Clara's POV
Auriel bowed and slipped out, the soft click of the lock leaving me alone with silence.
I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, the air heavy in my chest. Jason's death should not have cut me so deeply. To me, he had always been the enemy—a shadow at Ciel's side, a reminder of everything I distrusted. I had been cold to him, dismissive, cruel at times. I should have felt nothing.
But I did.
The grief pressed sharp against my ribs, blooming in ways I couldn't understand. Why did my heart ache for someone I barely knew? Why did his absence feel like the tearing away of something old, something buried?
I clenched the sheets, fighting the unease crawling under my skin. It made no sense, this sorrow. I whispered apologies into the pillow—apologies Jason would never hear—without knowing why the words tumbled from my mouth at all.
And then there was Ciel. His pain was a storm I couldn't look away from, raw and unending. Perhaps my tears fell more for him than for Jason—for the way his eyes had shattered, for the way his voice cracked under the weight of loss. His grief was unbearable, and in sharing it, I felt as though I was drowning beside him.
I curled tighter, confusion and sorrow twisting together until I could no longer tell one from the other. Jason was gone. I had lost… something. What, I couldn't name.
Only the ache remained.
Ciel's POV
I rose from the floor on trembling legs, my gaze clinging to Jason's lifeless body. His stillness carved a hollow into my chest, pain pressing down until every breath felt like a wound. I tore my eyes away and drifted through the corridor, each step muted, as though the world itself recoiled from me.
In the solitude of my study, I collapsed into the chair. For a long moment, silence consumed me—thick, suffocating. Then, with a hand that shook from rage more than grief, I opened the drawer and drew out the black bell.
Its chime was low, heavy, reverberating through the room like the toll of judgment. Shadows stirred, and the devils' army appeared, cloaked in obedience.
"Yes, Your Majesty," they intoned.
"Find Lila." Her name left my lips like poison. "Search the mountains, the valleys, the caves, the seas. Strip the villages, burn through the cities—tear apart every corner of this world. And when you find her…" My voice broke, trembling under the weight of hatred and grief. "Bring her to me. Alive."
"Yes, sir." Their voices melted into the dark, leaving me with the silence again.
I leaned back, but Jason's image returned in cruel clarity—his lips drained of color, his hands forever stilled. My jaw locked, my chest twisted until it felt as though my heart itself was tearing.
"Lila…" I spat her name, drenched in venom. "I swear, you will regret this. I promise you, I will find you."
Tears burned, spilling hot down my cheeks as grief and fury collided. I buried my face in my hands, drowning in the storm of betrayal and loss, the weight of Jason's death pressing me deeper into the abyss.
Lucien's POV
"Well, now that we're here, before we begin with the plan, why don't I introduce you to the team?" Asriel's voice carried an edge of amusement.
He led us out of his office, down a spiraling flight of stairs, and through a long corridor. At the end, heavy doors creaked open—and the sight that met me stole the air from my lungs.
A sea of Fallen filled the vast hall—thousands of them. They ate, laughed, brawled, and sprawled across the chamber like beasts in their den. I had never seen so many gathered in one place.
"Attention!" Asriel's command cracked like thunder. Instantly, silence swept through the hall, every gaze snapping to us.
"Well then," his tone softened, sharp with pride. "I'll introduce our newest members. Everyone, give them a round of applause."
Polite claps followed, hesitant and shallow.
"This is Lucien," he continued, "from this moment forward, my second-in-command. And this—" his hand gestured toward Lila "—will be the head of Investigations and Information. Treat them with respect. Welcome them."
The room sank into silence again, whispers slithering through the air like knives.
Asriel's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you waiting for? Clap." His voice boomed, dangerous.
Reluctantly, the hall erupted into applause, though the sound was hollow, strained.
"Good." He turned to us, a sly smile tugging his lips. "Now then, why don't you bond with the team? After all, you're their superiors now. Best to get acquainted."
With that, he vanished into the corridors, leaving me and Lila standing at the center of hundreds of hostile eyes. My stomach twisted. Still, I forced myself forward, each step met with sharp stares and muttered disdain.
Whispers rose, barbed and venomous.
"Why him?"
"A traitor. He fought beside Ciel—killed our brothers."
"I've been loyal for centuries. Why him and not me?"
Their voices were daggers, slicing into my resolve. I turned, ready to fire back, when suddenly a hand gripped my collar and yanked me aside.
My breath caught as I met the eyes of a man I knew at once. His hair was long, crimson spilling in wild waves around his shoulders. A jagged scar slashed across one eye, leaving the other to gleam gold like molten fire. His presence burned—feral, dangerous.
"Malrik," I whispered.
His snarl was feral, lips curling with hatred. "Oh, if it isn't Lucien—the bastard angel of Heaven."
The crowd stirred, hungry for blood, their steps drawing closer.
Panic twisted in my gut. It's been thousands of years… maybe he doesn't remember clearly. If I can confuse him, throw him off, maybe I can escape this.
"You must be mistaking me for someone else," I said evenly, forcing my voice calm though my pulse thundered in my ears.
Malrik's grip tightened, golden eye blazing. "Oh no. You don't get to walk away from this. I'll never forget the purple-haired bastard who cast me down." His voice shook with fury, echoing through the hall. "You made me fall from Heaven—and for that, I will never forget you."
My stomach dropped. Trouble had found me—and this time, I wasn't sure I'd escape it.