"Kitten, what do you mean she's not coming to Velrathis?" Tuf demanded, the moment the last of the humans exited the room with Comet.
Tuf had ordered Comet to begin distributing what he had promised the nobles, to silence their protests and start the transition without delay.
And now, only they remained, Ceres, Seiryu, Tuf, Luna and Orso.
"Delphine and her knights have been in the Black Tower for four days now," Luna said, arms crossed as she looked directly at her brothermate. "So why haven't you and mother followed?"
Tuf looked momentarily defensive, frustration twitching across his expression.
"Kitten, it's not my fault," he said, voice low but tense. "Something happened when she and I stepped into my portal. It just… snapped shut. And the next thing I knew, she was unconscious, caught in a Dream Spell. One we still don't know who cast. And when she woke up…"
His eyes flicked to Ceres, then back to Luna.
"She didn't even remember who I was."
Luna arched an eyebrow. "Okay. But when you did see her for the first time, why didn't you send a message right away? To the Black Tower. Or at least to me?"
Tuf let out a breath, long and pained.
"Kitten… I wasn't trying to hide anything, okay?" he said, raking a hand through his hair. "I didn't send a message because… I couldn't."
He looked at Ceres again. There was no anger in his expression now, only something aching beneath the surface.
"When I saw her, I couldn't even call her mother," he said quietly. "Couldn't even say the word 'motherfucker.' That's why I told everyone she was my human. Because I didn't know what else to say."
Luna turned to Ceres.
"Did you forget what father looks like?" she asked bluntly.
"No," Ceres answered immediately, without hesitation.
"No?!" Tuf snapped, stunned. "But I asked you! I asked if I looked familiar. If I reminded you of anyone. I look like Father! I thought you didn't recognize me because you'd forgotten him, because you couldn't see the resemblance."
He threw his arms up. "We're like one paper cut in half!"
Ceres gave a small, almost pained smile. "At the time… I couldn't see it."
"You couldn't see it?" Tuf repeated, disbelief thick in his voice.
"And I would also assume, Mother," Luna said, stepping in again, "when you met Tofu… you couldn't remember him either."
Ceres nodded slowly. "Yes. But I always felt a connection I couldn't explain."
Luna hummed thoughtfully. "In the Dream Spell… what did you see?"
Ceres exhaled, the memory still weighing on her.
"I didn't know I was in a Dream Spell. But when I stepped into Tuf's portal… I found myself on Earth. In a mausoleum. In front of my tomb."
Everyone fell silent.
"But it wasn't just my tomb," she added. "There were two."
"Father's?" Luna asked, her voice low.
Ceres nodded. "Yes. And… I think I went into shock. When I woke up, I couldn't remember being Ceres Evadne Monteverde. I think that's what caused this body to awaken, with the original owner's memories."
She looked down at her hands, fingers curling slightly.
"I didn't know who I was anymore."
Tuf shook his head, still restless. "Kitten… that still doesn't explain why Mother can't come with us to Velrathis."
"Yes," Luna said firmly, finally turning to face him fully. "It does."
She stepped closer, gaze piercing. "Cub… can you really not connect the dots?"
Tuf blinked.
Luna's voice dropped to a cutting whisper. "Something stopped you from calling her 'mother.' Something stopped you from sending for us. She couldn't see Father's face in yours. And just when she was ready to cross over into Velrathis, to see him, she gets thrown into a Dream Spell. A trap."
She stepped even closer, her voice laced with fury.
"Because she's not allowed to see Father. Because that asshole of an angel won't allow it."
Tuf's eyes widened, the realization creeping in like a slow dawn.
"Don't you see it?" Luna continued. "All of this, every delay, every memory block, every trap, it's all carefully placed. Layered. Set. So that Mother and Father can't meet."
And it was in that breathless moment…
That Tuf finally understood.
"Motherfucker!" Tuf cursed, the word sharp and unapologetic, making Ceres jump in surprise.
"Tofu!" she gasped, scandalized. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
"No. I haven't kissed you," Tuf replied without missing a beat. "But I do kiss Luna with it." He smirked.
Both Luna and Ceres rolled their eyes in perfect synchrony.
"Wait…" Ceres blinked. "The angel you're talking about… is it…?"
"Lucifer," Tuf, Luna, and Orso all answered at once.
Ceres frowned. "Why would he stop me from seeing Zeus? I understand that he bound my soul to this body because he thought I'd try to usurp his throne. But what does that have to do with Zeus?"
"You're usurping hell?" Tuf asked, genuinely stunned. Even Luna looked taken aback.
"Of course not!" Ceres huffed defensively. "When the Fates told me my deeds weren't enough to judge my soul's destination, and that I was supposed to live a full life of one hundred and one years, I told them I'd rather go to hell than live that long and become a burden."
Her tone darkened.
"But Lucifer went against it. He said I might try to usurp his throne. And when I arrived here in Solmara, I later learned that my soul is… one of the very few that could evolve into a Celestial."
That silenced the room.
Even Seiryu, tensed beside her.
"You might think I'm lying, but I'm not," Ceres said, reading their faces. "And according to Evadne, Lucifer offered her a deal. If she surrendered her body, the only vessel capable of binding my soul, he would ensure she'd be reborn in a life she deserved."
Tuf shook his head in disbelief, almost chuckling. "From Father's memories, we always knew you were scary. Crazy and scary. But we didn't think even the devil himself was afraid of you."
Ceres shot him a sharp glare.
"So…" she said tightly. "Why would Lucifer stop Zeus and I from seeing each other?"
"Because Father made a deal with him," Tuf replied, more serious now.
"He made a deal with the devil?!" Ceres stood abruptly, her voice incredulous. "Why the hell would he do that?!"
"He was promised that he would see you again," Luna said quietly. "That he would live the rest of his life with you… if he fulfilled his end of the bargain."
Ceres narrowed her eyes. "And that is…?"
"To save demi-human lives from humans," Luna answered.
Ceres's brows furrowed. "I don't understand. I died first, right? So why would Lucifer send him a thousand years earlier than my time? Didn't the Great Human War happen before this body was even born?" She turned toward Seiryu.
"I have no answer to that, Your Highness," Seiryu replied solemnly. "Even I am confused."
"Honestly, Mother…" Tuf shrugged. "I don't care what that devil's thinking. Maybe he was bored and just happened to pick you as his next obsession. The only thing that matters now is you and Father have to meet. He's been waiting for you."
"But if Luna's theory is right, which I agree with, then if Zeus and I even attempt to meet, something might happen again," Ceres said, voice quieter now, more wary.
"Maybe," Tuf acknowledged. "But it might be different this time. We can freely call you Mother now."
Luna's voice cut in, sharp and cold. "Cub, are you really going to risk it? Especially now that we know there are traps ahead?"
Tuf walked toward Luna, sitting beside her with deliberate calm.
"But Kitten…" he said gently, "if they find out we've already found Mother and didn't tell them…"
His eyes dropped slightly, voice lowering with a rare hint of vulnerability.
"…they'll be heartbroken."
A pause.
"Especially Father."
Tuf took Luna's hand and kissed it, his tone softening.
"I don't think we can pull this off with just the two of us this time, Kitten… not like we always do," he said quietly. "And it's not like Bear is any help, look at him, he's about to fall asleep."
He pointed at Orso, who was still lounging on the floor beside Ceres's chair, eyes half-closed.
"I don't think. I fight," Orso muttered, deadpan.
Tuf gave him a middle finger without hesitation.
"We need all hands on deck," Tuf went on, ignoring Orso. "And if there's one brain in this world who can help us piece this mess together… it's Father. And I know you know that."
Luna turned toward Ceres, her expression serious.
"It's your call, Mother," she said. "But I don't want to risk it. We don't know what might happen. We don't know what traps Lucifer's already laid."
Ceres closed her eyes.
Because Luna was right. As much as she desperately wanted to see Zeus, wanted to run into his arms, to finally feel whole, she couldn't deny the danger. She didn't know what Lucifer would do to stop it. Again.
But on the other hand… Tuf was also right.
If there was anyone who could navigate this chaos, outthink even a fallen angel, it would be Zeus.
"Maybe you can find a loophole, Your Highness," Seiryu suddenly offered, drawing everyone's attention. His voice was calm, thoughtful. "After all… every promise has a loophole, right?"
Ceres slowly opened her eyes.
"When someone makes a promise," Seiryu continued, "they often already have a loophole built in. Something they can use to bend the vow without technically breaking it. Maybe you can find the same thing."
"A loophole…" Ceres whispered to herself.
"Yes," Seiryu nodded. "Sometimes, those loopholes turn a promise into a curse. That's why we Holy Beasts are forbidden to make vows. Because we cannot be killed, and once a loophole is found, a promise can twist itself into a curse we can never escape."
A promise that becomes a curse…
A curse.
Ceres's eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh!" she suddenly exclaimed, turning sharply to Luna.
"Mother?" Tuf asked, instantly on alert. "What's wrong?"
"Kitten," Ceres said breathlessly, "I think you might be the loophole."
They all blinked.
"I'm the what?" Luna said, brows furrowing.
Even Orso looked more alert now.
"Remember how you got your name?" Ceres asked, tears forming in her eyes, not from sadness, but from the glimmering edge of hope.
Luna frowned, confused. "Ahmm… Father. He gave me my name."
"Father named you?!" Tuf practically exploded. Even Orso looked stunned.
Ceres nodded, her voice shaking slightly. "Yes. It was Zeus who named you. Do you remember what he said? Why you should be called Luna?"
"I don't remember much," Luna admitted. "But I do remember it came from the goddess Selene. And… you said she was a psychopath."
Tuf burst into laughter, while Orso and even Seiryu struggled not to smile.
"Kitten," Tuf choked out between laughs, "no bias, but I always thought you had the best name among us. But a psychopath?!"
"Shut up!" Luna snapped, glaring. "Your name is Tofu! How dare you laugh at my name? And between the two of us, you're way more of a psychopath!"
That only made Tuf laugh harder.
"Cub, stop laughing!" Luna demanded, but her face was already turning red in frustration.
Tuf stopped the moment he saw her pout, a rare, vulnerable, almost adorable sulking expression she only ever showed to him.
"I'm sorry, Kitten," he said sincerely, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her temple. He tried to wipe the smirk from his face but couldn't quite manage it.
"Mother," he said, glancing at Ceres while still holding Luna's hand, barely holding in another laugh, "why would you name her after a psychopath goddess?"
Ceres shot him a look.
"That's not the reason she was named Luna," she said firmly. "That was just an afterthought I had later, okay?"
She waved her hand, brushing off the topic. "And that's not the point here."
Her voice lowered, more solemn now.
"The point is… before Evadne left earlier, she told me something, something the Angel Uriel told her. She wasn't sure if the message was meant for her or for me."
Ceres paused, gaze distant.
"Uriel said, 'In the darkness of the night, the moon is the strongest source of light.'"
"Because… Luna means moon?" Tuf asked, frowning.
"That's what Father said when he chose my name," Luna answered softly, her eyes beginning to glisten with emotion.
"Yes," Ceres nodded, voice barely above a whisper. "And after that… he said, 'Her light cuts through the dark… breaks the curse.'"
The room grew still.
"I think… you might be right, Your Highness," Seiryu spoke thoughtfully. "Tuf… didn't you once tell us Luna had an ability that was unique only to her?"
Tuf, Luna, and Orso exchanged glances as realization struck them all at once.
"An ability?" Ceres asked.
"Yes," Luna replied slowly. "I have an ability called Oathbreaker. Any oath or promise doesn't apply to me, even if it was made with a Celestial."
She inhaled sharply, eyes widening.
"But… I always thought it wouldn't work on Father's deal with Lucifer. After all, I'm connected to him like everyone else. I thought I was bound by that deal too. Since I couldn't die or even grow older unless Father did."
Luna's hands clenched. "But now I realize… that part, it was never really part of their actual agreement, was it? It was just a condition… a carrot dangled in front of father so he can fulfill the deal however long it would take."
"So stupid!" she hissed. "I assumed it was part of the oath. I never even thought to challenge it."
"I think… so?" Tuf replied hesitantly, looking genuinely overwhelmed. He dropped his forehead against the table with a loud thunk.
"We need Father's brain for this," he muttered. "This is too much for mine."
"But…" Luna looked down, doubt creeping into her usually unshakable voice. "What if I'm not the loophole? What if I fail? What if this ends up making things worse and keeps you two apart forever?"
Ceres stood slowly, her expression calm and resolute.
"Then we do what people like us always do when we're caught between faith and doubt," she said. "We test it."
"What do you mean?" Luna asked.
"We run an experiment," Ceres replied. "But first, tell me everything about the deal. Word for word."
Luna and Tuf took turns recounting the full agreement between Lucifer and Zeus. Not a single word was skipped.
"So… he doesn't even know his real name is Zeus?" Ceres asked quietly once they finished.
"No," Luna confirmed. "We forgot the name. But we do know… he has another name, not Caelum, and he'll only remember it once he sees you."
Ceres's eyes burned with silent determination.
Without another word, she turned and walked toward the door.
"Stay here. I'll be right back," she said.
Moments later, she returned with a small, ornate box in her hands.
"Luna," she said, stepping toward her. "I need you to go back to the Black Tower. Give this to Delphine."
She handed the box over carefully.
"Make sure Delphine is the first to open it."
"What's inside?" Luna asked.
"A little experiment," Ceres said. "If Uriel's message really was for me… then I'm sure you're the loophole. But if not, we'll find another way."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And if Lucifer is going to sabotage my reunion with Zeus… this will tell us exactly how far he's willing to go."
Luna nodded. "Okay. I understand. I'll go now."
She stood, preparing to teleport.
"Wait, Kitten, now?" Tuf jumped to his feet.
"There's no better time than now," Luna said.
Just as she reached for her magic,
'Also… I need you to tell Delphine something,' Ceres's voice echoed inside Luna's mind, soft and private. It wasn't spoken aloud.
Luna didn't flinch, didn't blink. She merely stood straighter.
'Tell Delphine… to tell him why I wanted to make a deal with him.'
And with that, Luna disappeared in a burst of black smoke.