"Ahghhghh," Ethan sighed deeply, collapsing onto the rocky ground. Exhaustion from his desperate flight had finally caught up with him at this precipitous cliff edge. Below, angry waves crashed against jagged rocks, sending plumes of white spray skyward. "The sky lacks even a single cloud, as if heaven itself refuses to weep for me," he murmured, gazing upward into the endless blue expanse. His bloodshot eyes remained hauntingly vacant, incapable of producing the tears his soul desperately longed to release.
"This seems a fitting conclusion," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the roaring sea. "The life I never chose yet one that traumatized me beyond repair. I've existed merely as a tool, a machine designed for others' purposes." His fingers trembled as they traced the edge of the cliff. "This is the end, isn't it, Daemon? This is where everything stops." With shaking hands, he snapped off the necklace that had hung around his neck since childhood—a heart-shaped pendant divided perfectly between obsidian black and crimson red.
"That final day, as she lay dying in my arms," he whispered, memories flooding back with painful clarity, "she pressed this into my palm. She told me, 'Son, this will protect you, guide you—just wish for what you want, and it will certainly make it so.' Her last gift, her last lie." The pendant caught the sunlight, casting blood-red reflections across his face.
"I never asked for this existence!" he cried out, his voice finally breaking with emotion. "To become a killer, a murderer, a destroyer of lives—an assassin!" The word echoed across the empty cliffside, a terrible confession carried away by the merciless wind.
"I failed to protect anyone," he growled, his voice cracking with anguish. "Fate, well done! Well done! Well done!"
He stretched his trembling hand forward, the weight of his failure etched across his haggard face. "If Mother's words held truth, I wish I could be with my brother once again." With a decisive gesture, he dropped the necklace into the churning sea below, then allowed himself to fall carelessly after it.
"With evidence"
His head smashed against the jagged rock, shattering his skull instantly. Crimson blood stained the ocean, while the rushing waves erased all evidence in their relentless rhythm.
"What is this? Where am I?" he thought, suddenly unable to speak. A woman cradled him in her embrace—an elderly woman, perhaps in her sixties or seventies, with gentle hands and worried eyes.
He noticed another baby lying peacefully on the bed nearby, naked yet breathing steadily. Beyond them lay a younger woman, motionless on sweat-soaked sheets, clearly exhausted from childbirth.
"What does this mean? I'm reborn?" he almost gasped within his mind, bewilderment washing over him like a cold wave.
Two sharp smacks landed on his bottom. Whack! Whack! The elderly woman had spanked him because he hadn't been crying as newborns typically should. Her weathered hands possessed surprising strength for someone with silver hair and deep wrinkles etched into her face.
"Ouch, that hurt!" he wanted to protest, but what emerged instead was a high-pitched wail—the unmistakable cry of an infant. The sound of his own voice startled him, confirming his impossible situation.
"That's better, good boy, good boy," the old woman cooed, her voice softening as she swaddled him in a warm blanket. Her tired eyes held kindness as she continued, "Elena couldn't survive, poor dear, but at least you two made it through the ordeal." She gently rocked him, her touch surprisingly comforting in this terrifying new reality.
"We two? Does that mean I'm a twin? Could my wish actually have come true?" he wondered, his infant mind struggling to process this revelation. The possibility sent a mixture of excitement and fear coursing through his new, tiny body. Despite his racing thoughts and burning questions, all he could physically manage was to continue crying, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks as the full weight of his rebirth began to sink in.
A male figure clad in a long black coat and trousers pushed the door open and strode in silently. Water cascaded from his soaked body, forming small puddles on the wooden floor as he moved with deliberate steps.
"Kael, I must tell you," the woman whispered, her voice breaking slightly as she cradled the newborns, "Elena didn't survive."
The drenched visitor was Kael Zarathor, Elena's husband, now suddenly thrust into the role of sole parent to the twin infants. His face, normally composed and stoic, betrayed a flicker of pain before settling back into resignation. The rain outside mirrored the storm brewing within him.
"I anticipated she wouldn't survive," he replied, his voice low and hollow. His fingers curled into fists at his sides before relaxing again. "The pain cuts deeper than expected, especially knowing I'm no longer a free man." With gentle hands that contrasted his harsh words, he collected the baby from the woman's embrace, looking down at his innocent face—the final gift from his departed wife.
"Hmmm, you look exactly as I imagined! Is it truly you? Yes, it must be—why did you take her from me?" he murmured, gently massaging the boy's tender leg, his fingers trembling with a mixture of grief and wonder.
"You should at least allow her memory to live on," he sighed, gazing into the child's innocent eyes. "I've never been truly free—too many souls depend on my protection, which means I cannot possibly remain with both of you." These words escaped his lips as he stepped out into the storming rain, cold droplets immediately soaking through his long coat.
"Kelvin," he whispered, raising the infant skyward with reverence. "Your name shall be Kelvin." The frigid rain pelted his exposed skin while the baby wailed with newfound lungs, his tiny face contorting with discomfort against the elements.
Lightning slashed across the darkness, momentarily illuminating their silhouettes against the night sky. The street lay abandoned, devoid of pedestrians, though scattered locals had taken refuge in the nearby canteen. Most dwellings in this district were constructed from wood—practical architecture in a region where monster outbreaks occurred without warning. Few residents invested in brick structures when destruction seemed inevitable. Yellow light pulsed from within each humble building, creating islands of warmth in the stormy gloom.
The man began walking purposefully forward, his shoulders hunched against the downpour, passing numerous homes until he reached the forest entrance. "We're almost there, Kelvin," he murmured, his voice softening as he stroked the infant's delicate head. "Just maintain that peaceful demeanor a little longer." His eyes, filled with determination and a hint of fear, scanned the dark woods ahead as he pulled the child closer to his chest for warmth.
"Where is he taking me? I have a bad feeling about this," Kelvin murmured, his infant cry barely audible as the air escaped his lips.
The forest grew increasingly frigid, enveloping them in its icy embrace. The pungent aroma of ancient trees mingled with the acrid scent of decaying animals, while eerie howls of wild creatures echoed through the shadowy woodland.
Kael halted abruptly at what appeared to be the edge of a precipice. Kelvin's heart sank as he gazed down the sheer drop of the cliff face, jagged rocks protruding from its sides like nature's daggers.
"Here we go, Kelvin," Kael whispered with unsettling calmness. "Trust me, all will be fine. Just hang tight and don't cry."
Without warning, he leaped from the cliff's edge. Kelvin's stomach lurched violently as they plummeted downward. A terrified gasp tore from his throat, followed by a piercing wail that reverberated through the dense woods. "What is this man doing? Does he wish death upon us both? This can't be real," his mind screamed, but all that emerged were the helpless cries of an infant.
Then, as suddenly as it began, their descent ceased. To Kelvin's astonishment, Kael landed with supernatural grace upon the forest floor below. Damp leaves scattered by their arrival hovered momentarily in the air, as if suspended by magic, before gently settling back onto the moist ground.
Cradling Kelvin in his left arm, Kael snatched a short stick from the ground and swept an area clear with his foot. "Wooahh," he exhaled, his breath forming a small cloud in the cool air.
With practiced precision, he began etching a pattern into the earth. First came a perfect circle, followed by intricate triangular shapes that he connected with fluid strokes. The completed design resembled an ancient altar, its lines pulsing with hidden meaning.
Gently, he placed Kelvin's limp form in the center of the pattern. The boy's face appeared peaceful despite their dire circumstances. Kael's hands trembled slightly as he reached into his weathered coat, withdrawing six blue wax candles. Each one he positioned carefully at the junction points of the altar's design, his movements deliberate and reverent.
"Binding formation!" he commanded, his voice resonating with authority. From his outstretched palms erupted brilliant flames that transformed into azure patterns mirroring the design beneath them. The blue lines illuminated the darkness as his magical fire ignited all six candles simultaneously, casting eerie shadows across Kelvin's pale features.
"Magic! He uses magic!" Kelvin thought, his eyes widening with a mixture of fear and fascination.
The mysterious man began murmuring ancient incantations, his voice resonating with power. The enormous glowing pattern hovering in the air started to contract, drawing closer to Kelvin's chest. The intricate symbols pulsed with ethereal light as they began infusing with Kelvin's very essence.
Tears streamed down Kelvin's face again, his heart pounding wildly against his ribs. "What is this man doing to me?" he thought desperately. Everything felt surreal, like a dream that bent reality and shattered his perception of the world. The familiar certainties he had always relied upon crumbled around him.
The pattern continued its merging with his chest, causing the surrounding wind to howl and swirl violently. Trees bent under the supernatural force, leaves spiraling upward in a frenzied dance. This ritual, ancient and powerful, was unlike anything performed in generations. Now a vivid blue tattoo appeared in the center of Kelvin's ribcage, pulsing faintly with its own inner light.
Within Elena's bloodline, certain individuals possessed the rare ability to wield blood magic—a forbidden art in the magical realm. Notorious for its manipulation of life's essence, blood magic was considered too dangerous to develop openly. Yet here was Kelvin, unwittingly inheriting this forbidden power through his lineage. To protect his child from the inevitable wrath of humanity, Kael had no choice but to bind the magic, ensuring Kelvin's safety from those who would fear what they did not understand.