Andre stepped out of the abandoned church without saying a word.
The old wooden doors creaked shut behind him.
Beside him, Esmeralda grabbed his wrist and practically dragged him down the stone steps.
"What the hell was that?" she burst out.
Andre remained silent.
Esmeralda threw her hands into the air.
"That old man is insane."
Still nothing.
She stopped walking and turned toward him.
"Andre?"
His eyes were distant.
Focused on something far away.
Not the church.
Not the road.
Not even her.
Because one thought kept replaying inside his head.
What if Azazel really was behind everything?
His mother's death.
His brother's death.
The years of suffering.
The hatred.
The pain.
The loneliness.
All of it.
Suddenly
A shadow moved.
At the corner of his vision.
A black feather drifted through the air.
Then another.
Andre froze.
His heartbeat slowed.
There.
Just beyond an old stone wall.
A glimpse of massive black wings disappearing around a corner.
His jaw tightened.
He knew those wings.
He would recognize them anywhere.
Andre looked toward Esmeralda.
"You should wait in the car."
She frowned immediately.
"What?"
"I need some air."
"And I'm coming with you."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Esmeralda narrowed her eyes.
"Andre—"
He forced a small smile.
One that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I'm not a kid."
A pause.
"I'm still the unbreakable Andre."
For a second she looked unconvinced.
Then sighed.
"...Five minutes."
Andre nodded.
"Five minutes."
She pointed a finger at him.
"Don't do anything stupid."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"Noted."
Esmeralda reluctantly headed toward the car.
Andre watched until she disappeared from sight.
Then his smile vanished.
Immediately.
He turned.
And walked toward the alley.
Toward the darkness.
Toward the wings.
The moment he stepped around the corner—
There he was.
Standing beneath the shadow of a ruined archway.
Massive black wings folded behind him.
Golden eyes glowing softly.
A smile that never reached his eyes.
Azazel.
Andre wasn't surprised.
Not anymore.
He slowly approached.
"You planned this."
Azazel smiled.
"Hello to you too."
"What a wonderful reunion."
"Notice the upgrade in my eye colour."
Andre's voice hardened.
"He followed the script perfectly didn't he?."
Azazel chuckled.
"What a wonderful way to greet your father figure."
Andre laughed.
A cold laugh.
"As if I was ever anything more than a tool."
For a brief second
Something flickered across Azazel's face.
Almost disappointment.
Then it disappeared.
"You wound me with your mean words."
He placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
"I loved you as my own."
Andre snorted.
"Sure."
Azazel smiled as he took a few steps closer.
"Believe it or not."
A pause.
"I had nothing to do with what the old man saw."
"You think too highly of me."
"I think you're a liar."
The smile widened.
"Fair."
Andre's fists clenched.
"Why?"
Azazel tilted his head.
"Why what?"
"Why destroy everything?"
For the first time
The smile disappeared.
Azazel looked almost disappointed.
"Destroy?"
A pause.
"My son..."
His golden eyes glowed faintly.
"You still don't understand."
Another pause.
"I'm trying to save you."
Andre laughed.
A broken laugh.
"Save me?"
"You call this saving?"
Azazel sighed.
"Very well."
His wings slowly unfolded.
Darkness spread across the ground.
Like ink.
Like blood.
Like a living shadow.
"Then let me show you what despair your future holds."
The world vanished.
Andre stood inside the Gonzalez living room.
His breath caught.
Everything looked normal.
Warm.
Safe.
Mrs. Jenkins was cooking.
Marco sat at the table laughing.
Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez argued playfully nearby.
Just another ordinary evening.
Just another happy moment.
Andre smiled despite himself.
Then the front door exploded inward.
Everything changed.
Screaming.
Gunshots.
Panic.
Chaos.
Andre lunged forward.
"NO!"
His voice echoed uselessly.
Nobody heard him.
Nobody saw him.
He wasn't there.
Only watching.
The intruders flooded inside.
Mrs. Jenkins unaware of what was happening was on her way out of the kitchen when she saw armed men with weapons. She tried to run but they shot her on the head as blood splattered around the dining table.
Andre shouted
"Nooo!!!"
Mrs Gonzalez shouted out of pain and shock as one of the attackers shoved her aside.
"Shut the fuck up, else you are next!!"
Marco screamed.
"Mommm!"
Andre ran.
Desperately.
His hand reached for Marco.
Passed through him.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
The room became a nightmare.
People crying.
Begging.
Praying.
Andre tried to stop it.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Every attempt failed.
Like fate itself refused to let him interfere.
Mr. Gonzalez grabbed a chair and took one of them down, he grabbed his gun and turned but a knife was put on his wife and sons neck
"Drop the gun." One of the armed men ordered
He dropped it and begged them to spare his family but then cut off Mrs Gonzalez head as blood poured out endless on the floor.
Andre watched her lifeless body collapse.
Mr Gonzalez rushed toward his wife but was shot multiple times.
He fell to his knees and suffered the same fate with his wife.
His head was severed from his body.
Marco was on his knees now.
Crying.
Screaming.
Reaching for his parents.
For anyone.
Andre had never seen him cry like this before.
Not even when things got bad.
But now...
Marco looked like a child.
Broken.
Completely broken.
"Please..."
Marco turned to Andre as if he could see him.
"Please don't leave me."
Andre felt something inside him tear apart.
The house caught fire.
Flames climbed the walls.
Smoke filled the air.
The world turned orange.
Then red.
Then black.
Misheal appeared next.
Alone.
Terrified.
Calling out for help.
Calling their names.
Calling his name.
"Andre!"
She saw him.
Or thought she did.
For one impossible second.
Their eyes met.
Hope appeared on her face.
And Andre ran.
Faster than he ever had.
Desperately.
Hopelessly.
But he never reached her.
The distance never closed.
No matter how hard he tried.
No matter how loudly he screamed.
The flames swallowed her.
And her voice disappeared.
Then came Hugo.
Then Sonia.
Then Maria.
Then Anastasia.
Each loss worse than the last.
Each death carving deeper into his soul.
Andre fell to his knees.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!, What the hell is this."
"I don't want this, make it stop."
"Make it stop."
Begging.
Praying.
Screaming.
Nothing changed.
Then the darkness parted.
And Esmeralda appeared.
The world became silent.
Completely silent.
She was sitting beneath a tree.
Alone.
Blood staining her clothes.
Her breathing weak.
Her smile fading.
Andre's entire body shook.
"No."
He crawled toward her.
"No..."
For the first time
She saw him.
Actually saw him.
Her tired eyes met his.
And she smiled.
The same smile.
The one she always gave him.
Even now.
Even dying.
"You're late."
Andre broke.
Completely.
Tears poured down his face.
"I'm here."
His voice cracked.
"I'm here."
She reached for him.
Her hand passed through his.
Like smoke.
Like a dream.
Like everything else.
Her smile trembled.
Then faded.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Her eyes closed.
And she never opened them again.
Andre screamed.
A sound so full of grief it barely sounded human.
Then two figures appeared behind her.
His mother.
His brother.
Standing together.
Waiting.
His brother smiled sadly.
"You couldn't save us."
His mother looked heartbroken.
"And now you're losing them too."
Andre collapsed.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to think.
Unable to endure another second.
Azazel's voice echoed through the darkness.
Soft.
Almost gentle.
Which somehow made it worse.
Run from me all you want."
"The future doesn't care."
"Everyone dies eventually."
"The only question is whether you are ready to watch it happen again."
"This is the future that waits for them."
A pause.
"The future that waits for you."
Another.
"And when it happens..."
Silence.
Then:
"You'll wish you had listened to me."
The darkness swallowed everything