Chapter 208: No Regrets

Now it was Bastet’s turn to be surprised. But she only nodded and said no more. However, her attention remained focused, intent on learning more about her master and also his race and their quirks.

Kaiden then turned his gaze back to Damian.

"Just because we erased the past doesn’t mean it never happened. I did help your sister become a pornstar. A damn famous one, too. Many know her name now."

Aria flinched at that, looking at Kaiden with eyes that were asking why he was trying to add fuel to the fire. But, despite her reservations, she didn’t interrupt. She trusted her Paragon of Sin too much for that.

Kaiden continued. "I don’t want forgiveness because of what we did today. That would be shallow. I want something deeper."

He stepped a fraction closer.

"I want you to accept your sister. All of her. Not just the parts you’re proud of. Not parts you remember from the past. I want you to accept the choices she made, the dignity she defined on her own terms, the woman she became and will become. And I want you to accept me for who I am. No filter. No niceties. That’s why I’m not going to bring up useless excuses. ’It is what it is,’ that’s all I’ll say."

He didn’t smile.

He didn’t ask.

He just stood there, truth laid bare between them.

Damian’s face twisted.

His shoulders hunched. His fists clenched so tight his nails bit into his palms. His voice broke out in a sharp, bitter roar.

"Why the hell are you so nonchalant about this all?! ’It is what it is?!’ Really?!"

His outburst echoed through the pristine hallway, shocking even the nearby maids.

"Look at where we are! Look at us! In some creepy-ass shadow manor surrounded by magical wards and secrecy because we were forced to move here! You know why we had to do that? Because Aria got involved with you! Because of you, our lives were upended! Because of you, someone’s targeting her, and us by proxy, and now we’re living like fugitives just to not be used as blackmail material!"

"Damian!" Aria gasped.

But he didn’t stop.

"We had a normal life! It was not at all perfect, but at least we weren’t hunted! We weren’t wrapped up in awakeners and monsters and whatever this messed-up world of yours is! You dragged us into it! Me, Lux, Mother!"

"Enough!" Aria’s voice cracked like a whip.

She was trembling from frustration.

"I’ve heard enough of this, Damian. Go back to your room. Now. We’re going to talk. Alone."

Damian’s jaw tightened. His glare shifted toward Kaiden, expecting some kind of response. Mockery, smugness, and a "gotcha" expression of victory when his own sister wholly took her boyfriend’s side over his brother’s.

But all he saw...

Was Kaiden, standing still. Calm. Unmoved.

His eyes met Damian’s without showing any of those emotions.

No judgment. No pity. No malice.

Only steady truth.

And then he spoke.

"Everything you just said is true." Kaiden admitted plainly.

Damian’s teeth ground together. That unshakable composure... it infuriated him.

He muttered a curse under his breath, spun on his heel, and stormed off down the hallway. A few moments later, the thunderous slam of a bedroom door rocked the stillness behind them.

Silence returned.

Aria stood still, shoulders tight, face contorted with guilt.

"I..." She looked over her shoulder at Kaiden, eyes glistening. "I’m so sorry, Kai. He doesn’t understand. He’s just scared and angry and-"

Kaiden smiled gently. "It seems you’re worried I’d despise him for how I was treated today, but please cease such senseless thoughts. He’s not wrong to be upset. In fact, I have a good first impression of this kid. I like that he didn’t run away from the conflict. He has some serious Levander backbone in him."

Then, Kaiden turned serious once more.

"All we can do is walk the path we’ve chosen, Aria. No hesitation. No regrets. And maybe, if we keep going at it, one day, he’ll see that the path you chose for yourself was the correct one. Not only for yourself but for your loved ones as well."

Aria’s lip trembled.

Then, suddenly, she bolted forward, her arms wrapping around him tightly while she buried her face into his chest. A choked sob escaped her lips as she held onto him like a lifeline.

Kaiden embraced her quietly, gently stroking her back with one hand and her head with the other.

They resumed as such for over a minute, the other 3 ladies quietly letting Aria have her moment with Kaiden in peace. They knew she needed it greatly.

Then, Kaiden and the four women resumed their quiet journey through the twisting upper halls of the Ashborn manor.

The incident with Damian left behind a lingering tension, but no one commented on it anymore. Aria walked beside Kaiden, her hand in his.

As they climbed the final flight of stairs and turned down the right corridor...

... the atmosphere shifted.

Visibly.

Tangibly.

The elegant architecture of the Ashborn estate didn’t change, but the air itself felt like it had. Dark shadows clung to the corners unnaturally. The temperature dropped. The candles lining the walls flickered without a breeze, their flames quivering.

Whispers slithered through the hallway like ghostly vines.

"Kai... Kai... Kai..."

A cold chill ran up Nyx’s spine. "Okay. No. This is cursed."

Luna squinted suspiciously at the door at the end of the corridor. "Don’t tell me this is Alice doing this?"

"Is this her room?" Aria asked warily, already preparing a spell in her palm.

Bastet was even more alert than the other three. Her tail was still. Ears stiff. The Ra-Blessed Felinid felt like she was in the vicinity of a truly unhinged creature that was best avoided.

Kaiden, however, didn’t stop.

He simply kept walking, unbothered by the unnatural ambiance, unflinching in the face of the palpable hatred.

Because he recognized it.

It wasn’t hostile magic.

It was just the temper tantrum of a very, very emotional girl.

He walked up to the door and knocked once.

A voice inside exploded instantly, venomous and shrill:

"DIE ALREADY, YOU UGLY BITCH! I SWEAR I’LL BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO MURDER YOU IN A YEAR’S TIME! YOU HEAR ME?! I SWEAR ON MY LIFE!"

The girls exchanged glances with one another as they felt a shiver running up each of their spines.

Luna opened her mouth. "Uhh, Kaiden..."

But he didn’t even say a word.

He just chuckled.

And instantly, the entire aura evaporated as if it never existed.

The shadows lifted.

The hallway was filled with the smell of spring.

The candles burned steady and warm.

The world outright blossomed.

From the other side of the door, a joyful scream blasted through:

"KAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!"

The door slammed open as if it had been kicked by a rocket.

Alice launched herself through the door and then the hall like a missile, colliding with Kaiden. She crashed into his chest like a wrecking ball made of sparkles and shrieks, arms wrapping around him as she nuzzled like an affectionate fox.

Kaiden stumbled back, catching her with a grunt of effort, but not surprise.

He simply smiled, wrapping his arms around her shoulders with quiet fondness.

Behind him, his Valkyries stood stunned.

Alice’s aura held one powerful truth to it:

No matter how much power he gained...

No matter how many enemies he overcame...

No matter how many adoring women clung to his name...

Kaiden would always be her big brother.

And heaven help the world if anyone dared take that away from her.

...

Now, it was time for Kaiden to get scolded very harshly and also to see just what kind of a room Alice might have!