— Blood Evidence —
With the wrongful accusation finally laid to rest, Eren felt a weight lift from his chest — not relief, but space enough to breathe.
He reached up, carefully plucking a single strand of hair from his own head. Then, with the same care, he took one from Lyra, still unconscious. He handed both to Arden.
"I need a favor," Eren said quietly. "Verify as soon as possible whether there's any blood relation between us."
He paused, then added, his tone steady but deliberate,
"The authorities should still have Oliver Caelthorn's DNA profile from twenty-three years ago. Compare both Lyra's and mine against his records."
Arden nodded without hesitation.
"No problem. The files are intact. I'll handle it immediately."
Eren requested a copy of the recording, then bent down and gently lifted Lyra into his arms. Without another word, he carried her away from the bleak cemetery.
A short while later, inside the car, Lyra's eyelashes fluttered.
She woke slowly, disoriented, her gaze unfocused. After a moment, she whispered, almost afraid to ask—
"Lucien?"
"Dead."
Eren's single word froze the air between them.
Lyra's expression went blank. Then sorrow crept in, heavy and suffocating. She remained silent for a long time before speaking again, her voice barely audible.
"What...happens now?"
Eren didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled up the video Arden had sent and handed it to her.
Lucien's final confession played out on the screen — every word, every pause, every truth laid bare. As the footage neared its end, Lyra's hands began to tremble. Her eyes widened, filling with horror and disbelief.
"Eren..." Her voice shook. "Did you see? We...we might be siblings. But we already—"
Her words cut off abruptly as she covered her mouth, tears spilling over once more.
Eren reached out, steadying her by the shoulders.
"Don't panic," he said softly. "I've already sent our samples for DNA testing. The results aren't back yet — but I believe we're not related."
His tone was firm.
Yet deep inside, unease coiled quietly, refusing to loosen its grip.
Lyra looked at him, her eyes brimming with despair.
"Really? If...if we truly are siblings, I don't think I'd have the courage to keep living."
Eren met her gaze.
"It won't come to that," he said. "Trust me."
---
Inside the special holding cell, Lyra saw Eren's living conditions for the first time.
Spacious. Clean. Almost nothing like a prison.
Eren stood before the terminal, eyes fixed on the screen.
Soon, several documents came through.
"The reports are in," he said. His voice wavered, just slightly.
Lyra held her breath and stepped closer.
The first report was clear:
Eren and Lyra — No Blood Relation.
Tears welled instantly in her eyes.
"You see?" she said, voice breaking into relief. "We're really not related!"
She threw her arms around him, clinging tightly, as if pulled back from the edge of an abyss.
Eren felt the warmth at her neck, the faint scent of her hair. His breath caught for a split second.
"Are you trying to suffocate me?" he muttered hoarsely.
Lyra froze.
Only then did she realize what she was doing. She hurriedly let go, her cheeks flushing crimson as she looked away.
The momentary shyness only made her more striking.
Eren stared, briefly spellbound.
She had always been beautiful — but now, layered with vulnerability and relief, that beauty carried a different weight. Thinking of everything they had endured, his emotions tangled into something difficult to name.
The second report appeared.
Oliver Caelthorn — Biological Father of Lyra.
Lyra's face drained of color.
Her body swayed, tears sliding silently down her cheeks. Just as Eren reached out, she suddenly collapsed into his arms and broke down, sobbing without restraint.
Her tears soaked into his clothes.
Eren said nothing. He simply held her, letting her cry until there was nothing left to spill.
A long while later, her breathing finally steadied.
She looked up, eyes red and swollen.
"Thank you...for letting me lean on you."
Eren shook his head.
"Between us," he said quietly, "there's no need for thanks."
The third report appeared.
Eren — No Blood Relation to Oliver Caelthorn.
Eren's brow furrowed.
If he wasn't a Caelthorn...then who were his parents?
Why had Oliver sent him to the orphanage?
And why was the mysterious man so obsessively fixated on him?
The questions twisted together, forming a deeper, darker knot.
Eren lifted his gaze, calm and resolute.
He knew one thing with certainty:
The answers lay with that man.
---
— A Kiss of Confession —
Following the address Arden provided, they arrived at the Caelthorn family cemetery.
A cold wind brushed past them. Tombstones stood in neat rows, silent as a waiting army.
Lyra knelt before her family's graves. Tears fell steadily as she burned joss paper, the ashes lifting into the air like fragments of memory carried away by the wind.
Eren stood behind her, voice low and solemn.
"Uncle Oliver...and everyone of the Caelthorn family," he said,
"I will find that man."
"And I will make him pay in blood."
Time passed.
When the candle flames finally guttered out, twilight settled over the cemetery.
"Lyra," Eren said gently. "Let's go."
"...Help me up," she replied softly.
He reached out and pulled her to her feet — but her legs gave way, and she stumbled straight into his arms.
For a moment, the world went still.
Lyra looked up at him, her tear-filled eyes reflecting his face. She leaned closer and whispered near his ear—
"What happened...I don't blame you for it."
Her voice trembled, but every word was clear.
"In fact, I think...maybe this was our fate."
She drew a breath.
"If you don't refuse," she said quietly,
"I'm willing...to have a child with you."
The air ignited.
Eren's body jolted, emotions surging violently.
Once, he might have accepted without hesitation.
But now, his mind was filled with the shadow of the mysterious man — and the rivers of blood that followed him.
"Lyra," Eren said softly, "there's something I still have to finish. The road ahead is dangerous—"
"I know," she interrupted, her gaze burning with resolve.
"You seek the truth. You seek vengeance for both our families."
She looked at him steadily.
"But I, Lyra Caelthorn, have always dared to love and hate without regret."
"If you leave and never return—"
"I will never marry in this lifetime."
Eren's heart shook.
Before he could respond, Lyra suddenly reached up, looping her arms lightly behind his neck.
The next instant, their lips met.
The kiss held no desire — only desperation, sincerity, and a woman's quiet resolve.
Long.
Fervent.
Bittersweet, like a farewell spoken too soon.
When their lips parted, Lyra's face was flushed, her eyes bright and stubborn.
She extended her hand.
"Let's go."
Eren stared at it for a moment — then took it.
The instant their palms met, warmth surged through him...along with the unmistakable sensation of fate's chains tightening once more.
On the way back, Lyra gazed out at the night scenery and spoke softly.
"That formula you gave me, Eren...it's too powerful."
"It's something that could shake the world."
Eren said nothing.
He closed his eyes.
In the darkness behind his lids, fragments surfaced—
Lucien's dying laughter.
The shadow of that unknown man.
And the ancient demon sealed for seven thousand years.
Somewhere deep within him,
a darker power began to stir.