The city night thinned.
Streetlights flickered as Aiden and Selene walked through a quieter district, laughter fading into something softer. The air shifted, just slightly. Not cold. Not warm. Just… heavier.
Selene slowed.
"Do you feel that?" she asked quietly.
Aiden paused. His Night King blood stirred faintly beneath his skin, like distant thunder. "Yeah. It's not hostile… but it's watching."
Across the street, a stray dog suddenly froze. Then whimpered. Then bolted.
From the mouth of a narrow alleyway, she stepped out.
Silver hair. Pale eyes that seemed carved from moonstone. A presence that did not scream power… it declared inevitability.
Azrael's daughter.
She wore simple black clothing, almost human. Almost. But the air bent subtly around her, as if even gravity respected her authority.
Selene instinctively moved half a step in front of Aiden.
The girl tilted her head.
"You were louder on the battlefield," she said calmly. Her voice was smooth, detached. "Lightning and blood. It was unpleasant."
Aiden frowned. "Do I know you?"
"No." A pause. "But I know you."
The silence between them stretched like a drawn blade.
Selene's eyes sharpened. "State your intent."
The silver-haired girl studied Selene briefly. "You're the lightning one. Elf blood mixed with vampire refinement. Interesting."
Then her gaze returned to Aiden.
"You carry something old," she said. "Older than Dracula. Older than Victor. Older than most of the mistakes Heaven made."
Aiden's jaw tightened. "If you're here to fight—"
"I am not," she interrupted. "If I were, you would already be dead."
No arrogance. Just fact.
The streetlights dimmed for half a second.
Then she stepped forward.
Selene prepared to strike, but Aiden gently touched her arm.
"It's okay," he murmured.
The girl stopped an arm's length away from him. Her eyes scanned him, not with hunger like Kain… not with desire like Ophis… not with affection like Selene.
With measurement.
"You are unstable," she said plainly. "Your blood awakened violently. You nearly tore yourself apart."
Aiden's brows furrowed. "How do you—"
"I was there," she replied.
She raised her hand.
Not to strike.
To test.
A faint ripple of death energy pulsed outward, subtle but precise. It wrapped around Aiden like invisible threads, probing his core.
Selene felt it and nearly attacked.
But Aiden stood still.
The energy touched his Night King blood.
And something ancient answered.
For a split second, the pavement cracked beneath his feet. A faint crimson glow flashed behind his eyes. The air trembled — not with death, but with dominion.
The girl's expression shifted.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"…I see," she whispered.
She withdrew her hand.
"You are not like the others."
Aiden exhaled slowly. "Others?"
She did not answer directly.
"There is a man hunting you," she said instead. "One who tried to build what you are. He failed."
Kain.
Though she did not speak the name.
Selene's grip tightened. "Project Eden."
The girl's gaze flicked to her briefly. "Humans are dangerous when taught by angels who hate God."
Aiden stiffened. "You're talking about the Director."
"Yes."
The word landed like a stone in still water.
She stepped back.
"My father chose forgiveness," she said quietly. "The fallen one chose resentment. That difference will decide the coming war."
Aiden met her gaze. "Why tell me this?"
A long pause.
"…Because I want to see what you choose."
For the first time, something human flickered in her eyes.
Curiosity.
"Monster," she said softly. "Or protector."
The word monster did not carry mockery. It carried weight.
Then the air thinned.
She was gone.
The streetlights returned to normal brightness.
Selene turned to Aiden immediately. "Are you okay?"
He stared at the spot where she had stood.
"Yeah," he said slowly. "But I don't think she was here to threaten us."
Selene frowned. "Then why?"
Aiden's Night King blood pulsed once, deep and steady.
"To judge me."
Far away, from the rooftop of a distant building, the Daughter of Death watched them resume walking.
And for the first time since her birth, she felt something unfamiliar.
Anticipation.