The night stretched long after Megumi's apology. Ava had soothed him, soothed Chloe, but her heart still carried the tremor of fear. She lay awake long after Megumi drifted into an uneasy sleep, his body twitching at times as if fighting battles in dreams he could not win.
By the time dawn's first light painted the sky in pale silver, Ava had made her choice. She needed to speak to Leonidas.
⸻
Leonidas's Return
The Demon King's return was always unmistakable. Even before his form stepped from the dark portal, the air of Mount Oryx thickened, the world humming with the weight of his aura. He was power restrained, a storm caged behind iron will.
Leonidas emerged, his dark cloak brushing the ground, his eyes heavy with knowledge and fatigue. He had been gone for days, tending to matters in the demon domain, but one look at Ava told him something had changed in his absence.
He inclined his head. "Ava." His voice was deep, steady, but softer when he addressed her. "You look troubled."
Ava clutched Chloe tighter to her chest. The baby squirmed, sensing her mother's unease. Ava's lips pressed into a thin line. "We need to talk."
Leonidas studied her a moment, then nodded. "Walk with me."
⸻
The Conversation
They moved beyond the throne chamber, out into the cliffs where the wind howled against stone. Ava cradled Chloe close, the baby's tiny breath warm against her skin. Leonidas stood beside her, gazing out at the horizon where the sun slowly climbed.
"You've seen it, haven't you?" Ava said finally, her voice breaking the silence. "The change in him."
Leonidas's jaw tightened. He did not ask who she meant. "Yes. The cracks are widening."
Ava's throat constricted. "Last night… he frightened me, Leonidas. Just for a moment, but… I saw something in his eyes I didn't recognize. And Chloe—" Her arms tightened around her daughter instinctively. "If he loses control, if the Erasure King takes him again…" She trailed off, unable to finish.
Leonidas turned to face her fully. His gaze was sharp, not unkind but mercilessly honest. "Then neither of you will be safe."
The words landed like a blade. Ava's breath hitched.
He let the silence linger before continuing. "You love him. That much I know. But love will not shield you from what sleeps inside him. And he knows this too — that's why he tries to push you away."
Ava blinked back tears. "So what am I supposed to do? Leave him? Abandon him when he needs me most?"
Leonidas's expression softened, though only slightly. "No. Never abandon him. But you must protect Chloe. And to protect her, you may need to step away… at least for now."
⸻
The Proposal
Ava turned sharply toward him. "Step away? And go where? There's nowhere in this world the gods can't reach."
Leonidas's dark eyes glimmered with something ancient, a secret carried for too long. "You are right. Nowhere in this world."
Her breath caught. "What do you mean?"
He looked skyward, toward the endless vault of blue. "There are domains beyond Olympus, beyond the mortal world, beyond even the rivers of Styx. Places hidden from gods and titans alike. And one such domain belongs to a being who now walks among us once more."
Ava felt her stomach twist. She already knew the name. "Uranus."
Leonidas nodded. "The Sky Father. He has returned. His domain lies outside the reach of Olympus — untouched, eternal. If there is anywhere you and Chloe could be safe, it is there."
The suggestion hung between them like a dagger. Ava's arms tightened around Chloe instinctively.
"You're asking me," she said slowly, "to take my daughter away from her father."
"I'm asking you to save her life," Leonidas replied evenly. "And yours. Megumi will fight this war, whether you stand beside him or not. But if the Erasure King consumes him… then you will be the first to burn."
Ava's breath trembled. She thought of last night, of Megumi's aura rattling the cradle, of Chloe's tiny cry. She thought of the look in his eyes, a stranger's gaze burning through her husband's face.
She closed her eyes.
⸻
A Mother's Fear
"I swore I wouldn't leave him," she whispered. "When he lost everything, when he fell, when he rose again — I promised I'd stay. How can I break that promise now?"
Leonidas stepped closer. His presence was grounding, a shadow that steadied rather than threatened. "You will not break it. You will keep it — by ensuring that if he falls, he does not take you with him. If he loses everything again, let it not be his wife and child. Let him have something to come back to."
Ava looked down at Chloe. The baby slept peacefully, unaware of the storms swirling around her. A single tear slipped down Ava's cheek.
"You really think Uranus would protect us?" she asked.
Leonidas's tone held no hesitation. "Yes. If only because it serves his purposes. But his protection is absolute. No god, no titan, no shadow can pierce his domain without his will."
Ava swallowed hard, torn between terror and resolve.
⸻
The Choice
Finally, she nodded, though the motion was faint, fragile. "If it comes to that… if I see the cracks widen… then I'll go with Chloe. To Uranus's domain."
Leonidas inclined his head. "A wise choice. And a painful one. But perhaps the only way."
The Demon King turned his gaze back to the horizon, the rising sun casting a crimson edge across the sky. "Megumi's war is not only against the gods or titans. It is against himself. If he wins, you will never need to leave. But if he loses…" His eyes narrowed. "Then we must be ready."