"Some loves don't redeem. They only drag you deeper."
Part 1: The Prison of Silence
The abyss doesn't always begin with a scream. Sometimes, it starts with silence... with a door that closes and never opens again.
Rasen smiled, though exhaustion weighed heavier on his face than arrogance.
"I knew I'd find you here, Steven. You're still so... predictable."
The hunter let out a dry laugh, lowering his sword.
"And you're still an idiot," he said coldly, stepping toward him. "I know what you are. I don't need you to explain it."
Steven stopped right in front of Rasen and suddenly pinched his cheek with cruel force.
"Moron! You think you've accomplished something with this change? Look at you. You look like a walking corpse."
Rasen brushed his hand away with a low growl, trying to regain some dignity.
"I didn't come here for your sermons, Steven."
"Of course not." Steven rolled his eyes and lit an old lamp, casting dim light over the cellar. "You came because you don't know what the hell to do with yourself."
For a moment, the hunter looked at him closely, as if trying to see through the mask of cynicism Rasen insisted on wearing.
"If you really want to fix this, start by accepting what you are now." His voice grew deeper. "You're a monster, but that doesn't mean you have to act like one."
Rasen lowered his gaze, his hands trembling.
"I don't know if I can... control it."
Steven sighed, rummaging through a pile of boxes until he found a stained envelope.
"If you want to protect others, start by protecting what's left of yourself. This is yours, isn't it?" He handed him the envelope. "Your brother needs you. And if you keep crawling around like this, you'll lose not just yourself—but also those who still believe in you."
Rasen took the envelope, but before he could answer, a loud crash broke the silence. The shadows in the cellar seemed to come alive, and Steven raised his sword in one fluid motion.
"You're closer to the abyss than I thought," Steven whispered, eyes locked on the moving shadows. "But if you keep going like this, Rasen... you'll lose yourself completely."
The Mansion's Basement
Rasen returned to the mansion once the night had swallowed the world in darkness. He pressed his fingerprint to the scanner and slipped inside quietly, feeling the dampness cling to his skin. Each step echoed in the hollow space. He descended to the basement—a dark, humid place that mirrored his own internal storm.
As he opened the door, his eyes landed on Aisha. Chained to one of the bars, she stared back with a mix of fury and defiance. Her eyes, though tired, still burned fiercely.
"Still awake," Rasen murmured, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. "Were you expecting someone else?"
Aisha didn't answer. She gripped a rusty key in her hand and hurled it at him with all her strength. Rasen deflected it easily, stepping closer until he stood face-to-face with her.
"I have a confession," he whispered, leaning in dangerously close. "Your wolf... is never coming back for you."
His words hit her like a slap. For an instant, the fury in her eyes flickered into fear.
"There's nothing left of the Rasen I knew..." she murmured, barely audible.
Rasen raised a hand and gripped her jaw firmly, forcing her to look at him.
"I'm the one you should think about now, Aisha. The White Wolf is dead. And you..." he smiled, letting his words crush her, "you will be too, if you keep dreaming someone will come save you."
A knot tightened in her throat.
"What are you now...?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"I am your everything, Aisha." Rasen loosened his grip and stepped back, his gaze darkening. "And once you are mine... I'll break you."
With that, he turned and climbed the stairs. Aisha, chained in the shadows, dropped the key and closed her eyes as she whispered:
"There's nothing left of the Rasen I knew..."
Meanwhile, Rasen vanished into the mansion's darkness, though the echo of his own footsteps haunted him—reminding him of the abyss consuming him.
Part 2: Broken in the Dark
Aisha's tears fell silently onto the cold cement. She couldn't look at him—she didn't want to. That rejection made Rasen click his tongue in irritation. He stood up, his abrupt movements filling the space with tension.
"You won't see me for five nights," he said coldly. "Reflect on your punishment."
His boots echoed as he ascended the stairs, leaving her alone in the dark. Exhausted, Aisha sank to the floor, her body trembling from a mix of sorrow and fear. The nights ahead would be punishment for them both—a cycle of hatred, desire, and pain neither could escape.
"I have to escape," she thought, clinging to that flicker of hope.
Her trembling hands moved toward a rusty nail protruding from the base of the bars—perhaps left by another prisoner who had tried the same. It jutted out like an unfinished attempt, an unclaimed opportunity.
The cold metal scraped her fingers, but she didn't hesitate. She forced the lock on her cuffs. Minutes passed. Then—click. A small sound of victory.
Her chest filled with relief, but there was no time to celebrate.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
"It must be him..." she whispered, struggling to her feet.
The basement door opened. Rasen's imposing figure filled the space like a suffocating shadow.
"Look at me," he commanded, his voice sharp and restrained.
Aisha turned her face away, defying him. That alone was enough to ignite his fury.
"Look at me!" he roared, closing the distance between them.
Their eyes met. He saw the hollowness in her cheeks, the cracks on her lips. Something inside him faltered.
This wasn't the Aisha he remembered. This was a broken reflection. A consequence.
He grabbed her chin harshly, lifting her face. But before he could say anything, Aisha collapsed—unconscious.
"Aisha!"
His voice shifted—from anger to panic. He dropped to his knees, holding her awkwardly. Without thinking, he bit his own arm and let the blood flow. He pressed the wound to her lips, praying for a reaction.
"Wake up, Aisha!" he whispered, desperate.
Time froze. He held her close, her heartbeat growing weaker in his arms.
"How many more times will I have to break her," he thought, "before I realize... there's nothing left to love?"
"If you don't wake up..." he murmured, his voice cracking, "I swear I'll..."
But he couldn't finish. His hands trembled as he pulled her tightly to his cold chest.
When Aisha finally opened her eyes, her gaze was confused, dazed. For a second, she thought she saw Clear's silhouette beside Rasen. She blinked—and it vanished.
"I have to go now," she thought, adrenaline surging through her.
She rose with difficulty and stepped into the hallway. Every step was agony. The wound on her shoulder throbbed, but she didn't stop. Her heart pounded as she searched for a way out.
Part 3: A Kiss That Won't Save You
Halfway through the corridor, a faint murmur caught her attention. From a room with a silver door, muted voices whispered. Pushed by a bad feeling, she crept closer—and what she saw shattered her.
Rasen was there. Shirtless. Wrapped in Cristal's arms. Their lips were locked in slow, deliberate kisses, as if time itself had frozen to torment her. It wasn't passion. It was something worse—intention. Vengeance. Escape.
Rasen's hand clutched Cristal's waist like he was trying to disappear into her—to drown every trace of pain in a body that wasn't Aisha's.
And Cristal… she knew it. Her tilted, venomous smile was a dagger twisting in an open wound.
Is this what you are now, Rasen? Aisha thought, choking down a sob that scorched her throat. She took a shaky step back, but Cristal's eyes found hers.
That gaze didn't falter. That cruel smile didn't break. It delivered its message, sharp and triumphant:
"You don't belong here. He chose me."
The phrase echoed in Aisha's mind like a cruel mantra, a blade turning slowly inside her chest. She staggered, trembling—not just from the cold, but from the collapse inside her.
That's when something inside her broke.Not a scream. Not a breath.A dry silence.Final.
And in that silence, the truth rooted itself deep in her soul:That was no longer Rasen.Not anymore.
But before she could cry out, a cold hand clamped over her mouth.Darkness swallowed her without mercy.
"Got you, Aisha," Rasen whispered, dragging her back into him with force.
She struggled—first in fear… then with something darker driving her...