Midnight draped Zephyria in silence. The cold wind drifted through the high castle towers, brushing against the velvet curtains of Xavi's chamber.
He stirred awake, his throat dry, his body restless. Thirst clawed at him — the hunger that came once in a while, the kind that whispered from the depth of his veins.
Without another thought, Xavi stood, his black wings unfolding from his back. The windows burst open as he took flight into the night sky.
The moon was full — pale and cold — its silver glow bathing the forest below.
He landed silently among the trees, his eyes now glowing crimson as his instincts took over.
A deer rustled nearby.
In a blur of movement, Xavi struck — his fangs piercing into the creature's neck. The deer barely had time to cry before it fell limp. He drank deeply, the warmth of blood satisfying the storm inside him.
But the hunger hadn't been kind. He hunted again — one beast after another — until the ache in his chest calmed and his pulse steadied.
Then, as he made his way back toward the castle, he caught a scent — metallic, sharp.
Blood.
And faintly, the sound of crying.
He turned his head.
In the dim moonlight, he saw a small figure stumbling from behind a tree — a little girl, barely three years old, her dress torn and her body smeared with blood.
"What happened to you?" Xavi said, his tone soft yet edged with danger as he knelt beside her.
"M-my family… got attacked by bandits," the girl whimpered, clutching her arm. "They're still in my house… t-trying to hurt my mother. P-please—"
Her voice broke into sobs before she could finish. Xavi's expression darkened. He could hear them — voices, laughter, and the unmistakable sound of a woman screaming.
"Stay here," he said, picking her up gently. But as he heard another cry — "PLEASE, DON'T!" — his patience shattered.
He sped forward, breaking through the wooden walls of a burning cottage.
Inside, three bandits had cornered a woman, tearing at her dress while another lifeless body — her husband's — lay in a pool of blood.
"Why hello there," Xavi said coldly, his eyes burning crimson as he walked toward them.
Before the men could react, he grabbed a glass vase and smashed it across one of their heads, the sound of bone cracking echoing through the room.
Another lunged at him — Xavi seized his knife and drove it through the man's eye, twisting until the scream died.
The last two tried to run — but Xavi's speed was blinding. Their heads hit the floor before their bodies did.
When silence returned, the woman collapsed beside her husband. "Wake up… please wake up…" she cried, shaking him. But the truth was clear. His soul was gone.
Her cries tore through the night. Then, she slowly turned toward the flames spreading through her home. Without a word, she lit a torch, threw it inside, and watched it burn.
Her little girl ran to her. "Dad is dead?"
"Yes… he is, my love," the woman said softly, tears streaking her soot-stained face.
"That means no more beating and yelling, Mama. We're safe now!"
The child smiled weakly. Her mother laughed through her tears and hugged her tightly.
"No more pain… no more," she whispered.
Xavi's eyes softened. "He was abusive?" he asked quietly.
The woman nodded. "Yes. A drunkard. A monster. He tried to—" her voice trembled, "he tried to hurt his own daughter. May he rot in the flames."
She turned toward the burning ruins and screamed, "FUCK YOU!" through her tears.
Xavi nodded once. "You both will come with me. You'll stay in my wife's castle."
She bowed her head. "Thank you, Your Majesty… I'm Beline. And this is my daughter, Aria."
Xavi smiled faintly. "Let's go."
They walked through the night together. Twenty minutes later, they reached the towering gates of Zephyria Castle.
Kael was waiting in the courtyard.
"Xavi, where did you disappear to, brother?" he asked, before his gaze fell on the woman beside him. His words faltered. "H… hi."
"Greetings, Your Highness," Beline said, lowering her head. Her hair shimmered under the torchlight — a smoky lilac-grey. She was a forest elf. Her daughter, a rare mix — half elf, half demon.
Xavi pulled Kael aside and told him everything. Kael's expression darkened. "That's… messed up," he said, glancing toward Beline again. "Well, I'll make her my personal maid."
Xavi blinked. "Heh!? Why?"
Kael grinned. "Hey, Beline!" he called out, ignoring Xavi's glare. "You're my personal maid now. I'll pay you 600,000 coins. You start Monday."
He turned away before Xavi could protest.
Xavi sighed. "Unbelievable…"
By 9:08 a.m., the following morning, chaos struck within the castle walls.
Xavi sat by his children. Ophelia was burning with fever, her small body trembling as she vomited weakly into a bowl.
"P… papa…" she whispered, her voice faint, her lips pale.
Xavi held her close, kissing her forehead. "I'm here, my sweet girl. I'm so sorry."
Queen Olydia hurried in, pouring cold water over Ophelia's hair before wrapping it with a towel.
Across the room, Adris knelt beside Josephine, cleaning her legs as she lay motionless. Her skin had grown cold.
"Mama?" Adris whispered, standing beside her. But she didn't answer. Her body was still.
Adris sighed, his shoulders trembling.
By nightfall, Xavi sat alone in Josephine's chamber. He braided her long silver hair, his fingers gentle, as if afraid to break her. Then he checked the twins again — Ophelia's fever still hadn't dropped.
He kissed them both, whispering something only they could hear.
When he turned back to Josephine's bed — she was gone.
Xavi froze. His mind blanked. "What the hell…" he muttered.
Then louder — "WHAT THE HELL!"
He burst from the room, his voice echoing through the halls.
"WHO TOOK MY JOSEPHINE?!"
His roar shook the castle walls.
"Calm down, we'll find her!" Queen Kendra shouted as she and the others rushed to him.
But Xavi was no longer calm — his eyes glowed crimson, his rage overwhelming him. His wings burst open as his true form emerged — a towering, monstrous being filled with power and anguish.
"WHO TOOK MY WIFE!" he thundered into the sky, the sound shaking the kingdom. "JOSEPHINE!"
"XAVI!" Kendra cried.
"Dad!" Adris shouted, flying up toward him. "Calm down! Please!"
Xavi's chest heaved, his monstrous gaze scanning the grounds — until his eyes caught something.
In the royal garden, under the moonlight, lay Josephine's body.
Two familiar presences lingered nearby — Elandra and Vespera.
Xavi landed hard, running to her. His breath came ragged as he knelt beside her still form. "Josephine… how did you get here?"
He rained desperate kisses over her face, holding her close.
Vespera, the massive serpent guardian, hissed softly, curling protectively near Josephine.
"Don't worry," Xavi whispered to her. "She'll wake soon… she has to."
He carried Josephine back inside, his face hidden behind his hair. He sat heavily in the hall, rubbing his forehead, his heart aching.
Nearby, Adris's patience snapped. He turned toward Ardera, his eyes burning. "Listen," he said coldly, "I'm more insane than my father. If you — or that hoe — touch my mother's body again, I swear on my JoJo I'll behead her and send her head as a gift to her family. Understood?"
Silence.
Then, from the stillness, a breath.
A faint one.
Josephine's chest rose.
Tess gasped. "She's breathing…"
Xavi looked up sharply. Josephine's lips curved into a soft, tired smile.
He cupped her face, his tears falling onto her skin. "Almost there," he whispered, before exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep beside her, his head resting near her hand.
In his dream, darkness surrounded him.
A voice — her voice — drifted through the void.
"Xavi… please drop food on my throne by sunrise."
He frowned in his sleep, murmuring softly, "Hmhmhm… Josephine…"
Outside the dream, her fingers twitched. Her body stirred again.
And as the moonlight flooded the chamber, the air shifted — heavy, ancient, and powerful.
The Queen of Zephyria was about to awaken.