The Eye pulsed like a second heart in the hollow cathedral, every thrum vibrating through the cracked stone floor and the brothers' bones. Cain stood at the front, blade burning in his hand, its flames whispering old names and lost wars. His brothers flanked him, bruised but defiant. They didn't need to speak. They never did when it mattered.
Selene's wings unfurled, long and sharp like blades of twilight. Her presence alone warped the air, like reality was struggling to hold its shape around her. "Three sons," she said quietly, "yet not one of you has inherited his mind."
Lucien chuckled bitterly. "Why would we want the brain of a tyrant who burned half the world to prove a point?"
Ayden flexed his fingers, smoke rising from his bruised knuckles. "Talk later. Fight now."
"No," Cain said suddenly, holding out a hand. "We're not ready. Not yet."
That made both his brothers freeze. Cain never backed down. Not from a fight like this.
Selene tilted her head. "Wise. He's learning."
Cain stared at her, his eyes glowing faintly red. "Tell me what you know about the Eye. About him. The truth, not the riddles."
There was a pause. And then, to everyone's shock, Selene sat down on the ruined cathedral steps, wings folding in. "You want the truth? Fine. But once I speak it, your path will be sealed."
The brothers exchanged glances. Cain nodded once. "Do it."
Selene exhaled slowly, eyes turning to the Eye, still glowing faintly on the altar like a dying star.
"Your father wasn't always the monster they say. He was a child, once—like you. Raised in chains, taught to kill with a smile, lied to by angels and demons alike. He didn't become the Devil. He was made into one."
Lucien's sarcastic grin vanished.
Selene continued. "He tore the world apart because he believed it was already broken. But in the end… he did one good thing. He tried to end the bloodline curse. He tried to stop you three from becoming him."
Cain swallowed, hard. "Then why give us power at all?"
"Because power isn't the curse," she said softly. "It's what you do with it that either saves you… or damns you."
Ayden scowled. "Then why are you here? You came to kill us."
"I came to see if you were worth sparing."
Lightning cracked outside, illuminating the tower in silver light. In that moment, Cain's shadow behind him looked almost like horns.
Lucien stepped forward. "So what? You done judging? Or do we have to bleed for your approval?"
Selene smiled faintly. "I don't need to fight you. They will."
The floor trembled—and from the shadows around the cathedral, glowing red eyes appeared. Dozens. Then hundreds. Phantom soldiers, summoned by the Eye's awakening, each one a soul the Devil had consumed in his rise. Mindless. Hungry. Bound by ancient rage.
Cain cursed under his breath. "We're surrounded."
Ayden grinned. "Good. I was getting bored."
Lucien threw his arms wide. "Let's make it flashy."
The battle exploded like a spark to dry wood.
Ayden charged straight into the frontlines, fists glowing red-hot with Bloodrage. He moved like a demon, tearing through the spirits with sheer force, even as cuts opened on his skin. Every punch was vengeance. Every scream was a name he hadn't forgotten.
Lucien danced between attacks, chains slithering like snakes from his sleeves, binding and snapping phantoms in mid-air. He cracked jokes even as he bled. "Tell Dad I'm sending his regrets!" he shouted as one chain whipped through a cluster of shadow-beasts.
Cain stood near the Eye, blade held steady, flames swirling around him like a shield. His mind felt split in two—half warrior, half heir to something ancient and terrible. But his heart stayed clear.
He would not become his father.
Not now. Not ever.
Selene watched them, unmoving, as the storm built around them. And for a second—just a flicker—her hand trembled.
Elsewhere...
Rei sprinted through the ravines of black stone toward the cathedral, Kira by her side. "They've awakened the Eye," Rei hissed. "It's reacting to Cain's bloodline. If it fuses fully, we might lose him."
Kira's cyber eye blinked rapidly. "What if we get there too late?"
Rei whispered, "Then not even the gods can save us."
Back in the cathedral…
Cain's power surged like a wildfire. Every time a phantom came close, the Soulfire Blade lashed out, slicing through darkness. But he felt it—something ancient inside him stirring. Memories not his own. Screams. Fire. A name—
"Asmodiel."
It rang in his head like thunder.
"Who is Asmodiel?!" Cain roared mid-strike, voice cracking with fury.
Selene's eyes widened. "You heard it. Then it's begun. He's remembering."
"Remembering what?!"
"The truth. The first life. The original curse. Your soul isn't new, Cain. It's old. Older than this war."
Cain fell to one knee, blood dripping from his nose, visions slamming into his mind—of a temple burning, a lover screaming his name, a crown of bone and fire on his head.
Ayden pulled him up. "Cain! Stay with me!"
Cain gripped his brother's hand, grounding himself.
"I'm fine," he lied.
Lucien landed beside them, bruised but alive. "We've cleared the circle. For now."
Selene stepped forward. "You have a choice. The Eye can be destroyed. But if you do, you'll never learn the whole truth."
Cain looked at his brothers.
Ayden nodded. "Whatever you decide—we follow."
Lucien smirked. "Make it interesting, at least."
Cain turned to Selene. "Then show me the path. But if it endangers them… I'll burn it down."
Selene smiled—not cruelly, but sadly. "Then follow me. To where it all began."
The storm outside faded into silence.
And with that, the three sons of a devil took their first step into the origin of everything they thought they knew.