Clara's POV
I kept my eyes closed as they spoke in hushed tones about what had happened in the cave. I didn't want to hear it—I didn't want to relive it. I was just grateful that I had escaped that hellhole. Finally, I was going back to the castle, back to safety. Relief washed over me, soft and heavy, like a blanket.
Ciel's arms held me tightly as we soared through the air, the cool night breeze brushing against my skin. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt… safe. Safe enough that the weight on my eyelids grew unbearable, and slowly, I surrendered to the arms of slumber.
"Let me go, Ciel!" I screamed. My voice echoed through endless castle walls, bouncing back at me, hollow and desperate. His arms were iron around me, trapping me, suffocating me. I thrashed against his hold, but it was useless.
"Then why?" His voice cracked.
I froze. Slowly, I lifted my gaze—and my heart shattered. His silver eyes, usually so cold and unyielding, now brimmed with tears. They streamed down his face, sorrow carved into every perfect line of his features. He looked like a man breaking apart.
"Why did you run away? Why do you want to leave me?" His voice was raw, pleading.
My lips trembled. I couldn't look at him—not when he looked at me like that. Not when it would tear me apart. "I'm sorry, Ciel," I whispered, my voice breaking. Tears blurred my vision as I forced myself to speak. "I just… I need to know who I am. Without this castle. Without you. I want to be more than your creation. I want to be someone."
His face twisted with anguish. "But you are mine," he said hoarsely. "You're my heart. You're my everything." His hand came up, trembling as it cupped my face, tilting it so I couldn't look away. His silver eyes searched mine with a desperation that burned.
And it broke me.
"That's the problem, Ciel," I choked out, my tears falling hot and fast. "I want to be me. That's why I ran. That's why I have to leave."
I tore myself free, my body shaking, and turned to walk away. But before I could take a step, his hand caught mine, pulling me back.
"Fine," he whispered. His voice was low, trembling with something darker. "If that's what you want, I'll give it to you. But I won't let you go far, Serena."
"W-what are you doing, Ciel—" My words were cut off as his magic surged, sparking violently in his palm. His hand pressed over my head, blinding light filling my vision.
And then—darkness.
My eyes snapped open. Sunlight spilled gently through the windows. My breath came in shallow gasps, and tears clung to my lashes. I sat up slowly, trembling. The dream still clung to me like chains, every word, every emotion etched into my heart.
"My love?"
I turned my head, startled, and saw Ciel approaching from the other side of the bed. His expression softened as he took in my tear-streaked face.
"My love, why are you crying?" he murmured, pulling me into his arms before I could answer. His embrace was warm, steady, safe. He stroked my hair gently. "Don't worry. It's alright. Did you dream of that place my love? Don't be afraid. You've left it behind. You're safe now. Safe with me."
His voice was tender, his arms strong.
And I collapsed into his embrace, sobbing like a child. Maybe it was the dream. Maybe it was the trauma of the cave. Or maybe it was the way his touch crumbled every wall I tried to build.
"It's okay," he soothed. "It's alright."
As I broke down in tears, fear, pain, and confusion tore through my chest like blades, leaving my heart in shreds I could no longer hold together.
Ciel's POV
I held Serena in my arms, every sob tearing through me like a blade. Her tears stained my chest, and with each trembling breath she took, my own heart ached deeper. She must have suffered so much in that cursed place… if only I had reached her sooner, she wouldn't be broken like this. My sorrow swelled, heavy and sharp, until it ignited into anger. No… I wasn't going to let this go. I was going to find him. I was going to make that man pay for every single wound, every single tear he caused my Serena.
Lucien's POV
I stared at Jason—no… Asriel—in utter disbelief. My mind reeled, unable to piece the nightmare together. This couldn't be happening. Jason had fought at my side only hours ago. He was there when the cloaked man clashed with Ciel in the cave. How… how could he be this? And that name—Asriel—why did it echo in my memory like a forgotten bell?
"I know what you're thinking," he said, tearing through my storm of thoughts. His grin cut sharp against the tension. "How could the same person be in two places at once? Ever heard of the Mirrored Spell?"
My breath caught. "Mirrored…" I whispered, stunned. That was no ordinary magic—it was an ancient, forbidden Heavenly spell. Angels had once used it to craft alternate versions of themselves in battle, a weapon meant to deceive demons. But it had been outlawed thousands of years ago, sealed away to keep the Fallen from twisting it.
"How did you…" I narrowed my eyes. "How did you manage to use that? No one has wielded that technique in ages."
His grin widened, smug and radiant. "Because I'm the one who invented it, Lucien."
My stomach dropped. "What…?"
He leaned closer, eyes gleaming like fire on glass. "Doesn't the name Asriel ring a bell?"
And then it hit me—like thunder crashing through my chest. Archangel Asriel. Brother of Ael.
I froze in disbelief as his laughter echoed across the room, shaking the air itself.
"So you finally figured it out," he said with a smirk, his voice sharp as a blade. "Oh my… the look on your face—it's hilarious. You look like you've seen a ghost."
I lifted my eyes to him, my chest tight. "But I have seen a ghost," I spat. "You're supposed to be dead."
He chuckled, low and mocking. "It's going to take a lot more than an Acurune's spell to kill me."
But something wasn't right. Could he really be telling the truth? The more I thought about it, the less everything added up. Especially his appearance.
Archangel Ael had been Asriel's twin brother—I had seen their portrait once, deep within Heaven's ancient libraries. The two had shared the same radiant golden hair, the same ethereal features, almost indistinguishable… except for their eyes. Ael's were a piercing sapphire, while Asriel's burned with emerald fire.
But Jason? He looked nothing like them. Brown hair. Hazel eyes. Mortal. Mundane.
"I don't believe you," I said coldly. "Yes, you've explained how you were in two places at once, but your appearance… you're supposed to be Ael's twin brother, yet you look nothing like him."
"Oh, that," he said casually. And then, with a single wave of his hand, Jason was gone.
I froze. Before me now stood a figure that made the air itself tremble—long golden hair that shimmered like sunlight, piercing emerald eyes that gleamed with unearthly power. And then, I saw them: massive wings unfurling behind him. Dark as a crow's, heavy with shadow—fallen wings that clashed violently with his majestic presence.
"It was just a spell," he said smoothly. "A disguise to hide my identity. Do you believe me now?"
My throat tightened. Even though he looked exactly like the portrait I'd seen of Asriel, doubt still gnawed at me. Why was he working with Ciel? How had he survived the Acurune's spell—one of Heaven's most devastating weapons? And most of all… why reveal himself to me?
"No," I whispered. My voice cracked under suspicion.
He sighed almost playfully, then raised his hand. "Alright then. I'll show you something that will really make you believe."
The air erupted. Power surged from his body, crashing into me like a tidal wave. My vision shattered, my mind tearing at the seams as unbearable pressure crushed me. I screamed, my knees buckling under the weight of it.
This… this power. I had only felt something like it once before—during the Celestial War, when Ael himself had fought Ciel. But no… this was far stronger. Terrifyingly stronger.
"Stop!" I gasped, choking on the weight of his divinity. "Please… I believe you!"
And just like that, the crushing force vanished. I collapsed, trembling, sucking in broken breaths as I tried to steady my senses.
He stepped closer, smiling down at me. "So. Now you believe me?"
"Yes," I whispered, barely audible. That kind of power could belong to no other.
My blood ran cold as the truth seared into me. This really was him. Asriel. The Archangel who betrayed Heaven for greed. The one who had been executed for his sins. The one who tried to kill God Himself.
And now… he stood before me, alive.