An old man sighed for the umpteenth time as he gazed at his wife.
"Are you sure about this...? You know she still refuses to confirm it," he asked, his voice heavy with fatigue and quiet dread.
Pandra Vy Light scoffed, crossing her arms as she stared at the young woman kneeling before them. Her displeasure was evident.
"Oh, I'm certain. Our daughter, Gaela Vy Light, is a mother," she said sharply, venom laced in her every word.
"How else do you explain her not bearing the curse?"
She moved to stand beside her husband, Aragorn Vy Light, the patriarch of the family and bearer of unshakable authority.
Aragorn exhaled slowly, his eyes never leaving Gaela, who remained kneeling with her head bowed.
His expression was unreadable—torn between joy and disapproval.
Ten years. Ten whole years since they'd last seen her.
Since she vanished into the human lands without a trace.
Now when she was found—only to return not as a prodigal daughter, but as something else entirely.
"You know what this means, Gaela," he said, voice laced with gravitas.
"What if the child inherits... that power from you?"
Gaela clenched her fists but said nothing. Her gaze locked to the polished stone floor beneath her. Not in shame—but in defiance held barely in check.
Behind her, her six siblings watched. No one moved. No one even dared breathe too loudly.
Luwin, the eldest, stood with arms folded, a soldier carved from stone. Loyal, unwavering, and ever the executor of their father's will.
Yet something in his eyes—a flash of uncertainty and a flicker of pity—betrayed the conflict within.
Seren, statuesque and sharp as ice, muttered under her breath, "Another one like her? Stars help us."
Mael, the scholar of the family, adjusted the black-framed glasses perched on his nose, muttering with clinical curiosity,
"What surprises me more is how she managed to bear a child at all. Her body is essentially a black hole for life energy. The creation of life... it shouldn't be possible. It contradicts the very rules of existence."
Eira stepped back slightly, discomfort etched into her features. She had never hated Gaela. But she feared her—feared what she represented.
Neros, hot-blooded and restless, opened his mouth to speak, fists clenched at his sides, but a sharp glance from Luwin silenced him before the words could escape.
Only Lyra, the youngest, whispered quietly,
"She's not lying... I don't think she is." Her voice was soft, almost pleading.
But no one paid her words any heed.
"What if he turns out to be a life energy-consuming monster?" Aragorn asked, calm but cold.
Gaela finally looked up, her eyes burning.
"My son isn't a monster," she said, her voice low and equally as cold as frostbite.
"So... no signs, like the cracks that appeared on your skin, have manifested in him?" Pandra cut in, probing for answers.
Gaela said nothing.
"That's an important question, Gaela," Aragorn pressed, his gaze intense.
"Did he or did he not show signs?"
"No," she replied curtly.
Silence.
Aragorn frowned. "You're lying to protect him, aren't you?"
A stir ran through her siblings.
Seren raised a brow. "If she wasn't a big enough threat already…"
Mael spoke almost academically, "This raises too many questions. If she could carry life, what else has changed in her physiology?"
"Silence," Aragorn commanded. The murmurs died at once.
His gaze narrowed. "Where is the child?"
Gaela didn't respond. Not even a flicker.
He could have forced it out of her.
His spiritual mana sense, fused with his consciousness, could pierce her mind like a spear—but doing so came with risk...
Her hatred of him ran deep. If she activated that accursed life energy-draining power, it could damage his very mind.
A risk even he didn't want to take lightly.
"We can help him control that power," Pandra offered, her voice smoothing slightly.
"The way we helped you—"
"You didn't help me," Gaela hissed.
"You were turning me into a weapon!"
"Why do you always act like your father and I are your enemy?" Pandra snapped.
"Gaela, don't forget who the real threat is! The one who massacred our people. The one who destroyed Origin and took everything from us."
"We barely escaped with our lives," she continued her voice rising.
"Sacrifices of innocent blood were made—friends, kin, mentors—all lost to that monster."
"That's enough, Pandra," Aragorn said quietly.
"She knows how Origin fell. They all do. And know of the vow we made."
"I'm not part of your war," Gaela muttered, her voice ironclad.
"I made that clear ten years ago."
"You did," Aragorn admitted.
"And I remember it well. But now… now you have a son. A son who may or may not share your power. I can't ignore that... I won't ignore that."
"So I will not allow him to grow without control. I will mold him as I molded you."
"If you dare touch him—" Gaela's aura flared, golden and eerie, spreading uncontrollably outwards.
But Aragorn raised a hand—and with a snap of his fingers, her aura vanished. A cancellation move he had taught her...
And Gaela collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, unconscious.
Pandra stepped forward, shocked. "Aragorn! You said we shouldn't provoke her!"
"I did," he replied, his voice hollow.
"But now I've found a way to control Anti-life herself. Since her power… it's the key to fulfilling our vow to the fallen."
He looked down at Gaela, his expression calm.
"Luwin, go to the human lands. Find your nephew."
"Yes, father," Luwin said, bowing his head before vanishing in a blur of light.
"And the rest of you, proceed with the plan. Now that we've finally found her, it should be smooth sailing from here onwards."
"Yes father." The five said in unison before four of them vanished also in streaks of light.
"Seren, take you sister to her new chambers. And avoid direct skin contact with her."
Aragorn then tore his gaze away from Gaela. 'Forgive me, my daughter… but you've left me no choice.'
"..." Seren gave a silent nod, encasing Gaela in a shimmering white orb before departing with her.
"Pandra, I hope you won't bare a grudge against me for doing this to her." he spoke to his wife, Gaela's mother by blood.
"No. She already hates me, and we both know it."
"What perplexes me, is who got my daughter pregnant, and how did he make Anti-life carry his child for nine months?!" She wondered.