Chapter 8 — The Price of the Mark
Kevin stood frozen in the vast hall, the words still echoing in his skull.
The blood son of Cain.
The woman — no, not just a woman anymore — watched him with her sharp green eyes as though she could see every thought, every doubt, every crack in his composure.
When he finally found his voice, it came out raw and thin.
"…If all that is true," he rasped, "what happened to him? What happened to my father?"
For a moment, she didn't answer. Her gaze drifted to the high, vaulted ceiling, her expression darkening.
"They tried," she began softly. "Cain… and his wife. They tried to make amends."
Kevin stared at her, confused, but she pressed on, her voice dropping into a quiet, rhythmic tone — like a confession.
"After his exile, Cain wandered the earth with the woman God gave him. Together they fought the very things his mother and Lucifer unleashed upon the world: the dark creatures of the night — demons, spirits, beasts that fed on the innocent. Things born of hate and pride and sin. Things his mother… and I…" she faltered faintly, "…helped create."
Kevin's breath caught.
"They hunted them," she continued, "one by one. For centuries. Always watched by His eye. Always hoping that if Cain proved himself, if he atoned for his brother's blood, God might lift his curse… and bless them with a child."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"But the mark he bore… twisted everything. His adopted family — those who joined his cause — began to change. Corrupted. First into the monsters they fought: werewolves. Vampires. Witches. Others too dark to name. The mark cursed them all, turning their loyalty into tragedy."
Kevin's hands curled into fists at his sides. "…Why?"
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes shadowed.
"Because the mark is not just a punishment," she murmured. "It is a poison."
Her words lingered in the stillness between them, heavy and bitter.
Kevin swallowed hard. "So what happened? Where is he? Where's my father?"
The faintest crack appeared in her calm smile.
"Eventually… the Devil came to him," she said. "Lucifer offered Cain a way to finally break the curse. To have what he wanted most."
Kevin's stomach tightened. "…What was the price?"
She shook her head faintly. "No one knows. Some say… he sold his soul. Others say his wife's. Or perhaps something even worse. But no one has seen them since."
Kevin's chest heaved as the enormity of her words sank in. His heart was pounding, his mind spinning with questions and fear and anger all at once.
Finally, he looked up at her sharply.
"How do you know all this?" he demanded.
At that, her lips curved into something strange — part smile, part sorrow, part pride.
Her green eyes glimmered as she straightened her shoulders, and her voice, when it came, carried a quiet, almost regal weight.
"Because," she said softly, "I am the first woman. The mother of Cain."
Her gaze bore into his, unflinching.
"The mother of monsters. Your grandmother."
Kevin felt the ground tilt beneath him as the words sank in like knives.
Lilith.
She stood before him — timeless, terrible, and beautiful — the one who'd whispered to the serpent. The one who'd walked out of Eden. The one who'd borne Cain.
The mother of everything he'd just been told to fear.
His breath caught, his voice barely a whisper.
"…You… you're Lilith."
Her faint smile widened just enough to show the barest flash of sharp white teeth.
"Yes, Kevin," she said.
"And now… you know."