The night hung heavy like a shroud of lead over the mansion, and Rasen felt a chill crawl down his spine. His body reacted before his mind could make sense of it.A burning pain, sharp as a blade, struck his chest. It was the same pain he'd felt when he lost Clear… but different. Deeper.
"Rasen, what's wrong?" Cristal approached, alarmed by the sudden trembling in his body.He clenched his teeth, pupils dilating, the dark red bleeding into his eyes. Voices. Not in his head — in his blood. Something was calling to him.A whisper, faint as a breeze…
"you're not going to have me."
Aisha's echo.
Cristal noticed the change in his expression — the way his jaw tightened, as if he were listening to something only he could hear.
"Rasen, tell me what's going on." She took his hands, but he didn't answer.
Because deep down inside, he knew. Aisha was in danger.
Elsewhere, Skiller remained at Daesa's bedside. She stirred between faint murmurs, her eyes slowly focusing on him. The silence wrapped around them, heavy with unresolved tension.
Skiller: "You're awake… Now you can tell me the truth."
His tone was more weary than harsh, laced with a yearning for answers.
Daesa looked away, her face a storm of restrained emotion.
Daesa: "No, Skiller… you don't understand."
Skiller: "Really? Daesa, I don't see any reason to lie. I know what you did. What I need to know is why."
A sigh of frustration escaped his lips. Daesa closed her eyes and, voice trembling, confessed:
Daesa: "Maybe I was the one who gave in. Who stumbled. Aisha tried to help me… but I didn't want to accept it."
Her words dropped into the room like a lead weight. Skiller took her hand, holding it with a mixture of pain and understanding.
Skiller: "I get it, Daesa. You and I could try again… but not without truth."She pulled her hand away, her voice bitter.
Daesa: "Lionel was never the man I thought he was. I used him just as much as he used me. I'm glad it's over… even if it's too late."She paused, then whispered:"And you… why do you care so much about her?"
Skiller turned toward the window, taking a deep breath before answering.
Skiller: "Because we're family. There's no point in lying or hurting each other anymore."
Daesa: "Family? You expect me to believe that? That you're as innocent as you pretend to be? Come on, Skiller — I know. You like her."
The accusation hit with such force that he spun around. His clenched jaw revealed the battle to keep his calm.
Skiller: "Yes, I was drawn to her. But I didn't know we were cousins. And besides… she never reciprocated. There's nothing between us but shared blood."
Despite his words, Daesa's conflict was written all over her face — anger, pain, resignation.
Daesa: "So now what? You expect me to trust you? That all this was just a bad dream?"Skiller: "I don't expect anything, Daesa. I just want you to find peace. If that means divorce… I'll accept it."
She looked at him with disbelief and sorrow.
Daesa: "Did I ever matter to you at all, Skiller?"He held her gaze for a moment, then answered with honesty:
Skiller: "I always saw you as someone who deserved better — from Lionel or from me. I'm not willing to be anyone's substitute."
The silence between them was deafening. Finally, Daesa lowered her head, exhausted.
Daesa: "Aren't you going to ask about Lionel… and what it means for your so-called City of Shadows?"
Skiller closed his eyes, swallowing his rage. He gently took her hands again, softening.
Skiller: "I'm still your husband, no matter what. And though this is maddening, I hold no grudge. Even if my brother had found out without your help, things would've ended the same."
Skiller took control of the Ghali punishment chamber. The room, harshly lit, carried a suffocating air, thick with the metallic scent of old blood and rusted machines.
Guard: "Suit up, Mr. Ghali."
Skiller pulled on gloves and a mask, though the stench seemed to seep through everything. As he inspected the place, he paused at a hidden door. Behind it, muffled voices caught his attention.
He used his vampiric gift to sharpen his senses. The thick walls distorted the words, but he managed to catch a fragment of the conversation.
Secretary: "The girl… she wounded the Butcher badly. We ended his suffering… but she damaged the machine."
Skiller's heart raced at the mention of Aisha. His gaze sharpened as he sensed movement within. Through a narrow opening, he glimpsed a tall figure, pale, draped in a black veil.
"Who is this man?" he wondered, forcing himself to stay calm.
The figure slowly turned, revealing a tattooed face Skiller recognized instantly: Luciano Kerens.
Luciano: "You look just like Beatriz did…"
The name echoed in Skiller's mind, heavy with meaning. A sharp pain stabbed at his temple. The banished Kerens, he realized with rising dread.
Suddenly, another figure entered — Varek.
Varek: "So this is what you were hiding from me, father… Is she your blood? Your granddaughter?"
When Luciano touched her hair, a shiver ran down Aisha's spine. Her entire body tensed, the contact itself draining her warmth. Every instinct screamed at her to pull away, but the chains held her fast. Then he spoke — and sealed her fate.
Luciano: "My decision hasn't changed. Aisha is not a tool… she's the key."
He stood, his cold and intimidating presence filling the room. Varek stepped forward, unable to hold back the storm in his chest — disbelief and rage.
Varek: "You're going to let her die?"Luciano: "It's inevitable, Varek. It's worse for her to live at the mercy of your brothers. Aisha… she carries within her a dangerous power. She's the key to reviving your true father. Her sacrifice is the only way to fulfill her destiny."
The words hit like a blow, sucking the air from the room. Tension reached its peak. Varek's hands trembled, fists clenched as fury, helplessness, and betrayal swelled inside him.
For Aisha, the chains meant nothing. The real torment was knowing that Varek remained silent… that Skiller hadn't arrived… that Sanathiel might never find her. But she had never been one to break easily. Never.
Varek: "A purpose? You're condemning her. I won't allow it."
Luciano's eyes stayed fixed on him, unshaken, as if his son's words were just whispers in the wind.
Luciano: "Every action has consequences, my son. And yours… are already written."
The air shifted. Time itself seemed to freeze. A cold seeped into their bones before anyone even saw Luciano's silhouette twist into something inhuman. Bone wings cracked open. His skin turned pitch black, devouring the light around him. His eyes blazed like coals, and the room held its breath.
A sweet, deathly scent filled the space — a harbinger of doom.
Varek didn't just witness his father's transformation. He felt the weight of choice crushing the breath from his lungs. If he allowed this, Aisha would die. If he interfered, he would face judgment from his own kind. For the first time in his life… he hesitated.
But then — the White Wolf struck like silver lightning. His claws met Luciano's dark energy, deflecting it just in time — at a cost.
Varek: "No… don't do it!"
A splash of blood hit the floor as Varek's left arm was scorched by the blast. Still, he didn't retreat. He stood between Aisha and the demon, an unbreakable shield.
Luciano: "This is not the time for us to fight, White Wolf…"
Luciano's voice echoed, otherworldly, before he vanished with Varek into a thick mist. He left only one whisper behind:
Varek: "Hide her…"
When calm returned, the White Wolf held Aisha in his arms. The girl, utterly drained, collapsed. His eyes reflected a deep void — a sorrow that mirrored hers.
Aisha: "You heard them… to them, I was never important. Not my father. Not my grandfather… I've always been alone."
Her voice cracked, but no tears fell. No complaints escaped. Her eyes alone carried the weight of a lifetime of silent solitude.
The White Wolf gently touched her face, as if afraid she might shatter.
White Wolf: "I came too late… I'm sorry, Aisha. Skiller warned me — that's the only reason I got here in time. But I swear… I won't let you be alone again."
She looked at him, trying to understand the bond she felt toward him. It was unexplainable — as if part of her soul already belonged to him.
Meanwhile, in a distant corner, Rasen received an urgent message from House Verona. The alert blinked on his phone, but he didn't need to read it.His gut had already sunk into dread. His breath quickened, and for a moment, the world tilted.Aisha is in danger.
The phone slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor with a hollow thud. His vision blurred. The air thickened — Sariel clawing at him from within. His hands trembled, clutching at his shirt, trying to contain the scream burning its way out."Aisha..."
Lionel, watching his state, stepped in. His voice was concerned, but carried a hint of reproach.
Lionel: "Cristal needs to know, Rasen. You can't keep hiding the truth."
Rasen stared at him, guilt and fury warring in his eyes. Then, voice breaking:
Rasen: "Cristal can't get pregnant by me, Lionel. While I'm gone… stay sharp. Handle things."
Lionel, angry, grabbed his arm.
Lionel: "Enough excuses, Rasen! If you don't act, you'll lose her forever."
Rasen yanked his arm free, eyes sharp as steel.
Rasen: "I don't need your lectures, Lionel. Just do what I said."
Without waiting for a reply, Rasen turned and disappeared into the shadows — leaving Lionel alone with his thoughts, and a rising fear for what was coming next.