The Last Heir of the Van Declaoria Bloodline - Chapter 13

The first mistake came without warning.

And like most fatal mistakes…

No one realized it had already happened.

The wind across Arnoise had changed.

What was once quiet now carried tension.

Invisible.

But sharp enough to be felt.

Lieta stood in the open field, her silver hair moving slightly under the shifting air. Her eyes were no longer scanning for movement.

She had already found it.

Not with sight.

But with instinct.

“You’re still there,” she said calmly.

No response.

But silence itself was an answer.

On the hillside, Andre adjusted his position.

His finger rested lightly on the trigger.

He wasn’t surprised she had sensed him.

In fact…

He expected it.

“That’s fine,” he whispered.

“It makes this more interesting.”

He shifted the angle slightly.

Not aiming to kill.

Not yet.

Testing.

Probing.

Understanding.

Because the worst thing a hunter could do…

Was rush.

Back in Arlein, something went wrong.

Leticia stared at the screen in front of her.

Her fingers moved quickly across the control panel.

“Signal lost.”

Lucia stepped forward immediately.

“Which one?”

“Multiple.”

That word changed everything.

Lucia’s eyes sharpened.

“That’s not interference.”

“No,” Leticia said slowly.

“That’s removal.”

Behind them, Ludwig stood still.

Too still.

“Someone is cutting our visibility.”

Leticia looked at him.

“That’s not possible.”

Lucia replied quietly:

“It is… if they know the system.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Because there were only a few people in the world who understood the Van Declaoria network at that level.

And one of them…

Had already returned.

Deep within the outskirts of the city…

A black van moved silently through an abandoned industrial route.

Inside, Lukas sat in front of a compact interface, multiple small screens glowing in the dim light.

Lines of code moved rapidly.

Then disappeared.

One by one.

“Surveillance nodes disabled,” he said.

Regna sat across from him.

Still.

Focused.

“What does that give us?”

“Blind spots.”

Regna nodded.

“How long?”

“Not long.”

Lukas glanced at him.

“Enough.”

Back in Arnoise—

The second shot came faster.

Andre pulled the trigger.

The bullet cut through the air—

Lieta moved.

Again.

Not reaction.

Prediction.

The shot missed.

Andre exhaled slowly.

“…twice.”

Now his interest was no longer casual.

This wasn’t just a target.

This was a problem.

Lieta stepped forward.

Still calm.

Still controlled.

“You’re not from the family.”

Her voice carried across the field.

Andre didn’t respond.

But his eyes narrowed slightly.

“That means…”

She continued.

“…someone else sent you.”

Now that…

That was interesting.

Andre lowered the rifle slightly.

Just enough to speak.

“Does it matter?”

Lieta answered without hesitation.

“It always does.”

Far away—

The woman stood in darkness once again.

Only the soft glow of a digital map illuminated her face.

Markers moved.

Then disappeared.

Paths shifted.

Lines broke.

She watched quietly.

Then tilted her head slightly.

“They’re interfering.”

A faint smile appeared.

“Good.”

Her fingers moved across the screen.

Adjusting.

Rewriting.

Redirecting.

Because chaos…

Was not something she avoided.

It was something she used.

Back in Arlein—

Leticia slammed her hand against the console.

“This is not some random game!”

Lucia remained calm.

“Of course it isn’t.”

Ludwig stepped forward.

“Then say it.”

Lucia turned slightly.

“It’s Lukas.”

Silence.

No one argued.

Because deep down…

They already knew.

In the van—

Lukas stopped typing.

“They’ve noticed.”

Regna didn’t move.

“Good.”

Lukas looked at him.

“That wasn’t the objective.”

Regna’s voice remained steady.

“It is now.”

Something had changed.

Not in the plan.

But in Regna.

The hesitation was gone.

The doubt.

The fear.

All burned away in the explosion that should have killed him.

What remained…

Was direction.

And something else.

Something colder.

Back on the hillside—

Andre stood up.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

He slung the rifle over his shoulder.

“No point hiding anymore.”

He stepped forward.

Out of cover.

Into the open.

The distance between them remained.

But now…

They could see each other.

Clearly.

Silver hair.

Calm eyes.

Stillness.

Andre smiled faintly.

“You’re better than I expected.”

Lieta didn’t react.

“You’re still alive.”

Andre laughed quietly.

“That’s usually how this works.”

The air between them shifted.

This was no longer a hunt.

It was a confrontation.

In the shadows beyond the field—

Another presence moved.

Unseen.

Unnoticed.

Watching.

Waiting.

Back in the van—

Lukas froze.

Just for a second.

Then his expression changed.

“That’s not right.”

Regna looked up.

“What?”

Lukas’s eyes narrowed.

“There’s another signal.”

Regna stood immediately.

“From where?”

Lukas didn’t answer right away.

Because the answer didn’t make sense.

“It’s not from them…”

“…and it’s not from us.”

Far away—

The woman stopped moving.

Her eyes fixed on a single point on the map.

A new marker.

One she didn’t place.

For the first time…

Something unexpected appeared.

“…interesting.”

Back in Arnoise—

The wind grew stronger.

Andre’s smile faded slightly.

Not fear.

But awareness.

Something had shifted.

Even he could feel it now.

“This doesn’t feel right.”

Lieta finally moved her gaze slightly—

Past him.

Toward something behind.

Not visible.

But present.

“The game has changed.”

At that exact moment—

Everything collided.

Signals vanished.

Positions exposed.

Movements overlapped.

And for the first time since the war began—

No one knew exactly who was in control anymore.

The jinx had begun.

And it wasn’t just affecting one side.

It was breaking the entire board.

Far away—

The woman whispered softly:

“So…”

“…who made the first mistake?”

No one answered.

Because by the time anyone realized it…

The mistake had already become irreversible.

The game has just been reset into a completely different application of the system.