I am the Only Son of Nyx

Author’s note: Be advised, some might find the Chapter disturbing!

...

Kai saw the genuine concern on Professor Hera’s face when she cornered them.

Nothing could break them after what happened during the Blood Rite. Death, betrayal, loss— the rite ticked every grim factor of the dark world. It wasn’t arrogance that made Kai and the others believe their minds are now stronger.

More resistant to the pain that could assault the mind.

Professor Hera believed the Culling of the Nonentity would break them.

It must be a farce. She underestimated them.

Or at least, that’s what the four of them thought.

But now, standing inside the chamber, they started to think Professor Hera was correct.

Along the way, while going through the narrow and haunting corridor, there are a hundred guesses that swirled inside their minds. Perhaps, they would be pitted against each other. Or maybe they would be fighting a real Star Beast to the death.

Their guesses were wrong.

None of them expected this.

Lanterns lit up the entire spacious chamber with blue fire, casting dancing shadows across the place, but they weren’t warm. Four slightly elevated platforms were positioned near the entrance, about fifteen feet away.

It smelled like dirt and rust inside the chamber.

A mineral tang of wet iron and old bones mingled in the air, making the chamber suffocating.

Flickering of fire and the drop of water played like an ambient sound for the whimpering and sobs of the people inside the cages. Fathers. Mothers. Kids. Grandparents. Each generation of a bloodline was present.

"Grab a weapon of your choice and stand on the platform."

The inhuman student’s voice broke his trance.

Kai glanced at him, then at Professor Hera, desperately searching for any cue that this was not what he thought. That the academy would not force them to do what this chamber and its chilling layout suggested.

He needed one small thing to ease his mind.

Anything.

But he found nothing of that sort.

Dorian was the first person to move, grabbing an axe—before walking toward the center-right platform. Matilda was second, standing before the steel racks filled with a variety of weapons, and then settling with a long sword.

It was only when she was on the platform that Kai blinked.

His face darkened as he went to grab any weapon without even looking and dragged a sword out. Knowing that there’s no other choice, he stood on the left-most platform and stared ahead at the dozens of people in cages like they were animals.

Abigail was last, stumbling to the right-most platform.

Unlike the four of them, the inhuman students whistled like it was only another day for him, and went to a particular cage. Inside was a middle-aged woman and a man. Husband and wife. Both were hugging each other in fear.

Checking the list once again, the inhuman nodded and stared at the couple.

His eyes flashed with a purplish-blue hue, wrapping mana around the couple’s bodies.

"Go to the dark-haired girl’s platform and kneel."

At his command, the couple parted and stepped from the cage as soon as the door was opened. Both advanced on Matilda with leaden, measured strides. Their faces ran with horror, every instinct screaming to flee—yet their bodies refused to listen.

A normal person cannot resist the power of Supernals, as they don’t have mana.

Resisting was meaningless.

"How is it?" the inhuman student stared back at Kai and the others. "It’ll be pretty clean with me around, yes? As the Supernal of Morpheus, I can have them remain fully still for you new Blooded Angels. I have the Body Dream imprint! Am I not a good senior?"

He laughed harder when the other caged people began to scream and cry.

"My son is a High Angel! He has six Divine Locks with the bloodline of Chimera!" A man in a plain tunic roared, his slicked-back hair gleaming as he stabbed an accusatory finger at the inhuman student. "Family members of a High Angel are untouchable! How can the academy permit this?! Just wait until he comes back!"

"Hmm?" the inhuman student looked at the number of the cage the man was in, and checked on the list. A devilish smile crept to his face as he read what was written about this man’s family. "So that’s how it is. I was wondering why a professor was brought here."

Looking back at the man, the inhuman student approached.

He leaned toward the middle-aged man with a sinister smile.

"Your son is dead," He said with a chuckle in his throat.

"What...?" The middle-aged man was taken aback, but he quickly snapped out of it, while the other family members were in stunned shock. "Even so, the rule stands. A High Angel’s family will not be executed even after the High Angel’s death!"

"Normally, yes," the inhuman student nodded. He smirked and then levelled a finger at the desperate father. "But your son died to a fucking Lesser Angel. A High Angel brought down by a weakling. That kind of pathetic death does not befit his class. Therefore, every privilege you and your trash family enjoy is revoked."

He let the words sink in, nodding his head repeatedly, "All of you will die today."

Just like earlier, his eyes flashed again.

The middle-aged man and three other members of his family stepped out of the cage.

All of them went straight to Kai’s platform.

Another person from another room was brought out.

Kai recognized that person, as it hadn’t been that long since he last saw this man.

It was Professor Richard.

Enchanted chains clung to him, drinking his mana constantly to make sure he couldn’t break free from the restraints. Bruises painted his skin, and wounds wept beneath the bonds. He dragged himself toward the platform.

Now, there are five people on Kai’s platform. All are kneeling before him.

A professor. A father. A grandfather. A mother. And lastly, a little girl no older than seven.

Another cage was opened, and three people knelt on Dorian’s platform.

Only Abigail’s platform was empty.

"Kai," the inhuman student stared at Kai. "You deal the finishing blow to Spencer Hale. His bloodline is now a blemish to mankind. You’ll cleanse the blemish. You are responsible for killing the ones presented before you for the better good of mankind."

Better good of mankind.

That phrase again.

Kai recoiled at what he heard.

The instruction came like a lightning strike. Then came the ringing, flooding his ears until no other sound remained. Even as the inhuman student continued giving the same instruction to Matilda and Dorian, Kai couldn’t hear it.

His eyes trailed down to his feet.

Staring at the semicircular gutter that traced the edge of the platform, ready for what’s coming next.

Inside, his heart was pounding hard, and his breath was rapidly growing heavier.

Lion was a disgusting human being. A man with a perverted hunger for beating the weak.

But his acts were his own.

His family bore none of that weight. Perhaps they weren’t as innocent as Kai thought, but in this moment—before this judgment, they were. None of them did Kai wrong. None of them even knew Kai.

And yet, he was told to kill them.

Splash—!

Kai blinked his eyes at the sound of a wet splatter that echoed across the entire chamber.

People screamed in horror; a haunting melody that forced him to lift up his gaze.

It was Dorian; he was the first one to spill blood.

His eyes were blank as he stared at the family before him, cradling and crying before a corpse. A man whom he had killed. And without a pause, he raised his axe again and brought it down, silencing the weeping that irritated his ears.

All three dead, and he turned to the inhuman student again, "Next."

Matilda clenched the long sword in her hand and cleaved.

She averted her face, but the blood painted her anyway—stinging her hand and staining her face. Even though she had picked the long sword to avoid this exact thing from happening, to keep the act clean and at a distance, the blood reached her anyway.

Almost like it wanted to make sure she understood she was the one who drew it.

"Just a nightmare. Just a nightmare. Just a nightmare." Matilda kept repeating those words— like it was the word of God. She heeded Professor Hera’s advice, but from the tremble of her lips, it doesn’t seem to be working.

Kai gazed back at his responsibilities and handled them.

Animals. Just picture them as livestock. I’m not killing people. I’m butchering animals.

One. Two. Three. Four. Perhaps because the Blood Rite had conditioned him well, but the first four swings went by in a moment. After each swing, his mind wandered about what his sister would think to see him doing this.

Will she be proud that he could now do something like this?

Will she still want him to become stronger?

Will she be disgusted by him and won’t even acknowledge him as her brother anymore?

But as the fourth was handled, he took a moment to pause.

Instead of wondering what his big sister would think, he wondered why it had to be this way. Why go to such lengths? Talentless Supernals were a clog in the divine bloodline, but was this truly the only answer?

Did the Gods really want mankind to do this? Kai didn’t believe it.

Doesn’t want to believe it.

Kai held the bloodied sword in his hand tightly. The scent of iron already filled his nose, and normally, it would make him sick. It didn’t. Not anymore. He lifted his sword once again and paused at the last one.

He stared at the innocent glassy eyes.

A pair of eyes that belonged to a young soul who was now alone in this dark, cruel world.

Professor Hera watched him pause from behind, knowing how hard it must be to make the final execution. She turned away, not wanting to see what would happen next. It’s too hard to look for her.

Kai tasted blood.

He was gritting his teeth so hard his gums bled.

Above, his sword trembled, unwilling to harm the innocent soul. But he had to. He steeled his resolve and swung the sword as hard and quickly as possible. The sound was less than expected. Lighter. Kai didn’t look down. Didn’t dare to.

He looked at the wall, counting the bricks to stop his mind from thinking.

Even when he could hear the crimson drizzle flowing to the gutter and then channeled away, he didn’t dare to look. Even when the screams—that were directed at him rang, calling him a monster for what he had done, he kept counting the bricks.

Twenty-three bricks. Twenty-four bricks. Twenty-five bricks.

Kai desperately tried to distract his mind, but he couldn’t.

Tears made his bulging red eyes glassy before they slipped down to his cheeks.

Burning anger rose inside him like an erupting volcano.

A promise slipped into his mind.

I’ll destroy this entire place to the ground.

Everyone who supported this system... I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.