Rasen's awakening was like surfacing from an endless abyss. His body, still drained, felt heavy and strange—charged with a pulsing energy that made him almost immobile.His breathing was uneven, and an unfamiliar pain gripped his chest. Distorted voices echoed inside his mind, fragments of memories that weren't his own."Wake up, son of the abyss…""The Second Heart does not beat for love…"He pressed both hands to his head, trying to silence them.
He felt a foreign, inhuman heartbeat—like his body had accepted a guest it never asked for. He lowered his hands to his abdomen, recalling what had happened, but there was no fresh blood, no wounds or cuts. His skin was smooth and unbroken.
Beneath his skin, chains began to stir—slow, sinuous, as if they had a life of their own. Power and emptiness coexisted within him, twisting his thoughts.In his pocket, fragments of a photograph pressed beneath his trembling fingers—a relic of what once was: his father and Evans, together in a time now distant and faint.
A voice broke the silence, mocking and full of scorn:"Look at you… bearer of the Second Heart. But you're nothing special, no matter what the Exiled believes."
From the shadows, Noah stepped forward, a twisted smile playing on his lips. His heterochromatic eyes gleamed with unsettling intensity.
Rasen forced himself up, each vertebra cracking as if waking from a long slumber."I don't know what you mean," he spat, voice thick with restrained fury, "and I don't care."
His tone hid the confusion eating away inside him. Noah let out a short, cynical laugh."Oh, you should care. Your brother, Evans… would be better off dead, don't you think?"
The words hit like a dagger. Rasen felt a lump in his throat. Something inside him stirred—the blue fire that slept within began to blaze, wrapping around him. Noah took a step back, entertained by the sight."That's it…" he murmured with sadistic delight. "Show me how magnificent you can be, Rasen. Unleash that power."
Noah's words never finished. A burst of flames engulfed him, and his mocking laughter faded into a distant echo. Within seconds, his body turned to ash, drifting through the air, filling the room with the acrid stench of sulfur.
Rasen didn't scream. He didn't retreat. But something inside him broke as he watched the fire consume Noah."Was it me… or him?" he wondered, feeling the chains withdraw, as if their purpose was fulfilled without his command.
He stayed still, the chains pulsing faintly beneath his skin before retracting completely. His breathing was heavy, and anger began to give way to emptiness."This… this is who I am now," he thought, a painful whisper in his mind.
Before he could process what had happened, a noise pulled him from his trance. Lionel appeared at the entrance, carrying Evans's wounded body."He's alive… but barely," Lionel said, voice rough and urgent. Blood stained his clothes, his steps firm but tense.
Cristal appeared behind him, her silhouette cold and rigid like marble. Yet her eyes, fixed on Rasen, were full of questions."That smell…" she murmured, frowning and bringing a hand to her nose. "It's sulfur."
Lionel stepped forward, as if his presence alone could contain what had just happened."Don't come closer, Cristal. This is not something you can handle."
She didn't answer but parted her lips in a whisper:"Rasen…"
Her voice held no reproach or fear, just a mixture of recognition and doubt. Rasen barely heard her. His vision began to blur, and his legs gave way. He staggered as if a thread holding him had suddenly snapped.
Lionel caught him just in time."Something's very wrong with him," he muttered, feeling Rasen's body burning—not with fever, but with a suffocating energy consuming him from within.
Cristal stood motionless, watching the scene with a mix of fascination and fear. Her mind spun relentlessly: The Second Heart… the Exiled… it wasn't a myth. It was real.
Without another word, they got into the car and left, carrying unconscious Rasen with the chains still softly pulsing beneath his skin.
Days later, Evans remained locked in his room, isolated as if the outside world no longer mattered.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, Rasen slowly woke. The weight of memories crushed him from inside. Tears silently traced down his cheeks as he grasped the full scope of what had happened—and what now dwelled within him.
"I don't want to go back to that darkness…" he whispered, voice broken, more child than warrior in that moment.
Cristal embraced him gently, afraid to break something fragile inside him."You're not alone, Rasen. I'm here with you."
He clung to her, seeking warmth, comfort, an anchor. But even as she held him, Cristal couldn't silence the echoing thought: A being that seems human… but carries the heart of a destroyer.
Later, as Cristal wandered the mansion halls like a silent ghost, Evans sensed her presence before seeing her. The scent of floral perfume broke his indifferent trance.
"Who is she?" he asked dryly, almost disdainfully, eyes fixed beyond the window.
Lionel observed him for a moment before replying with his usual tense calm."Someone you should ignore… but who's closer to Rasen than you think."
Hours later, Rasen decided to confront Evans. He entered his room carrying a tray of food."Evans, how are you feeling?" he asked cautiously.
Evans didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed on the window. When Rasen drew back the curtains, Evans reacted with fury.
"I'm not your brother!" he shouted, a mix of rage and despair. "I curse the day I ever saw you again."
Evans's words hit Rasen like blows."I don't expect your forgiveness," Rasen said, voice cracking. "But I'm here. And I'll stay here… even if you hate me."
Still, his eyes burned with that blue fire—ready to defend himself if attacked.
Tension thickened the air. The sulfur stench rose again, and Rasen's chains emerged from his body, snaking and striking the floor with force. One wrapped around Evans's arm, leaving a burning mark on his skin.
"Rasen, stop!" Lionel burst into the room.
Rasen met him with fierce eyes, flames glowing within."Take him away, Lionel. And make sure no one bothers me for three days."
Lionel obeyed, lifting Evans, who now looked at Rasen with fear. Before leaving, Lionel cast a last knowing glance at his friend, aware something irreparable was happening.
Three days—he asked for three days. Not to heal… but to avoid destroying what little humanity he still had left.