What he saw did not match anything he expected.
It was not a monster.
It was not a hidden enemy waiting to strike back after his rampage.
It was not even sothing that carried power.
It was—
A child.
Cain’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the small figure standing in the distance, half-covered by the torn mist that still lingered in the air. The shape was faint at first, unclear, like sothing that did not fully belong to this space, but as he focused, it beca more defined.
A little vampire girl.
Small.
Fragile.
Her hair long and curly, falling over her shoulders in soft waves that looked almost too gentle for a place like this. The color was hard to fully see in the dim world, but it carried a warr tone than anything else around him, sothing that stood out against the cold darkness.
"...A child?"
His voice lowered.
"...Don’t tell this is another trick to make my heart away from the three sisters."
The girl did not move.
She did not run.
She simply stood there, facing him, though her face was still unclear, as if sothing refused to let him see it properly.
Cain’s expression hardened.
"...Then I’ll destroy it, every single one of it, I’ll destroy it!"
His hand lifted without hesitation.
Power gathered instantly.
And he attacked.
The blast tore through the space between them, fast, precise, leaving no room for escape.
The girl—
Vanished.
Gone.
Like she had never been there.
"...Hah."
Cain let out a short breath.
"...So it disappears when attacked."
Then, he’d laugh. "Co on then! Co on then! More more!"
Soon, explosions occurred everywhere.
Cain was on a rampage. He decided to take out the illusions of all the mist created to sway his Overgod’s heart for the sake of fun.
He’s confident that nothing could sway his heart.
But before he could lower his hand—
She was there again.
Standing in another direction.
A few steps away from where she had been before.
Still.
Watching.
Cain turned sharply.
"...Again?"
His lips curved slightly.
"...Good."
He raised his hand once more.
"...Let’s see how many tis you can do that."
Another attack.
Faster this ti.
More force.
The blast struck directly where she stood—
And again—
She disappeared.
"...Hah... hah..."
A laugh began to escape him.
Low at first.
Then growing.
"...This is it?"
He turned again.
And there she was.
Again.
Unhard.
Unchanged.
"...You think this works on ?"
His laughter grew louder.
"...You think showing things like this..."
Another attack.
"...Will make hesitate?"
She vanished.
Reappeared.
Vanished.
Reappeared.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each ti he attacked, she disappeared.
Each ti she ca back, she stood there quietly, as if nothing had happened, as if she had never been touched.
Cain’s laughter rose.
Louder.
Sharper.
Almost unrestrained.
"...HAHA... HAHAHA..."
He leaped into the air, his vampiric wings spreading wide behind him as his power surged once more, his presence pressing down on the entire space like a crushing weight.
"...This is a joke!"
His voice echoed.
"...A child?"
"...You show a child?"
He raised both hands now, power gathering around him in massive waves, far beyond what he had used before, far beyond what this place had shown it could withstand.
"...You think this blood pact illusion can affect an Overgod like ?!"
His laughter echoed again.
Loud.
Wild.
Relentless.
"...HAHAHAHA!"
The attacks ca down.
One after another.
Massive.
Explosive.
Each one tearing through the space, destroying everything in its path, ripping apart the mist, the ground, the air itself.
"...Disappear!"
"...Disappear!"
Another.
"...Co back!"
"...Disappear!"
"...Disappear!"
Another.
"...Disappear again!"
"...Disappear again!"
"...again and again and again and again!"
He kept attacking.
"...HAHAHAHA!"
The entire world shook under his countless assaults.
Cracks spread in every direction.
The mist was no longer drifting.
It was being obliterated.
Erased.
Overwritten by his power.
Cain did not stop.
He attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike stronger than the last.
Each one driven by sothing deeper than anger now.
A refusal.
A rejection.
"...You won’t control !"
Another blast.
"...You won’t make feel anything!"
Another.
"...I won’t fall for it!"
Another.
His laughter filled the space, echoing endlessly as he continued his rampage, his attacks relentless, his power overwhelming, his will pressing against everything this place tried to show him.
"...HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Until—
There was nothing left to destroy.
The mist was gone.
The ground was broken beyond recognition.
The silence returned.
And Cain slowly descended.
His wings faded away as his feet touched what remained of the ground, his breathing steady, his expression calm once more.
"...Pathetic."
His voice ca out low.
"...If that’s all you have..."
He took a step forward.
"...Then this ends here."
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Light.
Laughter.
Not his.
Not mocking.
Not distant.
Close.
Right beside him.
Cain stopped.
His head turned slowly.
"...What..."
The laughter ca again.
Clear this ti.
Not one voice.
Two.
Children.
His gaze lowered.
And then—
He saw them.
Two small figures.
Running in circles.
Laughing.
Playing.
Right at his feet.
Cain’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared down at them, his mind trying to process what he was seeing.
"...Kids?"
But not just any children.
He recognized them.
Not imdiately.
But the more he looked—
The more it beca clear.
"...That’s..."
A little boy.
Dark hair.
Bright eyes.
Laughing as he ran.
And beside him—
A little girl.
Her hair long, straight, black.
Her smile wide as she chased after him, her laughter light and full of life.
"......"
The word ca out quietly.
"...And..."
His gaze shifted slightly.
"...Faith."
They ran in circles, completely unaware of him, their small hands reaching out toward each other as they played, their voices filled with joy that did not belong in a place like this.
"...This..."
His expression changed slightly.
"...This isn’t the sa..."
He looked around.
"...Where’s the other one?"
The curly-haired girl.
The one he had been attacking.
She was gone.
But—
No.
Not gone.
His gaze moved slowly to the side.
And there—
At the edge of the space—
He saw her.
Standing alone.
Watching.
The sa little girl.
Long curly hair.
Brown.
Soft.
Her small hands held close to her chest as she looked toward the two children playing.
She did not laugh.
She did not move.
She just watched.
Cain’s eyes narrowed.
"...Who are you..."
He watched as the scene continued.
The little version of himself ran forward, stopping in front of Faith, holding sothing in his hand.
Flowers.
Small.
Simple.
But given with excitent.
"...Here!"
The boy’s voice echoed faintly.
"...For you!"
Faith’s face lit up.
"...Really?!"
She took them happily, her smile bright as she hugged him tightly, her laughter ringing out as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"...Thank you!"
They laughed together.
Spinning.
Running.
Happy.
Cain stood still.
Watching.
"...That’s not..."
His gaze flickered toward the curly-haired girl again.
"...That’s not the sa kid..."
Faith’s hair.
Straight.
Black.
Not curly.
Not brown.
"...Then who..."
His thoughts slowed.
Then—
The scene changed.
Ti moved forward.
The two children were no longer together.
The little boy stood alone now, looking around, holding nothing in his hands.
"...Faith?"
He called out.
But she was not there.
And then—
The curly-haired girl stepped forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Her small hands held sothing.
Flowers.
The sa kind.
She stopped in front of him, hesitating for a mont before holding them out.
"...For you..."
Her voice was soft.
Almost unsure.
The little boy blinked.
Then smiled.
"...Faith?"
He took the flowers without hesitation.
"...You ca back!"
The girl froze slightly.
But she did not correct him.
She did not say anything.
She just smiled faintly.
Cain’s eyes widened.
"...No..."
His voice ca out low.
"...That wasn’t..."
The realization hit him slowly.
Painfully.
"...That wasn’t Faith..."
He watched as the scene repeated.
Again.
And again.
The boy giving flowers to Faith.
Faith laughing.
Faith hugging him.
Faith kissing him.
Then—
The curly-haired girl.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then giving flowers when he was alone.
And each ti—
He mistook her.
Each ti—
He called her by the wrong na.
Each ti—
She accepted it.
Without correcting him.
Without stopping him.
Without asking for anything in return.
Cain’s chest tightened.
"...She..."
His voice dropped.
"...She was the one..."
The truth settled in.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"...She was giving flowers..."
Not Faith.
Not the one he thought.
"...Her..."
His gaze locked onto the curly-haired girl.
"...Cornelia..."
The na ford in his mind.
Clear.
Certain.
"...I..."
His fingers curled slightly.
"...I never noticed..."
The scenes continued.
Spinning.
Repeating.
The children growing older.
Little by little.
The laughter still there.
But changing.
Slowing.
Becoming sothing else.
Sothing quieter.
Sothing deeper.
The three of them—
Together.
Then apart.
Then together again.
Ti moved forward.
And forward.
And forward—
Until—
They were no longer children.
But not yet adults.
Standing at the edge of sothing new.
The three of them.
Side by side.
On the verge of becoming who they would be.
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