In Quinn’s Mansion, Aaron watched cracks form on his beast’s egg with a bored expression.
A matted black feather poked through, followed by a sharp, glossy beak.
When the creature fully hatched, its black feathers shimred faintly purple under the crystal lights.
"Caw!" the crow cried out upon locking eyes with its master. Aaron felt the connection instantly and ran his fingers through its growing feathers.
The crow was already larger than an average bird, making him wonder how big it would grow.
"You’re ugly." That was Aaron’s first comnt before rising to his feet. With one last glance at the bird, he left the room.
He headed toward the kitchen, blending with the shadows like always—only this ti, he heard sothing different.
"Leo, I’ve made myself clear. We either find an electric user to power the DNA sequencer, or we don’t," Grace said firmly from the dining room.
"But we can’t delay confirming the child as ours... She’s your spitting image, and we don’t know any electric users," Leo replied softly, urgency creeping into his tone with Eva out of reach.
"But we lost our team defeating that monster, and now you want us to go hunting again? Even if I agreed, I’ve got bigger priorities—the suits and corpses we haven’t finished clearing."
Grace’s voice trembled with grief at having her daughter so close yet unable to prove it.
Leo stayed quiet, understanding the pressure and responsibility she faced with the surface project.
Both returned to their als in silence, their minds clearly elsewhere.
She stirred her porridge without eating, setting the spoon aside—then froze, along with Leo, at their son’s sudden question.
"What are you talking about? What DNA test... and child?" Aaron’s voice trembled, his hands shaking slightly, his dull eyes now gleaming.
Grace and Leo exchanged a look, unsure if they should tell him. They knew about his obsession with finding his sister and couldn’t predict how he’d react.
"There’s no use hiding it. I heard everything. Now tell ... Is it my baby sister?" Aaron asked quietly, barely above a whisper.
The shadows around him stirred like they were alive, dimming the crystal light.
’’F*ck," Grace and Leo cursed silently, knowing Aaron was close to losing it—last ti, his shadows nearly took control of their bodies before Grace intervened.
"S-Son, calm down. We’re not even sure if she’s your sister—" Leo tried, but Aaron cut him off.
"Her location," Aaron asked curtly, his eyes still flicking toward his mother in the corner.
Grace, already clutching her bat, prepared to knock him out if needed.
"Stone’s in the guest room. She lives with his nephews," Leo spoke as if the words were dragged from him, silently praying Aaron would bring Eva back.
Grace sighed, her hand falling over her eyes. She knew Leo was using Aaron, but didn’t step in to stop him
The mont Leo finished speaking, Aaron vanished from the room in the blink of an eye.
"I know what you did," Grace muttered, shooting Leo a glare as she stood, with him following behind.
"What? I didn’t do anything... You know how he gets when he’s emotional," Leo said innocently, though the corner of his lips curled slightly.
Grace shot him a side glance and snorted, shaking her head—but deep down, she hoped their son would succeed.
Aaron passed through walls, entering rooms without a knock or warning.
"Ah!" a junior scientist scread, clutching a blanket over his bare lower half as Aaron erged through the wall.
"Sorry for the intrusion. Are you Stone? If not, which room is he in?" Aaron asked politely, despite the rude entrance.
The man eyed him, then rembered the rumours about Grace’s reclusive son.
"You’re Madam Grace’s son?" he asked. When Aaron nodded, the man relaxed.
"He’s in the room at the end of the hallway," the man said quickly. Before he could blink, Aaron disappeared through the wall.
"Creepy... How does he even breathe in there?" the man muttered, tapping curiously on the solid wall.
Inside the last room, Stone had just finished scribbling notes on fur parchnt. He folded it and placed it in his space bag when Aaron appeared, nearly scaring him to death.
"Good evening, sir Stone. I’m Aaron. Sorry for the sudden visit—I need your help with sothing," Aaron said politely, stopping Stone from lashing out.
Stone paused, holding back his irritation. He nodded and motioned for Aaron to sit.
"What’s so urgent you had to barge in?" Stone asked, a hint of scolding in his tone.
Aaron’s usual bored, half-lidded look was gone. Only a polite, distant smile remained.
He sat down. "I just hatched my beast. Everything’s new to ." He paused, face troubled. "I heard you know the first people who hatched theirs. I need their advice... and their address."
He tapped the table, trying hard not to take control of Stone’s body and force the answer out.
Stone was too focused on Aaron’s newly hatched beast to notice the flicker of impatience in his eyes.
"Oh, I thought it was sothing serious. I can give you my nephew’s address—but you’ll have to let study your beast later," Stone said casually, making sure he got sothing in return.
"Sure. When I return," Aaron agreed, urgency leaking through his calm tone. He pulled a parchnt from his ring and placed it on the table.
Stone held the pen and shot Aaron a quick glance, sensing sothing was off—his smile looked just a little too forced.
Tempted by the chance to examine the beast, Stone brushed aside his doubts and scribbled the address in bold, swift strokes.
Aaron’s smile vanished. His expression shifted so quickly that Stone’s heart skipped—but before he could react, Aaron was gone.
He returned to his room, already set on eting the girl he believed to be his sister—ignoring the fact she might not be.
Dressing with care for their first eting, he swept back his black hair streaked with green, the glossy strands resting at his neck.
Opening his wardrobe, all-black outfits lined the rack. He chose an onyx suit that fit like a second skin, revealing the tall fra usually hidden behind his slouched posture.
The crow watched silently, and when Aaron left, it followed.
Aaron blinked in surprise as the crow passed through the wall too.
But the mont passed—he had bigger things to think about. He’d deal with his beast later.
And just like that, they left the mansion. Aaron climbed into the bus and drove.
"Sister, wait for ," he muttered, his grip tightening as he stepped on the gas. The bus shot forward.
Leo smiled from the window, watching the exhaust trail disappear into the distance.
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