Darian's estate lay swallowed by shadows. Outside, night fell beneath a sickly sky—clouds stained gray, the moon haloed in crimson. Crows took flight in a frenzied swarm, as if they could taste blood before it even touched the earth.
Inside, in one of the chambers, the White Wolf's daughter fought to bring life into the world… unaware that death already lurked close.
Crystal's stifled moans and the hushed whispers of the women filled the air. The scent of sweat, blood, and ashes clung thick. The omen was unmistakable.
Lionel stood in the corner, fists clenched. He knew these children were no miracle. They were a trigger. A curse, incubating.
Exhausted but radiant, Crystal cradled the twins in her arms. Her face glistened with tears and fever, but her smile… her smile was fire and fragility.
"They're mine," she whispered, love and fear twisting together. "Our little ones… so fragile… and already marked."
Lionel stepped closer, his voice low, strained—as if he feared the walls themselves might hear.
"Crystal… you can't stay here. We can't let him see them. Sariel… will destroy everything."
She shook her head, her eyes blazing with stubborn resolve despite the exhaustion.
"They're my children. Rasen… is still in there, Lionel. I know it."
Lionel gritted his teeth, frustration like poison in his throat.
"That man… is no longer your Rasen. Sariel has hollowed him out."
That night, while Crystal slept, Lionel found the letter. The confession. The warning. The last flicker of hope.
He burned it.
The ashes rose like shattered whispers.
But it was already too late.
A metallic scent seeped into the hallway. Blood spoke first. The guard Nevri lay in ruins—drained, broken, discarded like a shattered doll.
Lights flickered, burst. And then, Rasen appeared. His silhouette stretched long, candles igniting with eerie blue flames as if bending to his will.
His eyes… empty. No love. No hatred. Only abyss.
"You can't do this," Lionel growled, stepping between them.
Rasen smiled. Hollow. Sariel's voice slithered through his mind like venom:
"Too late, traitor."
The walls trembled.
"They're your children," Lionel whispered. "Your blood. Stop this."
A second. Hesitation. But the name in his mind wasn't his own. It was Sariel's.
"You never should have told me," Rasen murmured, stepping forward. "Now… watch."
Bound by his oath, Lionel stood frozen—the moon the only witness.
Rasen pushed open the door. Crystal slept. The twins, both boys, lay in their cradle. His hand trembled as he brushed the smallest one's cheek. So human. So dangerous.
And Sariel awoke.
"Perfect," he whispered. "One sacrifice… no, two. Even better."
One of the infants cried. The sound pierced Rasen's chest. A choked groan escaped him. For a heartbeat, he was himself. Only himself.
Crystal woke. Panic. Desperation.
"I warned you, and you lied to me," Rasen's voice was ice. "I won't forgive you for this, Crystal."
"What are you doing?! They're our sons!" she screamed, terror carved into her face.
Rasen didn't look at her. Only abyss in his gaze.
"Cursed blood," he whispered. "You don't understand."
The baby's tiny fingers brushed his. A tremor wracked his chest—a silent scream.
"Take them, Lionel!" Rasen roared, shattering the spell binding him.
But it was too late.
From the depths, Sariel surged awake. Hunger. Possession. Chains of darkness erupted, ready to devour Crystal and the children.
Lionel lunged. He dragged Crystal away. The room twisted, darkness swallowing everything… until a silver light split the chaos.
Varek emerged from the mist. Serene. Unshakable. The only one even Sariel feared.
"Not this time, brother."
He raised his hand. A flash. One twin vanished in a halo of silver.
"I won't let you do this," Varek said, firm.
"You dare?" Sariel snarled, monstrous.
"You don't decide. Not entirely."
Time fractured. Varek disappeared, taking the child into the shadows. And the world moved on.
"No… please, no!" The plea died in Rasen's throat. It wasn't for Crystal. It was for the monster inside him. But Sariel doesn't hear prayers. Only executes sacrifices.
The other… did not escape.
The chains impaled the tiny body. The crying stopped abruptly. Blood soaked the sheets. The world collapsed into silence.
Crystal broke free. Heart shattered.
"No… no…!"
Rasen looked at her, broken.
"It was your life… or theirs."
"You're not God!" she screamed, her soul in tatters.
"No… I'm worse. But… I'll try. I'll destroy Sariel. Even if it destroys me."
His hands, drenched in blood. The cradle, empty. The chains, hanging like silent witnesses to his betrayal.
The sacrifice was complete. There was no redemption in blood. Only a straight path into the abyss.
Crystal fell to her knees, shattered. And in her broken gaze, Rasen saw the truth. No matter what promises he made. To her… he was already dead.
Beneath the ashen moon, Rasen walked alone. Sariel's voice echoed:
"Oh, Rasen… The true price… has only just begun."
His fists bled.
"I'll pay it. And you… will burn with me."
Lionel barely whispered:
"I'm sorry, Crystal…"
And in his mind, Rasen repeated:
"It was your life or theirs, Crystal. I chose… for you."
But as he stared at his bloodstained hands, he knew the truth.
He hadn't chosen anything.
Sariel, from within, had already chosen for him.
Rasen could barely stand, his chest caving under the weight of guilt… but he had to ensure Crystal hated him. That she would never seek him again. That she would bury him in her heart as what he now was—a monster.
"Take her, Lionel." His voice was hollow, sharp as a dagger plunged into flesh. "Get her out of my sight."
Crystal sobbed, trembling, but he wasn't finished.
"Look closely, Crystal." His gaze dropped to the pool of blood, the empty cradle. "This…" He pressed a hand to his chest, his face. "This is what we are together. Death. Ruin. Lies."
His voice cracked, but the cruelty was deliberate, carved in fire.
"You brought this into the world… and I…" His smile was bitter, broken. "...I just made sure you'd remember it every time you tried to love me again."
Crystal stood frozen, her eyes raw with rage, with devastation. And in that moment, Rasen knew he had succeeded.
She would hate him. Forever.
And only then… would she be safe.