The sky turned rust-red by dawn.
Not from the sun, but from the energy rippling through the air—like the heavens themselves were bracing for chaos.
Cain stood at the manor gates, hands clenched. His usually calm face was hard now, cut in stone. Beside him, Leo twirled a dagger between his fingers and tried to whistle, off-key. It wasn't nerves. That was just Leo being Leo.
Behind them, Eren had layered three shields over the courtyard and was now stuffing a protein bar into his mouth mid-incantation.
"Bro, you've had all night," Leo muttered. "Couldn't you eat before raising demonic barriers?"
Eren shrugged. "Blood sugar crashes are real, and I don't want to pass out when I'm blasting evil uncles."
Selene was nearby with Amara and Eira. Though the tension crackled like electricity, Selene still found a moment to glance at Cain, mouthing softly, You okay?
He gave the tiniest nod. But deep down, he wasn't.
Then, they felt it.
The ground pulsed.
The wind died.
And at the far end of the hill path, a figure emerged.
He wasn't tall, but his presence devoured the horizon. Hair white as salt. Eyes glowing like furnace coals. Cloak dragging across the earth like a black tide. And at his side? A sword shaped from living shadow.
Amara's breath hitched. "Thorne."
Cain stepped forward, his voice like thunder under his skin. "You're not welcome here."
Thorne's gaze skimmed over each of them, slow and deliberate, before resting on Amara. "Sister. How radiant you look for someone who's been asleep a century."
"Still more alive than you'll ever be," she replied, her voice cold but elegant.
Thorne smirked. "And these are the boys? Cain, Leo, Eren… My, how your father would've hated how soft you all look."
Eren rolled his eyes. "We literally tore through hellbeasts last week."
"And Leo exploded a bloodhound with a hairpin," Selene added.
"Yeah," Leo nodded proudly. "Fashion and murder."
Thorne turned to Cain. "Do you know why I'm here?"
Cain's jaw tightened. "To die on our lawn?"
"Cute," Thorne hissed. "But no. I've come to offer you a deal. Join me. Leave this crumbling house, this pathetic human girl—" he gestured lazily to Selene, "and take your rightful place as rulers."
Cain didn't hesitate. "We already rule. Our choices, our path."
Thorne's eyes flared. "Then your blood will stain the roots of this place."
And with that—chaos.
He raised his hand and the shadows burst like vines. Leo reacted first, throwing up a ward that rippled blue. Eira dove forward, blades flashing, clashing against a barrier Thorne cast mid-air.
Cain launched forward, glowing marks appearing across his arms, eyes flickering with infernal red. "Don't touch them!"
Thorne blocked the blow, laughing. "Ah, there he is—the true son."
Meanwhile, Eren and Selene circled behind, trying to outflank Thorne while Amara stayed still—chanting something beneath her breath.
"Uh, guys," Eren yelled, "he just split into three. I'm not into fighting shadow clones today!"
Leo skidded beside him. "On three, we use the smite runes!"
Eren blinked. "We have those?"
"I may have enchanted your shoelaces. Don't ask."
"WHAT?!"
Cain and Thorne clashed in the center of it all—flames against void. Each strike echoed like war drums, their grunts like beasts snarling in combat. Selene ran to block a strike aimed at Leo, her dagger catching fire midair.
"I've got you," she said.
Leo winked. "We make such a cute murder team."
"Focus, dumbass."
Meanwhile, Eira dragged one of the clones into a trap circle and smirked. "You thought I was useless, huh?" She turned to one of the brothers—Eren—and raised a brow. "You're starting to grow on me."
"You too," he said breathlessly, "in a slightly terrifying way."
As the battle reached its peak, Amara raised her arms. "ENOUGH!"
A wave of light burst from her, pure and golden. It threw the shadows back, illuminating the battlefield like sunrise. Thorne hissed, staggered. The real one.
Cain seized the moment, driving his fist into Thorne's jaw, sending him crashing into a tree. Blood—black and thick—dripped from his mouth.
Thorne smiled as he rose, eyes glinting. "So the game begins."
And then, he vanished in smoke.
Silence fell.
Selene collapsed against Cain, bruised but breathing. He held her tightly, their foreheads touching.
"We need to be ready," Amara said quietly. "That wasn't the real fight."
Cain kissed Selene's forehead. "I'm not letting him touch you."
"You won't," she whispered back.
Nearby, Leo lay flat on his back and muttered, "Next time, someone else deals with evil demon relatives."
Eren snorted. "Nah, that's all you, prince charming."