The moonlight clung to Mount Oryx like silver threads, weaving across the jagged stone walls. In the chamber where the Fallen King now lived, silence pressed heavy — the kind of silence that felt deliberate, like it was waiting for someone to break it.
Megumi sat alone at first, his back against the obsidian throne that had become his burden and his prison. His hands rested loosely on his knees, glowing faintly as though embers still smoldered beneath his skin. His breath was uneven, like he'd been running though he hadn't moved.
The fight on Olympus, the visions of shadows — all of it gnawed at him. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw that faceless void staring back.
Then he heard her footsteps.
Ava.
She entered softly, cradling little Chloe in her arms. The baby's quiet breathing filled the chamber with a fragile warmth that no divine fire could ever replicate. For a moment, Megumi felt the burn in his chest ease.
"Megumi," Ava whispered, walking closer. "She's finally asleep. It took me forever. Your daughter's already as stubborn as you."
Megumi tried to smile, but the curve of his lips was shallow, fleeting. "That's not stubbornness," he said, voice low. "That's strength. She'll need it."
Ava tilted her head. "Strength for what?"
The silence returned.
Megumi didn't answer. He stared at Chloe instead, his gaze distant, as if memorizing every detail of her face.
⸻
The Conversation
Ava sat beside him, lowering Chloe carefully into a small woven cradle near the throne. She lingered, brushing the baby's dark hair with her fingers, then turned to her husband.
"Megumi," she said softly, "we need to talk about the future."
The word future struck him like a blade. He stiffened, his hand twitching against the armrest of the throne.
Ava noticed. She pressed on anyway. "I know you're carrying a burden I don't fully understand. I know you're stronger than all of them — gods, titans, demons — but strength isn't forever. What happens to Chloe if—" She faltered, breath hitching. "If you're not here one day?"
The air in the chamber grew heavier.
Megumi's jaw tightened. "Don't say that."
"But it's true," Ava said firmly, her eyes wet but unwavering. "Something's happening to you. I see it in the way your hands shake when you think I'm not looking. I hear it in your voice when you wake from nightmares. You keep us at arm's length, Megumi, and I… I can't protect Chloe from that."
His breath caught in his throat. He wanted to explain. He wanted to tell her about the Erasure King clawing at the edges of his soul. But he couldn't. Not yet.
Instead, he snapped.
⸻
The Outburst
Megumi surged to his feet, the obsidian throne cracking under the sudden release of divine power. The air quaked, the walls groaning as his aura flared — golden fire shot through with streaks of black.
"Enough!" His voice wasn't just sound. It was divine command, echoing with the same force he'd once used to level Olympus. The chamber itself seemed to bow beneath it.
Ava flinched back instinctively, her hand flying to her chest. Her breath came fast, shallow.
Megumi's eyes glowed, no longer the warm brown she knew but burning coals of divine fury. For a heartbeat, he didn't look like her husband. He looked like the Fallen King, the conqueror who had made even gods tremble.
"You think I don't know what's coming?" he growled. "You think I don't see it every time I close my eyes? I am fighting with everything I have, Ava. Everything.And you're asking me about a future I might not even live to see!"
The air turned suffocating. The cradle beside them rattled, and Chloe stirred, whimpering.
Ava's hands trembled. She'd seen him furious before, seen him break armies apart with his wrath, but this… this was different. This was fear.
For the first time, she was afraid of him.
⸻
The Fear in Her Eyes
That fear sliced through him sharper than any blade.
Megumi froze, his power faltering as his eyes locked on hers. Not her words, not her trembling hands — but her eyes. The way she looked at him now, as though she were staring not at her husband but at a stranger.
He felt his knees weaken.
"No," he whispered. The glow faded from his eyes, replaced by something fragile, desperate. "No, not you. Don't look at me like that."
The aura around him sputtered, shrinking until the chamber fell silent once more. His body trembled as if the outburst had drained him more than any battle. Slowly, painfully, he lowered himself back to his knees.
Ava didn't move at first. She kept one hand against the cradle, steadying Chloe. Her breaths came quick and shallow, but her gaze softened as she watched him break in front of her.
⸻
The Apology
Megumi buried his face in his hands. His voice cracked when he spoke.
"I'm sorry."
The words spilled out over and over, muffled but raw. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I swore I'd never… never let you see me like that again."
Ava's heart ached. She reached for him, her hand hovering before finally resting gently against his shoulder. "Megumi…"
He lifted his head, eyes red but no longer glowing. His tears weren't divine — they were human, painfully so.
"I can't lose you," he said, his voice breaking. "Not you. Not Chloe. I can face gods, titans, demons — I can even face that shadow clawing at me. But if I see fear in your eyes again… I don't know if I can survive that."
Her throat tightened. She leaned closer, brushing his cheek with her hand. "Then don't push me away. Don't hide from me. If there's something coming, I need to face it with you — not behind you, not in the dark, but beside you."
For the first time in hours, Megumi's breathing steadied. He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.
"You're right," he whispered. "You always are."
Ava smiled faintly, tears of her own trailing down her cheeks. "Then promise me, Megumi Valentine. No more secrets."
He swallowed hard, then nodded. "I promise."
⸻
The Quiet After
Chloe stirred in her cradle again, letting out a small cry. The tension broke. Ava moved quickly to pick her up, rocking her gently. Megumi watched them, his chest aching with both love and guilt.
He knew he would keep his promise — but he also knew what it would cost.
Because if he told her the whole truth, if she knew how close the Erasure King was to breaking free, then her fear tonight would be nothing compared to the terror to come.
Still, as he watched Ava soothe their daughter, he understood: he couldn't face it alone anymore.
The future was coming, whether he wanted it or not.
And it terrified him.