Klaus laughed uncontrollably, his voice echoing through the still morning air as he sprawled across a blanket of black, luxurious fur—his personal throne of chaos. Smoke curled from the cigarette in his mouth, lazy and slow like his thoughts at the moment.
"Buhahahaha… ha… gods, I'm so high…"
Fenrir, the oversized wolf lounging beside him, gave a slow blink, clearly unimpressed. His bright blue eyes scanned the rising sun with the kind of serene detachment one might expect from an ancient spirit, not a beast raised on soul shards and abominations.
Klaus turned toward him, cackling again.
"You get it, don't you, buddy?"
Fenrir didn't respond—because obviously, he was a wolf—but his tail flicked once. Whether in agreement or disapproval, Klaus didn't care. He interpreted it as spiritual solidarity.
"See? That's why you're my favorite. You don't judge. Not like Lich. Or Tatiana. Or literally everyone else."
Fenrir huffed softly, shifting closer and resting his massive head near Klaus's legs, accepting the nonsense with dignified patience.
Yes, Fenrir was a chill guy. Too chill for a wolf, honestly. Sometimes he snapped—of course he did, he was a wolf the size of a van—but hey, who doesn't maul someone when they're cranky?
Let's just not talk about those incidents.
Klaus reached out and patted his side lazily.
"I ever tell you you're the best doggo? A little terrifying… but best boy."
Fenrir blinked again. If wolves could sigh, he definitely just did.
The Ivory Tower—now more commonly called the Lawless Tower—was a bit empty. Most of Klaus's operatives were either stationed in the underground base or out on missions.
As for the kids? They were already in bed.
Belial, being the more obedient one, didn't cause any trouble. Hecate, on the other hand, needed help falling asleep… which meant Klaus punched her and left her unconscious on the bed.
That brat was durable enough to survive, so it was fine.
Klaus sighed and yawned. He hadn't slept. Sure, he could stay awake for days thanks to his enhanced mental capabilities, but he still needed rest eventually.
Cassie was about to meet with Morgan to resolve the situation. Sunny was with her too. They sort of needed to prove they weren't behind the deaths of a hundred Awakened warriors… or the release of Mordret.
No one talked about Cormac anymore. Klaus had already killed him, and the whole thing had been smoothed over with compensation.
Money is virtue, huh?
Klaus closed his eyes, letting out one last yawn as sleep crept in.
Ah… life's so meaningless, but sometimes, it's just so good.
He chuckled softly to himself. "Die with a laugh," or… something like that. What was that line from that movie?
Eh. Whatever.
With a shrug, he leaned back against Fenrir's warm fur and drifted off to sleep.
_____
"Klaus, wake up!"
Klaus groaned, shifting against Fenrir's fur to get more comfortable.
"Five minutes... that's all I need."
"You said that an hour ago."
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he sighed and forced his body to move. Slowly, he sat up and looked around the Tower's garden.
Well, it wasn't exactly a pretty sight. Empty liquor bottles were scattered across the grass, cigarette filters lay around like confetti, ashes smeared the stone path, and... was that toilet paper?
He blinked.
Why the hell is there toilet paper?
Then he looked at himself.
And why am I wrapped like a mummy, for Spell's sake?!
Hecate... That damned brat!
Sighing, Klaus glanced at Cassie, who stood nearby with a clear look of disapproval. He offered her an awkward smile.
"Uhmm... hey, sweetheart. How have you been? You look as lovely as always."
Cassie let out a long, tired sigh. She didn't even know what to say anymore.
Why is it always me who has to deal with this infuriating brat?
"It's an emergency situation, you know? And you... you're out here getting wasted? Again?"
Klaus shrugged, stretching lazily as he crawled across the grass. Then, with a sudden movement, he vanished—blinking across the space—and reappeared on the other side of the great pagoda.
There, beside a clear lake where streams of water flowed gently before cascading off the island's edge, he knelt down and began splashing cold water onto his face.
"What kind of situation are you talking about?"
Cassie stayed silent for a moment. Despite being annoyed by his behavior, she couldn't help the bright smile spreading across her face. It was as if nothing could ruin her mood today.
"Nephis!" she finally said, almost breathless. "She woke up! She escaped the Dream Realm, Nik!"
Klaus froze. He stood there, motionless, staring at his reflection in the water with a blank expression.
What the fuck?! For real!?
His heart thundered in his chest. A profound sense of relief washed over him, so sudden and overwhelming that it left him stunned.
He was feeling so much at once—relief, hope, comfort, disbelief—that he couldn't even sort them properly. The emotions tangled together, flooding his system until all he could do was stand there, silently reeling.
His sister was alive.
She had survived.
It felt like a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders—one he hadn't even realized he'd been carrying. For the first time in what felt like forever, the crushing pressure was gone.
He could breathe again.
Nephis...
But it wasn't that simple. It never was... He felt this longing to just see her, to share meal with her, talk to her so she could share her problems, her pain and her dreams.
All he wanted was to just see his sister's face but he couldn't.
And Klaus would never be able to tell her everything he wanted to say either... Never hold his sister in his arms or have a normal life with her.
Well, their lives had never been normal—but did that really matter? As long as you had family, a home to return to, did it matter how terrible and full of struggles life was?
Klaus felt deeply conflicted and pained by the cruel reality he was facing.
And perhaps he deserved that—for every vile thing he had done. But he didn't care whether he deserved the comfort of seeing his sister or not.
She was his blood.
And no matter how terrible a person he was, no one could take that right away from him.
Yet... he had to hold back. Not just for her safety, but because he wasn't ready.
He wasn't ready to tell her he was her brother.
What would she think? Would she accept him? Or would she hate him?
Well... it would be understandable if she did.
Klaus had killed their father. He was a kinslayer.
And no matter what kind of justification he had for committing such an act, there was no guarantee she would understand it—let alone forgive him.
His heart was a mess of bittersweet emotions. He was overjoyed that she had survived, that she was back… but at the same time, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd have to act like a stranger again.
That she wouldn't even remember his real face.
Hell, no one really did.
He had changed so much—and with this new scar carved across his features, there was almost no resemblance left between the boy he had been and the man he was now.
A faint smile touched Klaus's lips as memories surfaced—those quiet, hidden moments when he had to wear different faces just to speak to her. When he hunted down assassins in the shadows, erasing every threat that came after her.
When he couldn't even send a large sum of credits without drawing the suspicion of the great clans... only enough to make sure she could afford food, clothes, just enough to survive.
How was that fair?
No. It had never been fair. But still...
He closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing—but his flaw was acting up again. That overwhelming desire to see her… to be near her… was clouding his reason, gnawing at his restraint.
And he didn't know what to do about it.
"Nik? Are you okay? You kind of... look dazed."
Cassie's voice snapped him back to reality. He sighed and forced a cheerful smile.
"Well, since your friend is back, why don't we go see her? Maybe you could introduce us, hmm?"
Cassie shook her head, but a smile played on her delicate, lovely features.
"Let's do that. You don't know how amazing she is, really."
Klaus smiled bitterly, grateful that Cassie wasn't using her ability to read his face.
Oh, trust me… I know exactly how amazing she is.
***
She's back, guys! I'm so excited for the upcoming chapters—they're going to be a lot more wholesome and full of energy! I seriously can't wait to dive into them. Honestly, I'm so hyped right now, I might just sit down and write the next few chapters today!
Hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!
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