All Chapters of MAD END'S DECEPTION: Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

Many Years Ago (Part 1.2)ARAHEENShe exhaled a quiet, controlled breath. She suppressed any hint of troubled reaction even as Theobald sidled up to her, blocking her path—far too close for comfort. His gaze met hers, with the faintest trace of arrogance on his lips. The thought of striking his disdainful face crossed her mind. It was a temptation she had long harbored since the day her father brought home his second wife and her two insufferable children.But she was no longer the naïve, defiant girl she had once been. After everything she had endured to regain her father’s favor and elevate her status in society, she could not afford to be seen as a Fractured Sylph anymore.“Let me pass,” she said, her voice quiet but firm. Theobald lingered for a moment, as though testing her patience. When she did not waver, he at last stepped aside, offering a subtle gesture of his hand as though to grant her passage.“You can’t fool me, dear step-sister,” he whispered, falling into step behind h

Many Years Ago (Part 2.2)ARAHEENHer father laughed, a slow, measured sound. “Did I not swear that I would find what would wound you most grievously?” He gestured toward the guard. “You do not wish for your precious sister to endure such torment, do you?”“Aktaeon!” Nalini cried out.“She had no part in this,” Aktaeon said, blood and spit flying from his mouth, his muscles taut. “She has never even slain a sylph in her life!”The guard lifted Nalini and slammed her onto the rack without a hint of care, while another stepped forward to fasten her wrists and ankles. The female salamander’s heartbeat raced with fear.“Then do her this favor,” her father said, his tone almost leisurely, “and reveal to me everything I seek to know about the Dragon.”Nalini turned her head toward her brother. “We swore, Aktaeon,” she said. “Don’t tell them.”“Ah, another defiant one,” her father remarked, t

ARAHShe must’ve lost track of time again because the next thing she knew, she was back at the witches’ base, with Vienna helping her onto the couch. Voices and movement blurred around her—Drusden giving orders, the cloaked witch speaking through the guard’s voice. Lokius dabbed her face with a wet towel, and the beer guy pressed a glass of water into her hand.Alaunus appeared last, arms full of supplies for healing and who knew what else. Part of her remembered he was the reason she’d tried to leave in the first place, but right now, she couldn’t bring herself to care. His pale blue eyes held concern—whether it was genuine or not, she couldn’t tell. She let him inspect her, barely registering the cut in her palm until she felt the familiar hum of energy from his fingertips.Vienna sat beside her, murmuring softly as she worked through the tangles in her curls, cleaning the blood from it. The others moved and talked around Arah. She could hear them, but the words didn’t seem to reach

ARAHShe burst out of the back hallway, sensing the danger in the air. She froze in place, her eyes darting toward the plume of smoke curling up from the distant horizon. Fire crackled, likely coming from the direction of the main gate and watchtowers. Had the enemy blown them up with magic?Her stomach twisted at the sound of sizzling flesh and faint, agonizing screams. Someone was dying slowly over there. The guards—it had to be them. She clutched her chest, horrified at the thought of those innocent people burning alive. Why them? They were just doing their jobs. They didn’t deserve to die like that.‘We won't have to worry as much about collateral damage...’ Vienna’s words from earlier echoed in her mind. Arah hated the very idea of it. Unless those people were deliberately causing harm to others, they shouldn’t be caught in the line of fire for someone else’s fight.“The enemies did all that?” she muttered under her breath, wondering how powerful they were.“Actually, they’ve bro

GILDEONHe’d been awake since the dark chains had suddenly unlatched from his wrists and ankles. They had disappeared into thin air without a trace of magic left behind. He had a good idea of what had gone down, but right now, all that mattered was the relief of those damned shackles being gone.Looking back, he doubted he’d gotten even a minute of sleep all night. Thoughts of Arah had pounded through his head, filling every corner of his mind. Was she safe?Drusden wouldn’t let anything happen to her—knowing full well Gildeon’s wrath would be waiting if he did. Still, his mind remained restless. The inaction burned him up inside. Not having control, not knowing every detail of the situation outside the station—it kept him on the fucking edge.Ghulik hadn’t returned yet, which meant he was still out there, trying to dig up intel on that long-haired witch.The door creaked, but he didn&rsquo