Chapter 299: I Promise

Sebastian knelt beside the chair where Damian sat, his hands glowing green as he ran diagnostic scans.

Luna stood near the doorway, unable to come closer.

Her innate skill picked up everything radiating from Damian. The guilt, the self-hatred, the fear and the exhaustion that went beyond physical tiredness. Emotions crashing over each other in waves that made her breathing rough.

Even from several meters away, it was overwhelming.

"Damian..."

Her whisper came out broken, tears streaming down her pale face.

’What happened to you in that portal?’

Sebastian’s hands moved methodically, checking for injuries and assessing damage. His expression stayed professional but his eyes showed concern.

After a moment, Damian’s head turned slightly and his crimson eyes found Sebastian’s face.

"...Uncle."

The word came out flat and mechanical, but the recognition was still there.

"Shhh." Sebastian’s voice was gentle. "Let me check if there are any issues. Don’t move."

Damian went still again, his gaze drifting away to track things that weren’t there.

Kuro emerged from Damian’s shadow, the raven’s blood-red eyes were wet, his form trembling as he materialized.

’Stupid human finally safe. Finally with family. Kuro tried... Kuro tried so hard...’

The raven’s thoughts were grief-stricken and exhausted from watching his bonded partner descend into madness.

Kuro flew across the room and landed on Luna’s shoulder, his talons gripping carefully. He pressed his head against her cheek, his body shaking.

Luna raised one hand and stroked his feathers mechanically, her eyes never leaving Damian.

"It’s okay, Kuro. We are here now."

Her voice was hollow.

’Not okay! Human’s mind broken! Kuro’s human not seeing right! Not thinking right!’

The raven made soft distressed sounds, but no words came out. Only Damian could hear his mental voice, and Damian wasn’t listening to him right now.

Sebastian stood up after several minutes, his diagnosis complete.

He didn’t explain anything. He just looked at Damian once more, his composure cracking slightly.

Luna saw him stand and couldn’t wait anymore.

She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Damian, pressing her face against his shoulder.

"...fault... too slow... sorry... couldn’t save... my fault..."

Damian’s muttering continued, his voice flat and distant.

Luna pulled back just enough to look at his face.

She raised both hands and placed them on his cheeks, turned his face toward hers.

"Damian."

His crimson eyes found hers.

"...Luna?"

His voice came out broken and confused, like he wasn’t sure if she was real.

"Yes... It’s me... I’m here."

Her hands stayed on his face, thumbs brushing against his cheekbones.

"Luna... I... she said... Nera said I was too slow and... and I couldn’t... I tried but..."

His words tumbled out fractured and incoherent.

"Shhh... I know~ I know~"

"You don’t... you don’t understand... I killed them all and she... she won’t stop saying... won’t stop telling me..."

His breathing became ragged.

"Do you remember when I used to have nightmares? When I was little?"

He blinked, trying to focus on her words through whatever else he was seeing.

"I... yeah... you’d scream and..."

"And you’d come running to me, every single time."

A tear fell from her chin onto his knee.

"You never complained... You’d just climb into my bed and hold my hand and you’d say... you’d always say..."

"I’m right here," Damian whispered, the words automatic, pulled from memory. "Nothing can... nothing can get you while I’m..."

His voice broke completely.

"I’m right here, Damian." Luna’s voice was shaking. "Nothing can get you while I’m here... That’s how it works, right? You taught me that."

"Luna... I can’t... I keep seeing her and she keeps... she won’t stop..."

"I know... But I’m real... Can you feel my hands? I’m real."

She took his hand and laced her fingers through his.

"You’re... you’re real."

"Yes, I’m real.. And I’m not going anywhere... Whatever you’re seeing...ignore that. Focus on me, I’m here, right here with you..."

Damian’s eyes filled with tears.

"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry... I didn’t mean to... I didn’t want to..."

"You don’t have to be sorry... Not to me, NEVER to me... Okay?"

"Everyone died and I... I ate them... I ate the monsters and I became a monster and she died because I wasn’t fast enough and... Nera said–"

The words spilled out broken and desperate, years of trauma from two lifetimes crashing together.

"You’re NOT a monster. You’re MY Damian... And I’m YOUR Luna... That’s all that matters."

"I can still taste the blood... I can still see her face when I... when I..."

Luna pressed her forehead against his.

"Then look at me instead. Just look at me... Just me~"

Damian’s tears started falling, streaming down his face, mixing with the dried blood and dirt still covering him.

"I’m tired, Luna. I’m so tired of... of everything... of seeing things that aren’t there and hearing... hearing her tell me I’m worthless and..."

"You’re not worthless. You saved forty people and you saved them when no one else could."

"But two hundred ten died! Two hundred ten people died and I couldn’t... I should have... everyone around me dies! Just like Nera!"

His voice broke into sobs.

"You can’t save everyone... No one can save everyone. And you don’t need to save ANYONE... you just need to save yourself, you are not some stupid saviour!"

"I tried... I tried so hard..."

"I know you did. I know~"

His hand tightened around hers, his whole body starting to shake with sobs he’d been holding back.

Luna just held him, one hand still on his face, the other gripping his hand.

"It’s okay. You can cry now. You’re safe. You can stop fighting now."

Something shifted in the air around them.

Luna didn’t notice it at first as she was too focused on Damian and too desperate to help him somehow. Her entire being was concentrated on a single thought and a single desperate need

’Please calm down. Please be okay. Please stop hurting.’

Her SSS rank innate skill responded to that intent.

For the first time, the empath skill that had only ever worked one way and only ever allowed her to feel what others felt, suddenly reversed direction.

A warm, soothing presence began flowing from Luna into Damian through their connected hands, through her forehead pressed against his and through every point of contact between them.

Calm washing over chaos, safety pushing back against terror and love countering the self-hatred that had been drowning him.

Luna didn’t understand what was happening. She just knew that something felt different, that the overwhelming storm of Damian’s emotions battering against her senses was beginning to quiet.

And something in Damian broke.

All the control he’d been clinging to, all the walls he’d built, all the desperate attempts to stay functional despite his shattered mind.

It all came crashing down.

He cried like he hadn’t cried ever since the night he broke down in front of Nera’s body. Deep, wrenching sobs that tore out of his chest, his body curling forward and his face pressing against Luna’s shoulder.

Luna wrapped both arms around him and held on tight, that strange warmth continuing to flow from her without conscious thought.

"I’ve got you~ I’ve got you~ You’re safe now."

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry..."

"Shhh... No more apologizing. Just... just rest."

His sobs gradually became quieter, exhaustion finally winning over everything else. But more than exhaustion, something else was pulling him down.

A gentle pressure that felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket, like the world was finally allowing him to let go of the weight he’d been carrying.

His grip on her hand stayed tight even as his breathing started to even out.

"Luna..."

"I’m here."

"Don’t... don’t leave..."

"I won’t... I promise."

The chaotic storm of his emotions, the hallucinations, the fragmented thoughts, all of it began settling like disturbed water finally going still.

His eyes were closing, consciousness finally giving up and his body slumping against her.

"...thank you..."

The words were barely a whisper.

Then his breathing deepened, his hand still holding hers and his face still pressed against her shoulder.

Asleep...

Finally, mercifully asleep.

Luna didn’t move as she just held Damian, tears still streaming down her face with Kuro pressed against both of them.