Her monstrous face softens.
Her cosmic glow dims just slightly.
Kenna is staring at her, wide-eyed, covered in dust and demon goo.
"Zyla?" Kenna whispers.
Blood Reaper blinks.
Her purple eyes flicker—
first bright, then softer, then confused.
Memories hit her like lightning:
Zyla and Kenna drawing on the sidewalksneaking out at night to watch meteor showersKenna stealing snacks from the gas stationZyla laughing for the first timesleepoversKenna's terrible singingZyla protecting her from bulliesKenna yelling "RUN, DON'T LOOK BACK!"Zyla waking up from nightmares with Kenna shaking her awake
And—
Kenna calling her "bestie" every time despite Zyla pretending to be annoyed.
Blood Reaper's breath stutters.
Her claws retract slightly.
Her wings stop bristling.
She steps forward, shaky, not from weakness but from feeling something she hasn't felt since becoming the Reaper.
Her voice trembles, for the first time sounding like Zyla:
"Kenna…?"
Kenna beams through tears and dirt.
"YES. ME. HI. I'M HERE. YOU LOOK LIKE A GOTH ANGEL ON STEROIDS BUT I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"
Blood Reaper lets out a sound—
a laugh mixed with a gasp—
And she embraces Kenna.
Like a human.
Like a friend.
Like someone she remembers loving.
Kenna clings to her, legs off the ground, babbling:
"Ohmygod, girl, you are HUGE, and your skin is like… sparkly? And you have stars in your wings? And I'm proud of you but also kind of scared—HEY don't squeeze so hard!"
Blood Reaper smiles—
a real smile, soft, small, Zyla-like.
Her monstrous glow dims even more…
And angels watching whisper among themselves in absolute terror:
"She REMEMBERS…
She… bonds.
If she regains her humanity—
She cannot be controlled."
A streak of violet flame tears across the sky.
The ground splits.
And Icca, Satan's daughter, lands between Dyren and Blood Reaper—chains glowing molten around her fists, hair whipping like a storm.
She snarls at her brother:
"BACK. DOWN."
Dyren's eyes widen. "Icca—this isn't your—"
Icca cracks the ground with a stomp, molten chains snapping outward like whips.
"Our father says you are not to provoke her.
You will not interfere."
Dyren stiffens.
He hates taking orders from her.
But Satan's command is final, and Icca's grin says she will fight him if he tries anything.
Dyren steps back, seething, eyes fixed on Blood Reaper.
The sky rips open with a deafening crack.
A second host of angels descends — not scouts, but a termination force:
Twenty ArchangelsA Seraph hostCelestial chains glowing white-hotA divine cage forming around the battlefield
Morvath's voice booms:
"SEPARATE HER FROM THE HUMAN. DO NOT LET THE ABERRATION BOND FURTHER."
The angels move like lightning.
Kenna tightens her grip on Blood Reaper's wrist.
Blood Reaper snarls, stepping in front of her, wings expanding with a crack of starlight.
The boys arrive at the edge of the battlefield.
Keuirseu
His white-light eyes widen in disbelief.
"She… remembers? She remembers the human? That shouldn't be possible—"
He looks terrified.
And relieved.
And very, very protective.
Constant
He freezes.
Everything inside him goes quiet.
Seeing Blood Reaper cradle Kenna…
Seeing her soften…
Seeing Zyla flicker back through the monster…
His chest burns—hot, aching.
"She's… still in there," he whispers.
For a moment, he's hopeful.
Then he sees Morvath's forces gathering—
And his expression shifts to rage.
"No one takes her from us again."
His fire ignites.
He steps toward her.
The angels form a tightening circle.
Icca is growling.
Dyren is watching hungrily.
Kenna is clinging to her.
The boys are approaching.
Blood Reaper looks at the chaos—
And then at Kenna.
Her eyes glow softer…
Then dim.
Then go hollow.
She gently pushes Kenna back a step.
Kenna stops, confused. "Zyla?"
Blood Reaper's voice comes low, shaking with something like grief:
"I am not her."
Kenna's smile falters. "Zyla—"
Blood Reaper shakes her head.
Her wings fold tight.
Her claws retract.
Her expression grows cold, ancient, resigned.
"I am Blood Reaper."
"The Demonic Angel."
"The cast out."
"The forbidden."
Her voice cracks on the last word.
Kenna steps forward anyway.
Her small, stubborn, messy self—
Refusing to be afraid.
"Maybe you're all those things," Kenna says.
A tear slips down her cheek.
"But you're also the girl who stole candy with me."
Blood Reaper's eyes flash—
A memory she cannot stop.
Kenna takes her hand.
"And even if you're someone different now…
You'll always be Zyla in my eyes."
Blood Reaper's jaw trembles.
Her wings flicker with unstable light.
Angels tense, ready to strike.
Dyren leans forward, fascinated.
Constant steps closer, heart pounding.
Icca grins, sensing the emotional explosion coming.
And Blood Reaper—
For the first time—
Looks genuinely, painfully lost.