Chapter 59: blood
The air split like old paper as the sky cracked open, revealing the full form of their father—Azariel, the Hellborne King. His eyes glowed like molten suns, staring down at his sons with both fury and twisted affection.
"Cain. Leo. Eren," he said, his voice echoing across the jagged cliffs and trembling ground. "Come home, my children. The blood calls for you."
Cain stepped forward, Selene's fingers slipping reluctantly from his. She looked at him with unspoken fear, but he gave her a small nod. His voice was low, certain.
"We already have a home. And it's not with you."
Azariel tilted his head, almost amused. "You say that as though I didn't create the very fire that burns in your veins."
Eren scoffed. "Yeah, well—Leo burned down our bathroom with that fire, so thanks for nothing."
"Shut up, Eren," Leo muttered, but the tension in his shoulders eased slightly.
Azariel raised a hand, summoning pillars of black flame that erupted in front of them. A ring of demons began to crawl from the shadows—grotesque, snarling creatures, each one stitched together with human and beastly parts.
Selene stood behind Cain now, holding her dagger. She was still weakened from the last fight, but her spirit hadn't dimmed.
"We do this together," Leo said, drawing both of his curved blades. The silver edges shimmered with ancestral energy—his own twist on their hellish inheritance.
Cain nodded. "No hesitation."