"Turn left," Kaia instructed, her voice clipped and tense. Kiaan obeyed without question, the wheel gliding smoothly beneath his fingers as the car veered into the darkened alley.
"You're not going to tell your leader, then?" Kiaan asked, his eyes never leaving the road.
"I'm quitting Apostle."
Kiaan didn't flinch, didn't even seem surprised. "I see…" he murmured, his voice distant.
The silence stretched, thick and uneasy.
Then Kaia spoke, her words slicing through the quiet like a blade. "You killed your mother?"
Kiaan's fingers jerked on the wheel. For a split second, the car swerved before he corrected it. His lips parted, hesitation flickering across his face, but when he finally answered, his voice was disturbingly even. "Yes."
He pulled the car to a slow stop beside a crumbling stone wall. Only then did Kaia turn to look at him.
"You can read minds?" Kiaan said quietly. His knuckles whitened against the steering wheel, his head bowed as though the weight of her words was too much.
"Unconsciously," Kaia replied. "It's not under my control."
The dim light caught the edges of her face, half-hidden by the curtain of her long black bangs. For once, the hardness in her features softened. "If you feel like crying—"
"I haven't cried once," Kiaan cut her off. His voice cracked, loud and raw. "Not since I was freed from Grey Quartz. And I won't cry for someone who never cared — not for the innocent lives she tried to destroy… not even for her own son."
His shoulders trembled, the anguish slipping through despite his resolve.
Kaia's eyes darkened. "Your mother… are you sure she's really dead?"
Kiaan's head snapped up. "What?" His grip tightened, the leather wheel creaking under his fingers.
The ground beneath them pulsed.
A red ring flared into existence, etching itself into the asphalt in glowing, intricate patterns. It circled the entire car, lines and symbols blazing like fire.
"What the—" Kaia's eyes widened. She reached for the door handle, but it wouldn't budge.
The ground erupted.
A monstrous form burst from the center of the ring — a gaping maw filled with endless rows of jagged teeth. The creature surged upward, swallowing the car whole.
But in the blink of an eye, Kiaan moved. He swept Kaia into his arms and teleported them away, reappearing on the cracked pavement just as the car disappeared into the beast's mouth.
Kaia stumbled back, eyes wide as she took in the creature — a worm, but massive and grotesque, its body a rippling, scaled nightmare. It let out a guttural roar, the force of it shaking the air, and thrashed against the nearest building.
But before its attack could land, a luminous white glyph flared to life, forming a protective barrier. The creature's strike rebounded with a thunderous crack.
"Well, well," Kiaan murmured, his lips curling into a dangerous smile. "Where did you come from?"
The worm writhed, rage rolling off it in waves.
"Not that it matters," Kiaan continued, rolling his shoulders. He flexed his fingers, cracking his knuckles. "I was already in a bad mood."
Kaia started to step forward — but then she froze. Pain lanced through her skull, and her vision fragmented.
Yona.
Images flooded her mind — Yona bound, struggling against dark restraints. Her brothers, their faces lit with eerie determination, standing over forbidden texts, their hands weaving the intricate signs of dark magic.
Kaia's breath hitched. This wasn't memory. It wasn't a dream.
It was happening now.
She staggered, and Kiaan was there, his hand steady against her back. "Kaia…?"
"I need to go," she whispered, her eyes wide and frantic. She turned to him, fingers clutching his arm. "They're doing something dangerous. I have to stop them."
For a heartbeat, Kiaan only stared at her. Then his expression softened. "Do what you have to," he said. And for the first time that night, there was warmth in his voice. "You don't need anyone's permission, Kaia."
She nodded once and took off, vanishing into the night.
The air grew heavy in her absence.
Kiaan turned back to the monster, his eyes cold and calculating. "An S-class…" he muttered, watching the creature thrash. "Someone summoned you."
He rose to his full height, the air around him shifting.
A sword materialized in his hand — sleek, obsidian, and humming with power.
He smiled.
"Let's dance."