."

His voice lowered.

"We were almost killed out there. You can’t tell me you’ve forgotten everything that happened."

Ethan sighed.

"Kai, we just came back from a horrible experience. You almost died, remember?"

He leaned forward slightly.

"I saved you. We all saved you. And have you forgotten how Luna almost lost her mind when she realized she might lose you?"

Kai’s expression softened for a moment.

Ethan continued.

"I lost my mind too. So did Rowan. We were terrified because you’re important to us, you idiot."

He gave Kai a small smile.

"You’re special to us. All of us. That’s why we’re finally getting a moment to breathe. We’ve been through hell, and now we’re home. We should be happy, shouldn’t we?"

His smile widened.

"We should enjoy these good moments instead of looking for trouble where there might not be any."

Kai looked away.

He understood Ethan’s point.

He really did.

After everything they had endured, perhaps he should have been celebrating instead of sitting around looking for danger.

But there was something he couldn’t ignore.

His instincts were screaming at him.

And Kai had learned the hard way that ignoring his instincts could get him killed.

Still, he couldn’t exactly tell Ethan that he suspected their entire reality might be fake without sounding like a madman.

So he forced another smile.

"Okay. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I really do."

He looked back at Ethan.

"I love you guys for never giving up on me or us. That’s exactly why I’m worried. I don’t want us to fall into another dangerous situation after everything we’ve survived."

Ethan groaned.

"You’re still not getting it."

He rubbed his forehead.

"Sometimes, a situation like this can confuse you, especially after everything we’ve experienced. Let’s not cause unnecessary trouble. Let’s be the happy family we always wanted to be."

He spread his hands.

"Apocalypse or not, we’re together. That’s what counts."

Kai fell silent.

For a moment, he wondered whether Ethan was right.

Maybe he was overthinking everything.

Maybe the journey had affected his mind more than he wanted to admit.

But then he remembered something.

He had watched too many movies and read too many novels to dismiss what his instincts were telling him.

Whenever everything seemed too perfect after a terrifying experience, there was usually a reason.

Sometimes, the danger didn’t disappear.

Sometimes, it simply changed its appearance.

And sometimes, the person who noticed the problem first was the only one who could save everyone else.

Kai wasn’t about to ignore that possibility.

"Okay, Ethan. I’ve heard you."

He paused before asking another question.

"But isn’t Luna supposed to look for Astrid and Miles? Why is she heading to the kitchen first?"

Ethan glanced toward the kitchen.

Then he waved the concern away as though it were nothing.

"We’re all hungry. Let’s eat as a family first. We can look for them afterward."

Kai stared at him.

That didn’t sound right either.

But before he could question it further, Rowan appeared from the kitchen carrying a plate of food.

Adrian followed behind him, talking and laughing with Luna.

The atmosphere was almost painfully cheerful.

"Luna made the best dish, guys!" Rowan announced. "You just have to try it."

Luna laughed at his enthusiasm.

"You’re acting like you’ve never eaten before."

"With food this good, who can blame me?"

Ethan immediately stood up and headed toward the dining area.

Kai remained on the couch for a few more seconds, watching them.

Something was wrong.

He could feel it.

Eventually, he forced himself to get up and follow the others.

Perhaps sitting alone wasn’t helping him think clearly.

Maybe watching everyone closely would reveal something he had missed.

When Kai reached the dining area, plates were already being arranged across the table. The delicious smell of freshly prepared food filled the room, and Luna was busy pouring herself a glass of juice.

For a moment, everything looked perfectly normal.

Then Ethan spoke.

"You know, there’s something I’ve been wondering about."

Kai’s attention immediately sharpened.

Ethan took a seat.

"Does anyone remember exactly how we left that island? I don’t know why, but it feels like we just vanished from there. Considering how we entered, that doesn’t seem normal."

Adrian frowned.

"What do you mean? Is there supposed to be a special way to enter an island?"

He glanced around the table.

"I thought we could leave the same way we arrived."

Luna paused while pouring her juice.

"Didn’t we come out through the same portal that carried us in?"

She set the bottle down.

"That’s how we got here, isn’t it?"

Kai watched her closely.

She sounded so certain.

Too certain.

Ethan tilted his head.

"I’m pretty sure I was awake during that time, but I don’t remember seeing anything like that. I don’t remember us going through a portal at all."

He paused before laughing.

"Hmm. Maybe I’m thinking too much. This is Kai’s fault. He’s got me questioning everything now."

Kai grinned faintly.

At least Ethan was beginning to notice something.

But his relief didn’t last long.

"Now that you mention it, Luna," Kai said, looking directly at her, "I didn’t see you leaving through that portal either."

The instant the words left his mouth, everything stopped.

Luna’s hand froze halfway to her mouth, the cinnamon roll she had been about to eat still resting between her fingers.

Rowan stopped chewing.

Adrian’s expression changed.

Even Ethan fell silent.

Kai looked from one person to another.

There it was again.

That strange, coordinated reaction.

Why did everyone keep freezing whenever they were about to eat?

Why did it always happen at the same time?

The silence stretched.

Then Luna slammed her hands against the table and stood up.

"Can you thick-headed idiots just fucking let me eat?"

Her sudden outburst startled everyone.

"I just got back from an exhausting journey! Is it too much to ask for? And weren’t you all sleeping?"

Kai’s eyes narrowed.

Sleeping?

Were they?

He tried to remember.

He remembered the island. The strange creatures. The vines.

He remembered being trapped. 𝚏𝗋ℯⅇ

But he couldn’t recall anyone sleeping through their escape.

"I doubt we were," he said quietly.

Luna’s head snapped toward him.

Her glare was so venomous that Kai almost leaned back in his chair.

"This is annoying my soul!"

She pointed at the table.

"This isn’t how I wanted this lunch to go. We’re going to sit down like good little children, eat our food, and join in my conversation. Is that clear?"

Nobody answered.

Luna stared at them for another moment before abruptly sitting down.

Then, just as quickly as her anger had appeared, a smile spread across her face.

"I’m sorry about that. I guess coming back here has made me cranky after everything we’ve been through."

She picked up her cinnamon roll again.

"I just wanted to have a normal life and enjoy dinner with my family."

Kai stared at her.

Normal life?

After an apocalypse?

After fighting creatures in the ocean, encountering monsters on an island, and nearly dying several times?

Even if Luna wanted a normal life, she would never speak about it like that.

At least, not the Luna he knew.

Rowan suddenly scoffed.

The sound was so unexpected that both Kai and Luna turned toward him.

"Normal life?"

Rowan shook his head.

"That’s an impossible feat to achieve after an apocalypse, especially when we’ve awakened different powers. And that’s not even mentioning Luna’s system or the deadly creatures we’ve encountered."

He leaned back in his chair.

"The ocean itself chased after us! Do you honestly think it’s possible to return to normal after all that?"

Kai’s attention immediately shifted to Luna.

Her fingers had tightened around the edge of the table.

She was gripping it so hard that her knuckles had turned pale.

For a moment, Kai worried she might hurt herself.

Then Luna looked up.

"It might seem impossible, but we can try."

Her voice was unusually firm.

"That’s what we’ve been doing, isn’t it? Trying. And we’ll keep trying again and again."

She looked around the table.

"Is that clear?"

Kai slowly exhaled.

There it was.

The final confirmation he needed.

Something was wrong with Luna.

The woman sitting in front of him might have her face, her voice, and even her memories, but she wasn’t behaving like the Luna he knew.

And he wasn’t the only one who had noticed.

Rowan was already pushing his chair away from the table.

Ethan stood up next, his earlier relaxed expression replaced by suspicion.

Adrian moved away from his seat, watching Luna carefully.

Nobody touched the food again.

Luna rolled her eyes.

"Come on, guys. Don’t start acting like that. I said all those things in a fit of rage. It doesn’t mean anything."

Adrian, who was usually the quietest among them, stepped forward.

His expression was cold.

"No."

Luna blinked.

Adrian looked her straight in the eyes.

"You’re not our Luna."

The smile disappeared from her face.

Adrian’s voice hardened.

"What have you done with our queen? Our angel?"

He took another step forward.

"You’re an impostor."

The room fell silent.

For the first time since they had returned, Luna didn’t immediately respond.

Kai’s lips slowly curled into a grin.

Finally.

Someone else had said it.

Someone else had noticed what he had been trying to explain all along.

Adrian slammed his foot against the ground.

A jagged rock erupted beneath Luna’s chair.

Before she could react, the floor split open, creating a gaping hole beneath her.

Luna screamed as the ground gave way.

Her chair toppled, and she plunged into the darkness below.

Rowan immediately moved toward the opening, his expression murderous. 𝙛𝓇ⅇ

"Where is Luna Hart?"

His voice echoed through the room.

"Where is the real Luna, you impostor?"

Kai watched the others close in on the hole.

His grin widened as he turned toward Ethan.

"I told you..."

He whispered the words quietly, almost as though he were afraid the impostor might hear him.

"I told you something was wrong."