The sky bled red as if mourning something ancient. The wind howled over the jagged cliffs, carrying with it the heavy scent of coming war. Cain stood at the edge of the plateau, his obsidian coat billowing like wings behind him. His eyes—those devil-scarred, ember-red eyes—scanned the horizon with the precision of a hunter, but his heart was anything but calm.
Behind him, Selene approached, her footsteps hesitant. She had seen Cain in countless battles, but something about this moment felt heavier… final.
"You didn't sleep," she said softly, coming to stand beside him.
Cain shook his head. "Couldn't. Not when I feel the ground itself holding its breath."
Selene placed a hand on his arm. "We'll face it together, Cain. You're not alone. Not anymore."
He turned, his gaze softening only for her. "You make me believe that. Even when the devil in me whispers otherwise."
Down at the base camp, Leo and Eren were preparing. Leo stood by the ancient table, pouring over an old scroll etched in demonic runes. Eren, on the other hand, was balancing a dagger on his forehead while chewing an apple.
"Do you ever take anything seriously?" Leo muttered, clearly annoyed.
"Sure I do," Eren said with a grin. "I seriously think I'm hungry again. Also, those runes? Boring. Let's fight something already."
"You're such a child," Leo replied, but there was fondness behind the words.
"Correction," Eren said, pointing his half-eaten apple at him. "I'm the youngest devil-born prince of our cursed bloodline. Respect the hierarchy."
Their banter, though silly, lightened the air. They knew what was coming. The Watchers—ancient creatures created to kill hybrids like them—had crossed into their realm. This wasn't just a fight. It was a reckoning.
Inside the stone hall, their mother lay still but breathing. A soft glow had returned to her skin in the past few days. Leo checked on her as he always did. He wasn't the loudest, but he loved the hardest. He held her hand quietly, whispering promises no one else could hear.
Eren slipped in after him, leaning against the doorway.
"She's gonna wake up," he said.
Leo looked back. "You really believe that?"
Eren shrugged. "Yeah. Because she's too stubborn to die."
Meanwhile, outside, Cain drew Selene into a quiet embrace. She melted into him, resting her head against his chest. For a moment, the world faded. No war. No prophecy. Just them.
"I love you," he whispered into her hair. "If anything happens to me—"
Selene pulled back, eyes blazing. "Don't you dare. Don't talk like you're not coming back."
Cain smirked slightly. "There's the fire."
"I'll light the whole damn world on fire if you leave me," she said, and Cain kissed her—slow, sure, the kind of kiss that promised eternity in the space of seconds.
But time didn't wait.
A scout burst through the cave entrance, bloodied and pale. "They're here. The Watchers are here!"
Cain's face shifted, the calm cracking like glass. "Get ready," he said, stepping away from Selene and summoning the fire in his veins. His skin shimmered with dark markings, the devil's gift blooming.
Leo stepped out, blades at his hips, eyes glowing silver. "I've already set traps along the west trail. They won't get far."
Eren rolled his neck with a lazy grin. "Finally. I was getting bored."
They moved like wolves, each brother sliding into a role they were born for. As the Watchers breached the cliffs, everything exploded into chaos.
Cain moved like a storm, fire dancing from his fingers, melting stone and enemy alike. Leo was cold and precise, his daggers singing as they found soft spots in hardened flesh. Eren? He was everywhere—sliding under, over, between enemies, taunting them as he fought.
Selene protected the fallen, her magic glowing gold, but she wasn't just defense—when one of the Watchers cornered Cain, she launched a wall of light that threw it into the abyss.
Later, as blood soaked the cliffs and the dust began to settle, Cain fell to his knees, breathing hard. Selene ran to him.
"You're hurt," she gasped.
"Not badly," he muttered. "But something's coming. Worse than the Watchers. I felt it."
In the back, their mother's eyes fluttered open for the first time in months. She gasped, sitting upright with a jolt.
"Cain," she whispered.
He rushed in, eyes wide.
"Mother—"
Her voice was raspy, urgent. "He's coming. The one who calls himself the true heir. He wants your throne… your blood."
The room fell into stunned silence. Eren cracked his knuckles.
"Great. Another psycho claiming he's the real son of the Devil. Can we get a break?"
Cain met Selene's gaze, his jaw set. "No breaks. Not until this ends."