Dawn rose like an open wound on the horizon, dyeing the sky a red so deep it felt like an omen.
Inside the Kerens mansion, every corner whispered of approaching death, wrapped in a thick, sacred silence—as if even time itself refused to move forward.
In the main room, the air was heavy, saturated with dampness and the stench of decay that clung to the bones. On a bed with frayed, yellowed sheets lay Luciano Kerens, the defeated patriarch, reduced to a hollow shell of what he once was.
"Varek…" he rasped, his voice brittle as a tremor shook his frail body. "Firstborn of the demon… you've always been my greatest creation… and my deepest failure."
Varek stood silently at his bedside. His imposing figure seemed out of place in such a desolate room. He looked down at Luciano with a mix of respect and bitterness, while the dying man's bony hands clung to his.
"I protected you," Luciano continued, barely audible. "But now… it's your turn to protect yourself. Aisha carries your blood… She is the beginning and the end."
Varek clenched his jaw. Part of him wanted to walk away, let the old man who demanded so much from him fade in silence. But another part—the one that remembered nights of brutal training, harsh words, and empty stares—kept him rooted in place.
Aisha. That name unleashed a flood of memories: her blazing eyes, her unyielding spirit, and the bond between them he'd always tried—and failed—to deny.
"I will seal Sariel," Varek vowed, his voice low and resolute. "And I will end this curse. Even if it means facing my own brothers."
Luciano gave a faint smile. With his last breath, he whispered:
"What defines you… is not your strength… but who you choose to protect…"
Morning light filled the room as Luciano's body crumbled into dust, leaving behind only silence—and a crushing weight on Varek's shoulders. He closed his eyes, letting the final words echo in his mind. When he opened them, her image was there—Aisha.
"She's in the house next door, isn't she?" asked Ishana, stopping him briefly.
"Yes… and our story isn't over," Varek murmured, pulling on his long wine-colored cloak and stepping out of the mansion.
As he crossed the threshold, Aisha's image burned even brighter in his mind. He remembered the first time he saw her—when he still thought he could ignore what she awakened in him...
She had been younger then—fierce, skilled with weapons, and utterly fearless. That day, under a storm-covered sky, she faced an enemy far stronger than herself. A deadly arrow shot toward her chest, but with perfect aim, she split it mid-air.
"Next time, I won't miss," Aisha had said, her voice steady, eyes blazing with fury and pride.
Hidden in the shadows, Varek had watched without interfering. In that moment, he knew—she wasn't just another warrior. She was a symbol of hope... and a threat to everything he stood for.
The Present — The Reunion
The morning chill bit at his skin as Varek entered the nearby house, knowing she would be there. His footsteps echoed on the old wood, and as he stepped inside, he saw her—standing by the window, back straight, gaze lost in the distance.
In her hands, she held a six-starred sword—the same one that had once belonged to him. The gray light of dawn illuminated her bandages, reminders of wounds that had yet to fully heal.
"Varek," she said firmly, though suspicion colored her voice. "Why are you here?"
"I didn't come to fight you, Aisha," he answered calmly, placing a letter on the table.
With trembling hands, Aisha picked it up and read it quickly. As her eyes scanned the lines, her expression twisted—fury and despair mingling on her face:
"Dearest Aisha,You can never run from your family. Follow orders and complete the second phase of the Crimson Moon mission.With regards,Your father."
The letter slipped from her fingers. So did the sword.
"You've been on the edge of death too many times, Aisha," Varek said, breaking the silence. His voice was soft, yet carried weight. "Those spores almost destroyed you. I healed you…"
Aisha looked up, eyes shimmering with restrained emotion.
"Why do you keep doing this?" she whispered, voice cracking.
Varek stepped closer, his shadow falling over her.
"Because I can't let you fall," he finally admitted, his words dragging out like a confession. "But I can't save you… without destroying myself."
Wind slammed against the windows. In the sky, the Crimson Moon began to rise.
"The Crimson Moon…" Aisha whispered, taking a step back.
"You know what it means," Varek said, his voice grave. "There's no turning back."
No one spoke his name without lowering their voice.
Varek.The firstborn. The deadliest. The most beautiful.
Hair white as snow on corpses, violet eyes that held ancient secrets. His presence alone could silence any room. Where Sariel was chaos and Sanathiel justice—Varek was the blade in between: impossible balance, the shadow that protected without asking anything in return.
Born of the demon. Bound by duty.Loved by none. Feared by all.
But only he knew the truth:
"Not all of the demon's children destroy…Some of us are cursed to protect."
Aisha clenched her fists, her heart pounding violently.
"I don't want this fate, Varek. I don't want to be part of this."
Varek watched her silently. In his eyes, that ancient sorrow still lingered.
"We don't always get to choose, Aisha. But this path… we'll walk it together—whether you want to or not," he said, his voice echoing through the room with heavy finality.
Aisha didn't flinch. Instead, she picked up the six-starred sword with both hands. Determination burned in her eyes, but so did the fear of facing the man who knew her better than she dared admit.
Varek reacted instantly. His arm swung to deflect the blade. When Aisha spun to strike with a kick, he moved low under her center of gravity, catching her leg and bringing her down with a smooth lock. His breath grazed her neck as he pinned her.
"I didn't come to fight… but I won't let you destroy yourself."
In a blink, she was on the floor—arm twisted behind her back with surgical precision.
"I'll show you how I pulled you out of that hell," Varek whispered, his voice low and fierce, holding her firmly in place.
Before Aisha could reply, a thunderous sound shook the house. The walls trembled, shadows stretching in every direction. Outside, a figure emerged—surrounded by a dark, oppressive aura.
Rasen.
"I found you," Rasen said, smirking, crimson eyes glowing with dangerous intensity. "Brother, always trying to save the unsavable."
Aisha, still on the floor, recoiled at the rising tension. She was trapped—between two brothers, two forces destined to collide.
Varek rose immediately, stepping in front of her like a shield.
"She's not yours, Rasen," he said coldly, voice sharp and firm. "If you want to fulfill your destiny, you'll have to go through me first."
Rasen laughed, the sound hollow—shattered by years of abandonment and betrayal.
"Oh, and you get to decide who lives or dies now, Varek? You, who carried the demon's legacy and tried to hide it under a cheap cloak of redemption?"
Varek's fists clenched. The words burned his tongue, but he swallowed them.
Rasen's smile widened, revealing sharp fangs. And without warning, he lunged—
"Varek, no!" Aisha screamed, her voice laced with pure desperation.The two brothers clashed again and again, their blows echoing like thunder. The crimson moonlight filtering through the windows bathed the room in a haunting glow, amplifying the brutality of their duel.
Rasen hurled a swarm of dark chains at Varek—serpents of shadow writhing toward their target. But Varek dodged with feral grace, retaliating with a sudden surge of bluish energy.
"Sariel..." Varek murmured under his breath, his eyes locked on the chains that slithered like living things, pulsing with the darkness flowing from his brother's soul.
Taking advantage of a brief moment of distraction, Varek reached into his belt and pulled out a small device—a flash bomb.
"Aisha, close your eyes."That was all the warning he gave before hurling it into the air.
The device exploded with a blinding light, forcing Rasen back with a roar of fury. The shockwave was overwhelming.Aisha didn't react in time. The impact struck her full force, and her body hit the ground—her consciousness swallowed by darkness.
Present:
When Aisha opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Varek leaning over her—his gaze filled with concern, a hand gently reaching for her face.
"You remembered, didn't you?" Varek whispered, his voice soft—like a secret carried only by the night.
Aisha looked at him, fear and recognition dancing in her eyes.
"What did you do to me, Varek?" she murmured.
But he didn't answer. His eyes dropped to the ground, as if the truth weighed too heavily on his tongue.
Silence stretched between them. He simply watched her, as though searching for something in her expression—something he couldn't quite grasp. Finally, with a quiet sigh, he spoke:
"Let's work together, Aisha. Don't run from me."
Aisha slowly pushed herself up, her body aching from the fall. But her gaze remained fixed on Varek, trying to unravel the storm of emotions he kept so carefully hidden behind his calm facade.