The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella) novel Chapter 1904

1904 /1909

Mirabella lowered her lashes and turned to James, her voice steady as a rock. "I'm fully aware of what I'm doing."

Even if Maverick's words were unreliable, he sure knew how to mess with people's minds. James looked at Mirabella, his eyes stinging, like he was reliving the moment she found out about Catherine's death. The calmer she seemed on the outside, the more turmoil bubbled underneath.

James sighed, knowing there was no stopping her, and decided to hold his tongue. Before long, Mirabella reached the stone platform, opened her palm, and glanced at the black and white stones. Her expression darkened as she placed each stone into the central opening of the mechanism.

The stones clicked into place, forming a yin-yang symbol that matched the engravings on the platform. As they settled, the engravings seemed to come alive, and with the ancient symbols around the hole, it looked like a living puzzle wheel.

Just then, Maverick moved forward, his fingers deftly spinning the wheel, causing the ancient symbols to shuffle around. Mirabella watched, her face unreadable, not stopping him. She could easily crack modern tech, but these mystical old mechanisms were another story. Still, she figured only her mentor could unlock this puzzle.

Sure enough, after some calculations, Maverick paused. A heavy, ancient clunk resonated, as if something had unlocked beneath the platform. The chamber's tremors were almost enough to knock you off your feet, and even the air felt like it might tear apart.

Maverick struggled to keep it together as the scene changed before him. No one knew how excited he was when he found out the time-reversal experiment worked on his apprentice—it was like finding a hack in the world's system.

That's when he understood why the Massolio family had stayed hidden here for so long. They had this treasure that wasn't theirs, so they hid. But to Maverick, their thinking was laughable.

Only by reaching the top of the pyramid could you change the world's rules, which is why he created the First Base. Mirabella ignored Maverick's expression, her fingers clenching and then slowly releasing as several elders lay on the cold ground nearby.

Suddenly, she struck at Maverick's back, her move decisive and full of intent. Maverick, though focused on the mechanism, was alert. Feeling the danger a moment before it struck, he sidestepped casually.

"Trying to kill your mentor?" Maverick smirked. "Reborn folks tend to forget their roots."

"You don't deserve the title," Mirabella said coldly, flicking her sleeve as silver needles shot out, giving Maverick no time to react. But Maverick dodged easily, knowing her every move. "Remember, I taught you those skills."

He knew his apprentice inside out. "True," Mirabella replied, unflinching. "But the student surpasses the teacher."

"You're the best I've trained, but you have a fatal flaw," Maverick nodded, looking at her. "You're too soft-hearted."

If he hadn't dodged, he doubted she'd have struck the final blow. He knew her too well.

"Compassion's better than being heartless," Mirabella said flatly.

"Naive," Maverick sneered, pressing hard on a corner of the mechanism.

Suddenly, the tearing sensation intensified as the mechanism split open, revealing a massive black hole beneath. The pull was strong, and Mirabella, standing too close, was nearly dragged in. James quickly grabbed her, his voice deep, "You okay?"

Mirabella's hair was a mess, but her face was calm. She looked at James and shook her head, "I'm fine." Then her eyes returned to the black hole. So, time portals were real.