Hands caressed his hair. The familiar song was a note that made the boy's eardrums relax. When he saw his sister, she smiled, demanding that Gyne remain in bed, affirming that he had become a man.
Even though he tried to be stubborn, her arms showed strength, pinning him against her warm chest. Her nails lightly scratched his scalp as she began to hum softly again.
No matter how much his mind told him to pull away, to prove something beyond mere masculinity, to show that a man didn't need gentle caresses, his conscience won, and he surrendered to his older sister's affection.
She pressed him against her chest, gazing at the streets with dimly lit eyes. Exhaustion climbed through her body, heavy, until her eyelids trembled… and closed.
***
When he could see again, he saw nothing. He felt his arms bound to something unknown. He tried to move, but nothing responded. He tried to generate electricity, but his own body reacted with pain. He coughed. He spat.
With unhurried steps, the woman emerged in front of him, amid the shadows. She uncovered his doubts and answered them. That place was an extension of herself, like a cocoon. And if he missed magic, power, strength…
it was because she had drained it all from him.
Through "love."
His heart stopped for a second. Before another reaction could come, whatever held him broke, and he rose with a scream, lunging at the Destroyer.
But he fell.
And when he realized it, he was naked. His body sensitive, exposed, as if it had been overstimulated for too long. Reality crashed over him like an inescapable weight.
She laughed. She placed her foot against his head and scorned his attempt. She said he had betrayed Victoria. Even if he killed her, it was already too late.
He denied it. Refused to accept it. Claimed unconsciousness, lack of choice.
But she laughed loudly and merely demanded silence. She said she would deliver the news to the woman.
Upon hearing that, he reacted. He seized her foot and lunged at her, wrapping his hands around her neck.
But with supernatural strength, the shadows grabbed him and squeezed with an intensity he had never felt before.
As they crushed his bones, she confirmed that he was a source of power… and of pleasure. But at that moment, she needed to be by the side of the woman to whom he had sworn fidelity.
Then the shadows swallowed him.
And he vanished.
Alone, Mara knelt and tried to cover her mouth, but a dark substance gushed from her throat onto the floor. It wouldn't stop. Air wouldn't enter.
She thrashed.
Only after long seconds did it cease.
The Devil touched her shoulder, questioning the origin of it. She, intertwining her fingers with her father's, answered briefly that it was a side effect of the act…
But necessary.
For him.
For his power.
To have him back.
So… it was justifiable.
He laughed, his thick voice echoing beneath the body of the Assassin of the Century. He wrapped her in his arms, stroking her hair, praising her as a good daughter.
Even with her tired appearance, her mouth stained, she leaned into him and apologized. She hadn't done enough. She hadn't sought more power.
For herself.
For him.
He nodded.
However, the arms that embraced her tightened. Her bones cracked, echoing in the silence. She fell, along with the shadows.
The space distorted, revealing the sea that now sank everything. Krythos walked toward her, observing his reflection in the swaying water, and demanded that, even at the cost of her body, she seek more power.
Otherwise…
he would teach her.
And so he left her.
Mara, watching him walk away, only murmured her father's name in forgiveness. Because she did not want to witness his fury.
The shadows slowly enveloped her, removing her from that aquatic Inferius.
***
Upon waking, Victoria saw a cage. Unrecognizable murmurs echoed in her ears. A few words stood out, mentioning a powerful Renkyarian who would visit the "castle."
Castle…
Castle?
She sat up abruptly. When she turned, she saw her husband, back turned, wearing the same clothes as before. He clutched them against his body, as if trying to shield an invisible vulnerability.
She didn't hesitate. She hugged him, saying she had missed him, that she was happy to see him well.
But when he turned…
tears.
Tears she hadn't seen in years.
She touched his face, stroking his cheek, and asked for explanations with gentleness.
And, without hesitation…
he told her the truth.