Retired S-rank father becomes a teacher

While the world slept, the Mariana Trench remained as quiet and dark as always. The moonlight didn’t reach these depths. Life here was different, the water pressure could crush an average human in seconds, yet this was a perfect spot for secret meetings. Evelyn Everheart stood alone, the water around her shimmering and forming a bubble, one that only she could create in these extreme conditions, a sphere that protected her from the crushing depths.

The ground beneath her was sandy. She was barefoot, the coolness of the sand between her toes, and she wore loose shorts and a tank top.

Silas teleported just outside of the bubble. A tightness in his chest that wouldn’t go away as he saw her eyes through the distorted view of water, eyes he had once gazed into with affection.

The blue eyes of Eve. His former Eve.

His voice carried through the water, amplified by his mana, as he asked her to open her barrier for him. She hesitated only for a second before doing so.

The mana in this bubble was overwhelming enough for him to be on guard as he stepped into it, his own mana spreading around him like an invisible shield. Ex or not, he couldn’t afford to take risks.

A smile appeared on her face, but it was forced and fake. Her eyes were red, sleep deprived and puffy as if she’d cried for a long time.

No. He shook the memory of their past from his mind. Remove distractions.

“Eve... you know the deal. The deadline is up. Tell me what you found and make it good,” Silas said as he walked towards her with steady steps, the sand crunching under his boots.

The air was still and silent, save for their breathing and the distant sound of underwater currents.

Her fists clenched, the words not leaving her lips, her eyes looking at him like he was a monster and a saint at the same time.

Silas waited, patience thinning with each second. Mana crackled around his body, an ominous purple glow illuminating the dark trench.

Eve opened her mouth, the words coming out as a whisper at first.

“Don’t I deserve a greeting? A simple hi Eve, how are you?” She asked, a bitter tone in her voice. “After all we meant to each other I thought you’d at least pretend to be concerned.”

His gaze sharpened. He wasn’t here to play games and tuned out her rambling.

“Someone cut off my magic. That’s my concern, not your feelings.”

Silas stepped even closer, towering over her, which was easy considering her height. He wanted answers and he was going to get them even if he had to pry them out.

“Tell me what you found, Evelyn.”

Deliberately he used her full name, not out of spite, but to prepare himself for what he was about to do.

Her jaw clenched, she shook her head, blonde locks of hair sticking to her wet face. Was she crying?

“Eve!” She shouted, her voice echoing in the bubble. “That’s my name! Not Evelyn, never Evelyn to you.” Tears rolled down her cheeks but she didn’t care, the pain in her chest was unbearable.

Silas didn’t flinch. His face blank.

His hand reached for her throat, wrapping his fingers around her neck, the mana inside him leaking out and into her body, locking her magic and making it impossible for her to move or cast her water. This was the most logical choice. She wasn’t talking, he had to force it out of her.

Eve’s breath hitched as his grip tightened, her eyes wide and scared, the memories flooding her.

“Adam... please don’t... I’m still your Eve.” Her hands went up to his hand on her neck, holding it like she was clinging to a memory of love.

The sound of that nickname was a dagger to his gut. It cut through the tension, his hand loosening on its own. He quickly pulled it back to his side.

“I’m not your Adam anymore,” he said, his voice cold but there was a hint of emotion that slipped in. Regret maybe?

A small broken smile made its way to her face as she felt her neck, the marks of his fingers still there, the pressure lingering. She wanted to laugh or cry. Her mind was a mess.

“Right. You never were, it was a lie. Our entire relationship was just a lie, you just played the part until you got her back.” The laugh was dry, humorless as she looked up at the man who was the only one who could hurt her.

The pang in his chest returned.

“It was always about Elizabeth. From day one until the end. I was not even the replacement just a filler for the void you felt without her.”

The silence stretched on. Eve wasn’t wrong. Back then he couldn’t move on from his breakup with Elizabeth.

“Who held you when you cried for your father?” she continued, her voice breaking. “Who comforted you when you killed your first innocent? Who picked up the pieces when she abandoned you? It was me, I did it all. So why? Why wasn’t I good enough for you?”

A question that Silas didn’t have an answer to.

Eve let the tears flow, her eyes closed. “You said you loved me...was it a lie too?” She asked in a whisper.

Silas swallowed the lump in his throat.

“I loved you but I loved her more. I can’t explain it Eve,” he sighed and the next words tasted bitter in his mouth. “That’s just how it is. Now...answer my question,” he hardened his voice, trying to sound detached.

A sad smile appeared on her lips as she wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. From her pocket, she took her phone, swiping through the screen before handing it to him, her movements stiff.

“I can’t say it. Just watch,” she said.

On the screen was a video, paused on a specific frame. The quality was bad but it was the teenagers from the other day, the ones from the dungeon with the rune glasses.

One by one they took of their glasses and suddenly they changed. Some grew wings, others scales, horns, claws...monsters. All of them monster hybrid. And the voice of Lucas Everheart, Eve’s son, said with glee. “Can we try them out already dad?”

Silas stopped the video. His mind processing what he just saw, his gaze shifting to Eve.

She had a hollow look in her eyes and collapsed to her knees, hugging them to her chest and rocking back and forth.

“They’re trafficking monster hybrids? That was the secret?” He asked.

A nod.

But Silas felt a headache forming. The monster hybrid part wasn’t even important. What he needed to know was the power behind bringing them from wherever they came from to Earth. Who held that power.

“Keep playing the video,” Eve whispered. He did as told and continued from where he had stopped. The camera turned to the side revealing a man, her husband.

He had the same blond hair and blue eyes as Lucas but there was an arrogance on his face as he unbuckled his belt. Some of the monster hybrids were girls and he told them to get naked; Eve closed her eyes at that moment, she knew what was going to happen next. Silas kept watching, his face blank as the scene of abuse and violence played out. Rape. These monster hybrids were sex toys for this man. The nail in the coffin was Lucas joining his dad.

Silas turned off the phone and crouched in front of Eve, who was shaking from suppressed rage.

Her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke, “They’re monsters. Haden and Lucas... they are monsters.”

She couldn’t even call them her family anymore. Her heart was shattered beyond repair. The last shred of hope she had that this family could replace what she had with Adam, was gone. The man she married was a vile creature. The son she raised became a disgusting replica of him.

Silas stared at her for a moment as his pounding heartbeat slowed down to a regular rhythm. Some lines couldn’t be crossed, some deeds couldn’t be forgiven. Lucas had to die. Speaking to his girls while he did that to someone else was unforgivable. The father too.

He put the phone in his pocket and stood up.

In the middle of the bubble on the sand Evelyn was on her knees, her blonde hair falling over her face, her hands gripping her legs, trembling and the pain she was feeling was known only to herself.

“Eve are you going to stop me from killing them?”