Chapter 12: Awakening Shadows and Hidden Lineages

Standing on the edge of the Shintenseiku City clock tower rooftop, the cold wind cut right through my jacket, but I barely felt it. I had my arms crossed, watching the city lights flicker below while keeping one eye on the scene behind me. Kiyon was hovering around Seralphyne, who was still passed out on the concrete, while Ziekary leaned against the ledge with her hands in her pockets.

"Will she ever wake up?" Ziekary asked, breaking the silence as she glanced down at the bound woman. "Is she a hybrid?"

I didn't break my gaze from the horizon. "We’ll find out once she wakes up."

Kiyon, as usual, couldn't just leave the silence alone. He shifted his weight, looking down at Seralphyne before smirking over at me. "Can you imagine how special you are?" he drawled, his voice thick with that sarcastic flare he loved to pull. "I mean, you use a huge percentage of your abilities, and after a while, everyone starts tracking you down." He cleared his throat and launched into a ridiculously over-the-top, dramatic voice, flailing his hands in the air. " 'Oh, I want you so bad! I want to kiss you, eat you, have you inside me! I want it right now; I can't wait another day!' "

Ziekary let out a dry, bored laugh, shaking her head.

I cut him a glare sharp enough to draw blood. "Shut up. It’s a whole different thing."

"Where did Aunt even get the material to do something like that anyway?" Kiyon continued, dropping the accent but keeping the prying look. "I mean, I don’t even know what it’s called. She never told us what’s inside you."

I turned my head slightly, catching his eye. "It’s a heart organ made of dark matter."

Kiyon scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Is it really dark matter? Because I need better answers, man. You're not exactly the nerdy type."

"Do I look like a nerd to you, asshole? Huh?"

Ziekary chuckled under her breath, watching us throw jabs back and forth. "You two really are brothers, I can tell."

Before either of us could reply, a low groan echoed from the floor. Seralphyne’s eyes fluttered open against the dimly lit rooftop.

"You know," she murmured, her voice rasping slightly as she shifted against her bindings, "even though my main ability is super vision, my ears work just as well as my eyes."

"Look who’s awake!" Kiyon chimed in, taking a step forward with a mock grin. "Kyrie, you should start asking her some eerie questions. Who knows? Maybe she’s after you too, like the rest of the peasants."

I stepped up, towering over her as I met her gaze dead-on. "Are you really after me, or are you after my organs?"

Kiyon threw his hands up in the air. "Okay, that’s a silly question."

Seralphyne let out a quiet laugh, turning her head toward him.

"What?" Kiyon snapped.

"Well, just like the noisy brat over there said, he’s not entirely wrong," Seralphyne said softly. "I wish you could have guessed it more clearly, though."

My eyes narrowed. I wasn't in the mood for riddles. "How did you get here? How do you know we’re here? Did you follow me from the start?"

"Given that you’ll probably want to kill me after I answer your questions," she said, letting out a small, tired laugh, "I guess I have no choice. But first... I’m tied so tight I can barely breathe."

"Quit yapping and start answering," Kiyon barked.

Seralphyne met my stare, her tone leveling out completely. "I’m not after you or your organs."

"Then why did you attack the city for my attention?" I demanded.

"I was just checking up on you, that’s all."

"Oh, enough BS!" Kiyon cut in, stepping right up beside me. "Why don’t you give it to us straight?"

"I’m telling the truth," she replied, her eyes steady. "Look, my ability is called Omni View. I have the power to see the coordinates of almost every planet, even from vast distances across space. That’s how I was able to locate you."

I kept my stance rigid. "Then why here?"

The playful edge in her expression vanished, replaced by a sudden, heavy gravity that made the entire rooftop feel dead quiet.

"I came here for a reason, and also to give you a warning," Seralphyne said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know you don’t trust me right now... but I am related to Athenaria."

"Hey! I told you, no BS!" Kiyon shouted, flexing his fist.

"Kiyon," I said sharply.

He stopped mid-step, looking at me, and fell silent. The raw authority in my voice held him back, but my own chest was tightening with every second.

"It started days before she passed away," Seralphyne continued, looking up into the night sky as if looking back through time.

She began to describe it to us—a night shift in Athenaria’s office, surrounded by stacks of reports and handwritten research under a single glowing lamp. Seralphyne had walked in, heavily opposed to the direction Athenaria was taking. She had wanted to put an end to it before it consumed her.

"Oh, I see you're still here, sis," Athenaria had said without looking up from her desk. "What brings you here at night?"

"I have to tell you something," Seralphyne had replied, standing near the doorway. "I tried my best not to come, but you really need to stop."

"Stop what, exactly?"

"Bringing humans back to life. It’s not right. We should let the dead pass peacefully and live in the afterlife."

Athenaria had finally paused, resting her hands on the wooden desk, looking up with a gaze heavy with unspoken pain. "Are you a mother? Because if you're not, then you wouldn’t understand why I’m doing this."

"Kyrie doesn’t seem so happy with his life right now," Seralphyne had pressed, stepping closer. "Are you going to bring him back if he takes his own life?"

"Yes." The answer had been immediate, unyielding.

"That’s insane! And then what?"

"I would be very happy," Athenaria had answered softly. "If one of them dies by accident, I’d gladly bring them back to live a better life the second time around."

"They don’t even know you’re their mother," Seralphyne had argued, her voice rising. "All they know is that they’re orphans without a mother."

Athenaria had lowered her head, returning to her papers. "I don’t plan on telling them. I have my reasons."

"No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop you, can I?"

"No. I’ve made up my mind. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect my sons."

The silence on the clock tower rooftop was deafening.

The air felt thin, suffocating, like the ground under my boots had suddenly dissolved into nothing. Beside me, Kiyon stood frozen, his mouth slightly open, staring at Seralphyne in pure disbelief.

"Our aunt... is our mother?" Kiyon stammered, his voice cracking. "And you’re her sister?"

He turned his head slowly, looking at me, searching my face for any sign that this was a sick joke.

I couldn't look at him. I couldn't look at any of them.

A searing heat rushed to my eyes, burning behind my lids until hot tears broke past my guard, spilling down my cheeks. My breathing came in ragged, jagged gasps. A violent spike of rage and betrayal tore through my chest, completely overwhelming me. I spun on my heel, pacing blindly across the roof, every nerve in my body screaming for an outlet.

Without thinking, I swung my arm with everything I had, slamming my fist into a heavy metal chair sitting nearby. The frame buckled under the force, shattering instantly and clattering across the concrete in twisted pieces.

Behind me, Ziekary gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

I stood over the wreckage, my hands shaking, chest heaving as the cold wind washed over my face, slowly forcing the adrenaline to drop. I swallowed hard, wiped the wetness from my eyes with the back of my sleeve, and turned back around to face Seralphyne.

"I’m sorry you found out too late," Seralphyne murmured, her eyes soft with remorse.

I forced my voice to stay level, though it dragged across my throat like glass. "Why would she hide this from us?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," Seralphyne replied quietly. "She never told me her reasons, either. But Athenaria would sacrifice everything for you both, knowing that it could cost her life... and so she did."

I closed my eyes, absorbing the weight of her words.

Suddenly, Seralphyne’s breath hitched. Her body went stiff against the ropes, her head snapping upward as her eyes widened.

"I can feel it..." she whispered, a sudden panic lacing her tone. "A dark energy."

Kiyon snapped out of his daze, pulling his guard back up. "What the hell? Is it nearby?"

"This must be the warning I’ve been receiving," Seralphyne insisted, her voice tight.

Ziekary stepped closer, looking between us. "Question: Can all hybrids sense someone's energy?"

"Not all of us," Seralphyne said, her eyes darting around as if trying to locate something invisible in the night sky. "The dark energy... it isn’t coming from here."

I kept my face turned away, staring off into the dark city expanse, my mind still reeling from the truth about my mother.

"If it’s not coming from here, then where is it coming from?" Kiyon demanded, crossing his arms nervously. "Wait don’t tell us Grandeur is in danger!"

"Not exactly. I don’t know for sure," Seralphyne said, her gaze shifting directly onto me and Kiyon. "But I sense this dark energy because my instincts tell me... that you both know this person as well."

My eyes snapped back to her, every muscle in my body coiling tight as Kiyon stared at me in stunned silence.

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