Chapter 73: blood will call blood
The forest had never been this quiet.
Not when they were running. Not when they were hiding. Not even when their mother first opened her eyes and whispered their real names. But now, as they stood in the circle Cain drew with his blade, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Selene leaned against a boulder, her breath shallow. She hadn't healed yet, not completely. The fight three nights ago had drained her, and her powers had left her body sore and trembling. But she refused to sit out. Not now. Not when Cain stood at the center, bloodied palms open to the sky.
"You don't have to do this alone," Leo said, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, eyes narrowed. "Dad—if that's what we still call him—wants you to break first. He's waiting for you to go dark."
Cain glanced at him. His jaw clenched. "He already broke me. That's how I know I can survive it."
Eren dropped beside the fire pit, flipping a blade between his fingers. He looked up at the girl they had rescued—the one who had delivered the message about their father. She hadn't spoken since then, only watched. Observed. Like she wasn't sure whether she belonged.
"Name?" Eren asked.
The girl hesitated. "Azra."
Leo lifted a brow. "Demon name?"
Azra shrugged. "That or what my mother screamed before she was dragged into the dark."
Selene gave her a nod. That was enough.