23: The truth must stay hidden from Void

Maria, when she was pregnant with Void and Vivienne, sat on a wooden rocking chair, singing a sweet lullaby in her soothing voice. Suddenly, she started feeling pain in her stomach and called out for her husband, Winter.

"Winter! Winter! Please call the doctor!" she cried out in pain, grabbing her stomach. "Ahhh!" Maria groaned as Winter walked in, hiding his dark intentions while playing the part of a caring husband. He rushed towards Maria.

"Call the doctors! Marcus!" Winter shouted, helping her lay on the bed. "Maria, stay with me, okay? Don't worry, everything will be fine," he reassured her, while thinking to himself, "It's okay, Winter. You just have to act caring for now. Once the child is born, I'll have my strength back! Control over natural mana, and I'll be the strongest. Hehe!"

Later, Maria's delivery took place, and she was blessed by God with two kids. Due to the delivery, Maria was worn out and fell asleep.

Winter saw this as a chance to get his task done. He checked both Vivienne and Void. Vivienne bore her mother's features and affinity, but Void had the ice affinity, which was Maria's.

"No! No! No! No!" Winter exclaimed, frustrated, angry, and annoyed. "I wasted years for this! Even if that's the case, I can't let this failure stay here. They'll ruin my whole plan!" Winter called out for two people, a man and a woman. "Take both of my children and run away! Even if you don't take care of them, it's fine. Just take them away. Don't worry about the money." He handed them two bags.

"I guess this is enough for you, right?" With a nod, the man took the bags while the woman went to pick up the children. She picked up little Void, who was sleeping, but as she tried to pick up little Vivienne, Maria woke up. As she woke up, she picked up Vivienne and held her close.

"Who are you? And where are you taking my child? Stop!" Maria tried to stop them, but the woman ran away with Void. Maria tried to stop her, but in her exhausted condition, her body couldn't keep up. "Wait, please don't take him away. Please," Maria cried. Winter, acting as if he cared, stopped her as she was about to jump out of the window to save her child.

"My child!" Maria's heart was aching. I wanted to run to save my child, but My body wouldn't move. my mind and heart were screaming to chase the woman, but I couldn't. Maria emerged from the wild nightmare of her life, wiping her tears.

"It was hard for me to stop thinking about that day and later because of that, I started distancing myself from Winter, too, which led him to cheat on me and run away with another woman. I was starting to lose myself, so I came back to my mother's place. But as I was leaving…" Maria went into another flashback.

"Wait, Maria!" Void's grandmother and Maria's mother-in-law, Eira Frost, called out, walking with a rusted old katana in her hands towards Maria, who was leaving with little Vivienne sleeping in her arms.

"This is the symbol of our family. Even though you're no longer part of our family, I feel like this will be safe with you. My Frost has ended with losing you and Winter's betrayal!" Eira said with a sad voice, full of motherly affection and sympathy towards Maria.

"But mother, I can't take this. It's…" Maria tried to refuse, but Eira stopped her, placing the blade in her hands.

"Trust me, dear. This blade and the one who holds it will be your blood. It may sound stupid, but I have a feeling this blade will bring your child back!" Maria emerged from her flashback.

"It sure did, Mother-in-law! I found my long-lost child that day. Without knowing he was mine, I brought him home and started raising him. You were right. The blade is in the hands of my blood, in the hands of my Void! The day the blade awakened, it brought my child back to me, my long-lost happiness, my vengeance, everything.

Even though he is not fully aware that he is my child, I am beyond happy that he is with me. Thank you, mother, for trusting me with the blade!" Maria joined her hands, thanking Eira for entrusting her with the family's pride. Finally, she went to sleep peacefully, waiting for the sunrise so she could see her child again.

The next day, while Void, Cassey, and Arcane were leaving to go back, Void walked out in his new blue gothic attire, with an overcoat as it was cold.

Void came out of his room, ready to leave, when he saw Arcane and Cassey rushing towards him. "Master, Void! Hide, don't go outside!" they said urgently.

"What? Why?" Void asked. "What's wrong outside? Is the ride not ready yet?" he asked casually.

"No, master, we are under attack. There are intruders, and there's a tall woman seeking you. Aoi is fighting her. We were told to hide you until reinforcements come. Please take this seriously!" Cassey said.

"Yeah, there's a creepy woman with bad intentions towards you!" Arcane added.

As they spoke, the sound of footsteps came closer. A girl with white hair, black glasses, eyes like the abyss, wearing a black overcoat and white gothic attire, walked towards Void. "Who did you call a creepy woman, you pathetic fool? I have a name. I'm Zoe Luanria, daughter of Kaylani Luanria an honored drago…" As Zoe was speaking, Void interrupted her.

"Oh! Nice to meet you. I'm Void Middletown, son of Maria Middletown," Void said in a calm, gentle tone, with a bright smile on his face. Cassey and Arcane banged their heads against the wall, having forgotten that Void was raised in a family of the cruelest mafia lords. Of course, fear was a foreign word to him.

"I'm here to kill you, idiot!" Zoe said, annoyed and offended by Void's mocking. "Don't take me lightly. I am a very dangerous woman!" In her mind, she thought, "Why is he so calm and acting like this is nothing new for him? I've never seen a man act so calm and charming… What am I thinking? He's the spitting image of Winter! Focus, Zoe!"

"I see, I believe you. It's just that today, I'm not in the mood. Let's fight some other day!" Void said, still maintaining a gentle, calm tone and smile on his face, while Arcane was on their knees, trying to understand Void's mentality.

Zoe, feeling mocked even, her death threat was seen as a joke, clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "What do you people take me for? I'm going to cut you into pieces, Void Middletown!" she shouted, charging towards Void, her blade pointing at him.

The unexpected event began.