Sarina took a slight step back, crossing her arms as she looked at the two little ones. "I just want to adopt them, okay?"
Kael raised an eyebrow, shooting her a dry look. "Fine, just make sure you don't abandon them next week."
Sarina nodded firmly. "I won't abandon them."
"Good," Kael sighed, standing up from his desk and smoothing out his suit jacket. "Now, I'm heading home."
Before he could take two steps, Sarina lunged forward and grabbed him tightly by the collar. "What about our business deal?!"
Kael picked up the thick proposal folder from his desk and tapped her hand away gently. "We'll go over the contract details at my bungalow."
Sarina immediately turned, grabbing Renjiro's arm with a bright smile. "Then let's go!"
As they walked toward the private elevator, Kael fell into step beside Vajr. He gestured toward Renjiro with his chin. "You know... Renjiro has really changed."
Vajr glanced over, his voice deep and calm. "You're right. Whenever a woman enters a man's life, he changes completely."
Kael looked at him curiously. "Did you ever have a friend back in the day who completely transformed after getting a girlfriend or a wife?"
Vajr nodded slowly. "Yeah. Many of them... But I never fell in love. I don't think romance is meant for me."
Kael patted his heavy shoulder, giving an understanding nod. "Bro, I feel you."
Vajr stared at Kael like he had just spoken in an alien language, completely baffled by the sudden camaraderie.
With a soft flicker of magic, the physical forms of Drakes, Vajr, Azune, and Xiyan dissolved, leaving only Kael, Sara, Sarina, Renjiro, Nyxara, and the two demon children in the executive suite.
Sara stepped up to Kael's side, tilting her head. "By the way, Kael... what did you actually gain when you passed out earlier?"
Kael tapped his forehead, letting out an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, right! My bad... I gained a new system called Darkness."
Renjiro rolled his eyes, mocking him casually. "Oh wow, ground-breaking. What else is new?"
"No, literally," Kael insisted, extending his arm forward. "Darkness, open panel."
A sleek, pitch-black holographic screen materialized in mid-air. At the very top, the word [Darkness] glowed in brilliant, radiant gold.
Kael turned his eyes toward the panel, asking mentally, Hey, who are these two children, and how do they know Nyxara?
The main interface cleared instantly, leaving only the golden title at the top. A brief message flashed across the glass:
[Search Completed.]
Golden text scrolled smoothly across the screen:
[Target Entities: Offspring of a Succubus and a High Demon.]
[Full background narrative available. Private audio feed initialized.]
Kael spoke softly to the system. "Can Nyxara hear this transmission as well?"
A cold, mechanical prompt resonated in his mind:
[Permission Granted. Dual Spiritual Feed Established.]
Kael focused his mind, sending a telepathic message to Nyxara. 'You're about to hear the full story behind these kids...'
In a synchronized telepathic stream, the Darkness System laid out the entire horrific truth: how David had murdered their father in cold blood, brainwashed their mother into a mindless slave, and cast the children out onto Earth. The children believed their mother had willingly betrayed their father, leaving them bitter and heartbroken, unaware she was being controlled.
The system added one final line:
[Primary Target Objective: David's obsession remains centered on Sara.]
Kael took a step back, his brows furrowing in deep suspicion. How do you know so much about them?
The cold robotic voice echoed directly inside Kael and Nyxara's minds.
[I possess absolute data on every living entity in existence.]
Kael froze, cold sweat breaking out on his neck. Even me...?
[Correct.]
Kael let out a nervous, strained chuckle.
Nyxara's voice resonated sharply inside Kael's head. 'Kael... how on earth did you obtain an entity like this?'
'It was locked deep inside my own soul,' Kael replied telepathically. 'Every time I fell unconscious recently, this system was slowly awakening in the dark.'
Nyxara's dark aura flared slightly in surprise. 'This is a Primordial Sacrificial System...'
'A Sacrificial System?' Kael thought back, confused.
'There are millions of system frameworks across the cosmos,' Nyxara explained. 'They exist within a strict cosmic hierarchy... and the one currently anchored to your soul sits at the absolute apex.'
'Then who was number two?' Kael asked.
'Sara was originally a system,' Nyxara revealed smoothly. 'Before she transitioned into a living vessel, her core framework held the second highest rank in existence. Once she became human, the system realm erased her from the rankings.'
Kael blinked. 'So... can every system take a physical human form?'
'No,' Nyxara replied firmly. 'Only Sara possessed the divine authority to forge a true human body.'
Kael turned his gaze toward Sara, who was currently laughing at something Sarina said. He murmured internally, 'Is she really that ridiculously overpowered...?'
Nyxara smirked within his mind. 'Did you think she was just an ordinary girl?'
'No, I knew she was strong,' Kael thought, watching Sara softly. 'She lived inside me as a system before... but my life is just getting more and more complicated.'
Nyxara let out a low, dark chuckle, her red eyes sparkling. 'Then let's solve this puzzle one piece at a time.'
With a subtle fade of shadow, Nyxara's physical form dissolved back into Kael's soul space.
Kael smiled faintly under his breath. "Yeah... you're right."
Sara clapped her hands together, breaking his trance. "Alright, everyone! Let's head home!"
Renjiro powered off his phone, sliding it into his pocket.
Stepping out of the executive suite, they found the entire skyscraper quiet, the office lights dimmed for the night. Kael, Sara, Sarina, and Renjiro—carrying the two sleepy children—made their way down the private elevator and out to the parking garage.
Kael took the driver's seat of his SUV, with Renjiro sitting up front in the passenger side. Sara and Sarina sat in the spacious back seat, holding Arue and Sarue gently in their laps.
As Kael started the engine and drove out onto the quiet night streets, Renjiro leaned back against his headrest. "Kael... if those kids came from the Demon Realm, do you think they were sent here to spy on us?"
Kael navigated the dark highway, his eyes fixed on the road. "I don't think so. They're just victims."
Renjiro glanced sideways at him, noticing his subdued expression. "Hey... you look kinda down."
Kael kept his eyes forward, his voice quiet. "Tomorrow... I'm visiting my parents' grave."
Renjiro fell silent for a moment, letting out a soft sigh. "Ah... that time of year."
Both of them briefly recalled the brutal battle against Ignis that had torn their lives apart months ago.
Kael offered a faint, reassuring smirk. "Anyway, let's just get home first."
In the back seat, young Sarue rubbed his tired eyes, looking up. "Can we come with you tomorrow...?"
Before Kael could answer, the cold, robotic voice of the Darkness System chimed inside his head:
[Warning: Target entities are forming rapid emotional attachments to Host.]
Kael let out a soft yawn, ignoring the system prompt for now. "We'll talk about it tomorrow morning, buddy."
The boy nodded obediently, resting his head back down.
Suddenly, Sarina gasped out loud. "OH SHIT!"
SCREECH!
Kael slammed his foot on the brake, the heavy SUV skidding to a harsh halt in the middle of the empty midnight avenue!
"What happened?!" Kael yelled, turning his head around in panic.
Sarina held her face in her hands. "I forgot my Lamborghini in your office parking garage! And the keys are still inside your cabin!"
Kael let out a long, exhausted sigh, resting his forehead against the steering wheel. "Sarina... nobody is going to steal your car. My cabin is locked, the building is secured, and there are armed guards at the parking gates."
"But my car...!" she pouted.
"There are fifty cameras pointing at it," Kael groaned, shifting the car back into drive. "I'm running on two hours of sleep. Please let me drive."
Sarina grumbled softly but settled back into her seat. In Sara's lap, little Arue was fast asleep, curling up comfortably. On Sarina's side, young Sarue was still wide awake, staring blankly out the window.
Sarina looked down at the boy, teasing gently, "Is my lap really that uncomfortable?"
Sara chuckled softly, brushing a stray hair from Arue's forehead. "No... young boys are just surprisingly good at staying up late."
Sarina nodded in realization. "Ah... I see."
Kael turned off the main avenue, navigating the SUV down a quiet, tree-lined residential street before pulling up to the massive iron gates of his private bungalow estate.
He tapped the horn twice. The heavy gates swung open smoothly, and the chief security guard stepped out, bowing respectfully. "Welcome back, Master Kael!"
As the car pulled into the driveway, the guard caught a glimpse of the two children sleeping in the back seat. He blinked, a look of utter confusion washing over his face.
Wait... did they adopt those kids? the guard pondered internally, scratching his chin as the car passed by. No way Master Kael and Mistress Sara had kids that fast... So are they Mistress Sarina and Master Renjiro's children?!
The guard let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head with a smirk as the gates closed. Ah, whatever... rich people business.