The night was silent. Too silent.
Natalie Rael hated silence. For a demon, silence always meant something lurking beneath it—claws ready to strike, or eyes hiding in the shadows. Yet tonight, the silence came from her own heart.
This is madness.
Her pale fingers gripped the stone altar. She could feel her claws threatening to extend, could feel her instincts screaming against what she was about to do. But she pushed them down. Her long violet hair clung to her face, damp with sweat.
"Natalie."
The voice was calm. Strong. Steady. The kind of voice she had once followed into countless battles without hesitation.
Gaston Kanden stood before her, his broad shoulders blocking the faint moonlight spilling through the shattered windows of the cathedral. His sword lay discarded at his feet. His hands—human hands, warm and calloused—trembled as they reached for hers.
"You don't have to do this alone," he whispered.
Natalie's lips trembled. Her crimson eyes met his. A demon and a human. Both Rooks. Both sworn to uphold the law… and here we are, breaking it in the most unforgivable way possible.
"You still have time to walk away, Gaston," she murmured, though the words hurt. "If they find out… they'll kill us. They'll kill—"
A faint cry cut her off.
Natalie froze. Gaston froze.
The sound came from the bundle of cloth resting between them.
The child.
Their child.
Natalie's body trembled as if her demon blood itself rebelled against the sight. Yet when she pulled back the cloth, all she saw was a tiny face. So small. So fragile. Half human. Half demon. Something that should never exist.
Her heart ached.
And then—she saw it.
A droplet of blood seeped from the newborn's lips. It didn't fall. It floated.
Suspended in the air like a crimson jewel, pulsing faintly as if alive.
Natalie's breath caught. "No…"
Gaston's eyes widened. His voice broke. "Already…? At birth?"
The droplet trembled—then dissolved into mist. The air shifted. Natalie could feel it. The cathedral itself seemed to hold its breath.
Hematemesis.
A power feared even among demons. The manipulation of blood. Not just one's own—all blood.
"This child…" Natalie whispered. Her chest burned. Her claws extended before she realized it, and she quickly retracted them. "This power should not exist."
But it did.
And it belonged to her son.
---
The doors groaned.
Both parents snapped their heads up. Natalie's instincts screamed. Gaston's hand went for his sword.
Shadows spilled across the floor. Six figures entered the cathedral.
The Rooks.
Roy Kaxs, his cold eyes gleaming behind silver spectacles.
Jae Verx, silent as always, his twin blades at his sides.
Rose Harsha, with her smirk that never reached her eyes.
Sir Gael Miffart, armor rattling faintly as he stepped forward.
Jay Quallen, book in hand, already muttering incantations.
And Kayla Diana, her golden hair shimmering, her gaze conflicted.
Their comrades. Their family. Their executioners.
"Natalie. Gaston." Sir Gael's voice boomed like a judge passing sentence. "By the Law of the Rooks, you stand accused of the greatest sin. Speak, and deny it if you dare."
Natalie's breath hitched. They already know.
Gaston's jaw tightened. He stepped in front of Natalie and the child. "You'll have to cut me down before I hand over my son."
His son.
Natalie's heart clenched.
The baby stirred again. This time, more droplets of blood floated upward—three, four, five at once—before scattering into mist.
The Rooks saw it.
The silence shattered.
"Kill him."
It was Rose who said it first, her smile thin and cruel. "Before that thing grows. Before it devours us all."
Kayla flinched. "He's just a child!"
"A forbidden one!" Roy snapped, adjusting his glasses. His cold gaze fixed on Natalie. "You of all people should understand, Rael. The law exists for a reason. A hybrid child will only unravel the balance we've sworn to protect."
Balance. Law. Order.
Natalie's claws dug into her palms. She wanted to scream. She wanted to tear them apart for daring to call her son a thing.
But… weren't they right?
Her heart wavered.
The baby whimpered again. And as if in answer, the blood droplets thickened, swirling into faint threads that curled protectively around his tiny body.
He's already fighting… just to live.
Natalie's vision blurred.
"I will not let you take him," she said, her voice low, trembling with fury. "Even if I must stand against all of you."
---
The Rooks moved as one.
Jae's blades gleamed. Jay's incantations sparked light. Rose's daggers hissed through the air.
Natalie drew her own weapon, demonic energy surging. Gaston raised his sword, his stance unyielding.
For the first time in their lives, the Rooks turned their blades against each other.
Blood spilled. Steel clashed. The cathedral became a battlefield.
---
In the shadows outside, unseen by any of them, a man watched.
His hair was long and black as night. His smile was cruel and amused.
Kyrios.
The first hybrid.
"So… this is the one." His voice was barely a whisper. "Born with blood in his veins and power in his cries. The child who will tip the scales."
Behind him, silhouettes stirred. Hulking, armored figures with grotesque visages—the Headed Knights.
Kyrios chuckled, a low, satisfied sound.
"Manuel Kanden… you will be mine."