Vahn watched Aria, Evelina, Valeria, Flama, and Celestine stare back at him in stony silence.
Unsurprisingly, he got no public response from them. Flama seemed the most restless, her eyes flickering with internal conflict, but she could only go so far. Her ingrained loyalty and fear of exposure held her captive.
Vahn's smirk turned genuinely cold. "Very well... Light and Darkness is all I need. But one day, I will make sure all of you regret your choice."
With that final threat, he turned to leave, his hand firmly grasping Seraphina's. The shimmering Secret Realm Gate was their escape, their future, and their first objective.
However, in the next instant, Vahn found himself locked in place.
"What! Do you really think you can get away with our Saintess to the Demonic Faction?" Patriarch Dimidium roared, unleashing his powerful aura at once. He couldn't allow the Saintess of Light to be stolen by the Devil's Child.
"Never shall I allow you two to sully our name!"
