Tuf escorted his siblings toward the lift after their meeting concluded, everyone except Luna, who remained behind in the conference room.
"How about the other item I asked you for?" he asked Peanut quietly as they walked.
"Don't worry about it," she replied, flashing a grin. "It's almost done. We're just putting on the finishing touches. It'll be ready the day you leave for Beyond the Mist."
"Hey, bro! I helped her, you know!" Milo chimed in cheekily. "You should compensate me."
Tuf chuckled and reached over to ruffle Milo's hair.
"Okay, okay. But I need a receipt," he teased.
"Ugh, don't be stingy like Alpha," Milo muttered with a pout.
"Me too, please, big brother," Vivi added, latching onto Tuf's arm and giving him her best innocent look.
Tuf gave her a dry stare.
"You only call me big brother when you want something," he said with a smirk. "Fine. One item each. Sky's the limit."
Milo and Vivi grinned at each other, whistling in sync before hurrying ahead with Neko and Nugget, their laughter trailing behind them.
Alpha, however, lingered beside Tuf as they approached the lift. His expression had sobered.
"Be careful out there," he said, voice lower now, serious. "I heard something from Luna."
"There's nothing to worry about," he replied casually. "I'm only going to observe. That's all."
"Even so… Luna can't see anything about Seiryu's new master. Her Foresight draws a blank every time she tries. And you know her, she pretends to be composed, but when it comes to you…" Alpha paused, his gaze sharp. "She doesn't know how to reign in her emotions."
A shadow passed over Tuf's features. Alpha was right. Of all people, he knew Luna best. Knew that beneath her icy façade was a woman whose emotions ran too deep, whose fear for those she loved could twist into recklessness.
"Don't give her a reason to worry more than she already does," Alpha added, clapping a hand on Tuf's shoulder.
When they reached the lift, Alpha gave a final wave before stepping in with the others.
Vivi could have easily opened a portal, but as much as possible, they chose not to rely on their powers. They'd worked too hard to modernize the Empire, to build a life beyond just strength and magic. Now, they wanted to live it.
Once the doors closed and the others were gone, silence returned.
Tuf exhaled slowly, running a hand down his face before turning toward the presence he'd felt following him the whole time.
Naelira stood there, as she had all throughout the meeting, silent, lingering like a shadow just beyond the warmth of the fire.
"I'll give you one last chance, Naenae," Tuf said, his voice calm but chilling. The use of the old endearment made her breath hitch. "Take your seat at the Council."
Naelira's eyes widened.
"You may think you know me well," Tuf continued, voice low and dangerous, "but you don't. The fact that you don't understand why I'm giving you that position… is proof enough."
He took a slow step toward her, his presence suddenly overwhelming.
"If you follow me beyond the Mist," he said, "you'll regret it."
"I won't, Master," Naelira said quickly, her voice trembling, but her resolve unwavering.
Tuf's lips curled into a dark smile. Not warm. Not fond. Just… sad.
"Yes. You will." His voice dropped to a whisper filled with steel. "That future… is already set in stone for you."
He stepped closer.
"You will never take her place. You will never walk beside me. You'll always be a shadow trailing behind. And if you stay… you'll betray your family. You'll betray your race. And, worst of all, you'll betray yourself."
His fingers reached up and gently cupped her cheek.
She didn't flinch, but her soul did.
"You've seen the side of me that plays the fool," Tuf said, leaning in, his eyes darkening like a storm swallowing the sun. "The manipulator. The villain. But you haven't seen the monster in me."
"Take the seat, Naenae," he said softly, his voice a velvet warning. "Because if you don't…" His gaze sliced through her, cold and final. "The next time you betray me, will be your last."
"I want to stay by your side. No…" Her voice cracked as the tears began to fall. "Even if I can't stand beside you, it's enough for me just to be near you."
Tuf's lips curved into something unreadable.
"You're a foolish woman," he said simply, then checked his wristwatch. "There's another meeting in Hades four hours from now. You have until then to decide. If you show up… whatever happens after that, it's on you. You'll have no one to blame but yourself."
He turned and walked away, back toward the conference room, leaving Naelira alone in the hallway, her heart splintering as she stared at his back growing more distant.
"Kitten? What's wrong?" Tuf's tone shifted the moment he entered the room and found Luna still seated, her brows furrowed as she stared at the glowing Aetherlink Tablet.
He was at her side in a breath, scanning the screen.
And then he saw it.
'Third Son of the Demon Lord,
I will be waiting.
New Master of Seiryu.'
"How is this possible?" Luna whispered, turning to him, her face pale. Her voice held something deeper than fear, instinct.
Tuf didn't answer.
Because he didn't know either.
"I need to go back to the Dark Tower," Luna suddenly said, standing abruptly. "Tell Father to rescind the order. You can't go, Cub. It's too dangerous."
He was on her in a second, grabbing her wrist before she could take another step.
"You will not do such a thing," Tuf said sternly. "Everything's already in motion. We can't back down now."
"Did you not read that message?" Luna snapped, worry fraying every word. "Whoever this human is, he knows our language. Our first language. The one language that only our family should understand and speak in all of Solmara. Do you understand what that means? I can't see him in my Foresight. I can feel it in my bones, Cub… this human is dangerous."
Tuf raised his hands and gently cupped her face, pressing their foreheads together. His voice softened.
"You need to calm down," he murmured. "How many times have I told you, do not depend so much on your Foresight. You spiral the moment you don't know what comes next."
"Of course I spiral!" Luna snapped. "What if something happens to you? You'll be alone beyond the Mist."
He pulled her into a tight embrace, one arm cradling her waist, the other stroking her back.
"Nothing will happen to me," Tuf whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss on the crown of her head.
"You don't know that," Luna trembled in his arms. "We can't see anything because of that human. He's an anomaly. He breaks every rule of Foresight. That shouldn't be possible."
Tuf gently tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes.
"Kitten, listen to me." His voice was calm but edged with steel. "Have you forgotten? No matter what happens to us… as long as Father is alive, we can't die."
"But what if this human is different?" she whispered. "What if the rules don't apply to him? What if he's the one variable even Father cannot account for?"
"Shhh," Tuf whispered, his lips brushing gently against hers, a soft, calming kiss meant to draw her back from the edge of panic.
"It doesn't matter how powerful Seiryu's new Master is. He can't do anything life threatening to me," Tuf said with quiet certainty. "I know it. I believe it. Unless he's Lucifer himself, he can't break the bond we have with Father. Have you forgotten? It was Lucifer who forged the condition, who tied our lives to Father's. As long as he's alive, I will be fine."
"Don't forget," Luna replied, worry flickering in her mismatched black and gold eyes, "even if they can't kill you… you'll still feel the pain."
"So?" A dark grin tugged at Tuf's lips as he leaned down, whispering wickedly into her ear. "I like pain sometimes. It's… exciting." His eyebrows lifted in a playful arch as he pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, amused by the flush of red blooming on her cheeks.
"Can you be serious for once?" Luna snapped, a mix of frustration and heat in her voice.
"I am always serious," Tuf replied with a mock solemnity, before trailing slow, possessive kisses down the curve of her neck.
Luna gasped when, without warning, Tuf scooped her up and placed her down on the conference table, directly in front of his head chair.
"What are you doing?" she cried out, flustered.
Tuf didn't answer. Instead, he captured her lips in a searing kiss that pulled a moan from her throat.
"You're too stressed," he murmured against her mouth when he pulled away briefly. "Stop overthinking about Seiryu's new master." His lips traced lower, trailing across her collarbone, while his hands slid up her thighs, spreading warmth and tension across her skin.
"I can't help it," Luna whispered, already surrendering, her fingers tangling in his hair and clutching at his shoulders as he worshipped every inch of her with his mouth.
"Then let me help you," Tuf grinned, that smirk she both hated and craved in equal measure.
He took both her wrists in his hands and gently eased her down, laying her flat on the polished surface of the table, her legs dangling over the edge. Then, with a wave of his hand and a shimmer of his creation magic, iron-black chains coiled out from the surface, snaking around her wrists and securing them above her head. Another set clamped gently but firmly around her ankles, spreading her legs open and locking them into place.
"Cub!" Luna moaned, panic laced with heat as she felt her power weaken, neutralized by Tuf's magic, rendering her body hyper-sensitive to every touch, every kiss. "What if one of your employees walks in?"
"I don't care," he said, his voice dark and possessive. "My kitten needs my attention."
He gave her no time to argue.
He leaned down and kissed her again, deeper, rougher, while his hands began peeling away her clothes piece by piece until she lay fully bare beneath him. Her skin glowed softly in the low light, flushed and exposed like a rare delicacy, one only he was allowed to consume.
With her strength drained and her limbs bound, Luna was completely vulnerable. Every touch, every kiss, every nip of Tuf's venom-laced fangs made her body shudder. His venom didn't just sting, it heightened every nerve ending, turning each caress into fire, each kiss into unbearable pleasure.
All she could do was bite down on her lower lip, struggling to hold back the scream threatening to tear from her throat.
"Cu---cubbb!" she whimpered, voice breaking when his mouth descended to her core. His tongue, hot and greedy, tasted her like a man starved, drinking her in with unholy hunger.
She tried to close her legs, to deny him the sight and the taste, but the chains held her open, exposed, helpless.
The sensation was maddening.
Her hips lifted instinctively, chasing the rhythm of his mouth and fingers as they plunged and curled inside her. She was unraveling, every stroke of his tongue driving her further into oblivion.
And Tuf, dark, beautiful, and merciless, devoured her like a predator feasting on his most exquisite prey.