In the hallway, Asher lay asleep on the couch, peaceful, faintly scented of wine.
Leaning in, she brushed a kiss across his forehead.
Suddenly, the kitten hissed.
Setaro lunged at Asher, but she caught him in mid-air. His teeth grazed her finger.
She winced. "Hey, okay, okay! Calm down!"
He looked up at her, eyes glossy with unshed tears, then gently licked the wound.
She stroked his back.
"Setaro… why don't you like my Ash?"
The kitten grumbled brows furrowed.
"Why, hmm? Tell me..."
He didn't answer. But the way his tiny paws clung to her neck, trembling, spoke louder than words.
She held him closer.
"A long story, huh?"
She touched her nose to his. "It'll heal, idiot. I'm okay."
She smiled faintly. Asher buried his face in her neck.
On the couch, Asher murmured in his sleep,
"Don't leave, Sera… don't leave me..."
Tears spilled down his cheeks. She wiped them gently.
Seraphina rested her head against his chest. Half-asleep, Asher instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist like he feared she'd vanish.
Setaro nestled quietly in her arms.
Seeing Asher cry—holding Sera even in dreams—something inside Setaro cracked.
For years, he'd tried to find Asher's weakness.
Now that he had…
He was afraid.
Afraid this broken man might be the only one who could protect Sera.
Afraid Seraphina would never look at him the way she looked at Asher.
But maybe…
He didn't need her love.
Maybe what he wanted was something minimal.
To be beside her.
Even if it hurt.
Even if it was selfish.
Even if he had to share her with the man he hated most—
For her, he would endure anything.
Tonight, he was in her arms.
And for now, that was enough.
Sunlight spilled through the mansion's stained-glass windows.
Seraphina stirred.
Across from her, Asher and Setaro sat in tense silence, both glaring.
Setaro, still a kitten, licked his paw with theatrical grace.
Asher sipped his tea with equally theatrical scowling.
Neither said a word.
"So… are you both Hall boys' homeless now?" she muttered.
Setaro meowed pathetically.
Asher snorted and slid closer, draping an arm around her shoulders.
"Baby, are you abandoning me after using me?" he asked, faux heartbroken.
She rolled her eyes, though her cheeks flushed.
He was already teasing the skin along her collarbone.
"Asher, no… Setaro's right there. And my dad warned me. It's still morning."
His hand moved lower, resting on her waist.
"What did I do, though?"
She sighed, cupping his face and gently pushing him back.
"Brush. First."
He groaned. "Ugh. Fine."
Setaro covered his eyes with his tiny paws, overwhelmed.
Too much. I'm too young for this.
Underneath the fluff, his tiny heart ached.
He muttered kitten-sized curses, all directed at Asher.
The moment Sera stepped into the bathroom, Asher casually picked Setaro up by the scruff and tossed him out like a sock.
The kitten landed with a betrayed squeak.
Furious, he clawed at the door, growling,
"Just you wait! Even if you're the emperor of her harem—I'll be the favorite concubine! Mark my words!"
His angry meows echoed down the hall as he stomped away.
Inside, the bathroom door creaked open. Sera stepped out, a towel wrapped loosely around her. Water beaded on her skin; damp hair clung to her cheek.
She didn't see Asher, shirt half-unbuttoned, lounging nearby.
As she passed, he caught her from behind.
She gasped—but didn't pull away.
His lips brushed her neck in slow, lingering kisses. One hand traced the curve of her thigh; the other rested on her stomach.
Her breath hitched.
He turned her toward him, mouth grazing her skin, warm, teasing, intimate.
When he nipped her earlobe, a soft, involuntary moan escaped her lips.
They remained lost in each other's arms—
Until Asher suddenly coughed. Violently.
Blood stained his lips.
He pulled away, still coughing, struggling to breathe.
Seraphina froze in horror. "Asher! What happened?"
He met her gaze, face pale but calm.
"Nothing."
Her fists clenched. Her eyes scanned Asher's body—
And then she saw it.
Cracks.
Those were faint but deadly.
His deity-born soul was fracturing.
It made sense now.
The final prayer.
The one who called her back.
The vow she made:
"When only the final thread remains, then he may kneel and call her back."
She turned away, guilt and fury swirling inside her.
"Why the hell do you love me so much?" she whispered.
He pulled her close, exhaling slowly.
"Do you think I have all the answers?" His voice softened.
"You strange, beautiful woman…"
He lifted her into his lap, arms tightening around her like holding her could mend the fractures in his soul.
With a tired smile, he adjusted her slightly.
"You're cruel, Sera. You never follow the rules. Not even the world can force you into its game. And still... I'm stuck with you. I feel like I'd die without you."
She pouted.
He smirked.
"So stop asking me so many questions. My soul's already drained—keeping you alive, carrying memories I shouldn't even have. I'm sixteen now... with a soul that clawed through time to find you."
She snorted, blinking through teary eyes.
"Lazy. And weak Man ."
She lightened her weight with a spell and cast a quiet healing charm over him.
He noticed. But said nothing—just watched Sera with softened eyes.
"At least," he murmured, "you called me a man."
She rolled her eyes.
"Old soul. Pretty boy."
"So… I'm pretty?" he teased.
Her cheeks flushed.
"You only hear the wrong parts of a sentence."
"Which means," he grinned, "you do love me?"
She didn't answer.
She just buried her face in his chest.
Later, he carried her to bed and lay beside her, embracing her.
As she sighed and played with his hair, her voice trembled.
"Do you know the cure?"
He avoided her eyes.
"Ash… please…"
Her voice broke.
She cried silently into his shoulder.
"Are you punishing me, Asher? Is that why you brought me back?"
He said nothing.
Her fists pounded weakly against his chest—helpless.
She had sworn to protect him. To love him more fiercely than death itself.
And for that—
She needed to know.
"Who were the other six souls who prayed for my return?" she mumbled.
Asher sighed.
"I only know who the fifth soul is. I never saw the rest."
"How can you possibly not know?" she grumbled.
He smiled faintly.
"Sera, the fifth, brought five more prayers with her. I never saw their faces."
She listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat—
And believed him.
It beat truthfully.
Only for her.
And that heartbeat lulled her to sleep..