"Caught you!!"
Leo's eyes widened in shock. Lifting up, he saw... Ophis!
Her hands trembled with strain, but her teeth clenched hard as she pulled him up with raw strength. Leo's body lifted, scraping against the stone edge before collapsing down beside her.
Thud!
Leo gasped, sucking in the air as if his lungs had been starved, chest heaving in painful rhythm.
Ophis stood over him, staring down into the darkness of the hole. Her eyes narrowed as she saw her father's silhouette clawing his way upward.
Just as she raised her hand, sharp claws and ready to sever the rope—
Dracula's eyes glowed like burning embers. "Help... me... Daughter." His voice shook, soft yet piercing, a strange blend of pain and something else.
Something Ophis had never known from him... Affection?
A sound that resembled love… a love she had never once received from him in her entire life.
Ophis froze. Her eyes widened, staring blankly at the man she once called father.
