It's A Trap!

The situation was so absurd that Claude almost wanted to abandon Theo and run away with Dalia, leaving the village and its tangled mess behind.

But when he looked at his mother—the way she looked at him, the way she wanted to reach and touch him—he hesitated.

'Mom really loves that man,' Claude thought, clenching his fists. 

'If they could start fresh without Enzo in the way, she might actually find happiness again.'

As much as he wanted to leave Theo behind, it felt wrong. Theo had done too much for him, sacrificed too much. He couldn't just walk away.

"Sun," Claude said after a moment of deliberation, his tone firm, "I'll go meet him at the forest outskirts. You're coming with me. Order Moon and Star to stay here and protect my mother."

Sun bowed his massive head. "Of course, My Lord. I will carry out your orders." 

Without another word, the chaos hound slipped back into Claude's shadow, his form vanishing as if it had never been there.

Claude exhaled and walked back into the house to help his mother finish packing. 

His eyes fell on the white ceremonial robe hanging in his room. He hesitated before carefully taking it down.

'Mom worked so hard on this. At the very least, I want her to see me wearing it, even if it's only once,' he thought with a pang of guilt.

Once the packing was done, Claude turned to his mother.

"Mother," he said gently, "you should leave the village now and wait for me at the gate. I need to find Theo first."

"Theo come too?" Dalia's expression shifted to one of surprise and worry. "But why do we need to separate? Can't I come with you?"

Claude hesitated but eventually nodded. "Yes… I mean, he is my father—the one who passed this dark affinity on to me."

"I know my power because of him and he has become my teacher since then. The idea of us running away is his plan too," he explained. 

Dalia froze, her eyes widening in shock. "You… You know he is your father?" she whispered, covering her mouth with trembling hands.

"Of course I know, Mother," Claude replied, rolling his eyes but softening his tone. "Look at him, and look at me. We're practically twins."

Dalia's face crumpled, guilt and shame flooding her expression. "Claude… I'm so sorry," she murmured, her voice trembling. 

"If only I hadn't cheated… or at least left your father and started fresh with Theo, you might've had the father you deserve." Her hands, visibly shaking, fidgeted nervously.

"All this mess happened because of me. I'm a bad mother… no, a bad person," she said, her voice cracking as she fought back tears. "I'm so sorry."

"Mother…" Claude stepped forward, placing a steady hand on her trembling shoulder. 

Seeing his mother look so small and fragile tore at him.

"I feel lucky to have been born and to have a mother like you," he said, his voice gentle but firm.

Dalia stared at him, her disbelief etched in her wide eyes.

"I've forgiven you," Claude continued with a reassuring smile. 

"And I promise, we'll start fresh as a family after we leave this town together."

Her tears spilled freely as she wiped at her face, unable to hold back the sobs. "Thank you, Claude. I'm so lucky to have a son like you," she whispered, her words genuine and raw.

He could see the conflict in her—her relief mixed with self-blame. 

In her heart, she wished he would blame her, even just a little, but instead, he taught her the meaning of love without expectation.

Claude gave her shoulders a firm but comforting squeeze. "Now, you need to leave first. I'll catch up after I meet with Theo."

Before she could protest, he snapped his fingers. 

Two towering chaos hounds emerged silently from his shadow, their glowing eyes locking onto Dalia. She gasped, instinctively stepping back.

"These are mine, Mother," he said calmly. "They'll keep you safe."

The hounds, Moon and Star, bowed their heads before sinking seamlessly into her shadow.

Dalia looked at him with a mix of awe and apprehension, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. 

Finally, she nodded, though her expression remained wary.

"You've grown to be a good man, Claude," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Be careful." 

Claude gave her a reassuring smile and watched as she turned and made her way toward the village gate.

Once Dalia was out of sight, Claude's expression hardened. His thoughts turned toward Theo, the cryptic letter, and the tension brewing in the air. 

Something felt off, and the weight of suspicion bore heavily on him.

Pulling his hood over his head, he muttered under his breath, "This better not be a trap."

Sun, silently trailing in his shadow, followed as Claude made his way toward the outskirts of the forest. 

He refrained from using teleportation magic, opting instead to observe his surroundings carefully. 

As they approached the forest, he commanded Sun to scan the perimeter for any suspicious movements.

As soon as his boots touched the forest floor, the atmosphere shifted. The air grew dense and stifling, like stepping into thick mud. 

A sickening, suffocating sensation crept over him.

Claude stiffened, recognizing the oppressive feeling immediately. 

The stronger his connection to darkness became, the more acutely he could sense the presence of holy power.

"Damn it… this is a trap," he hissed, his heart pounding. "Sun, help me get out of here."

Sun emerged from his shadow, its fluid form gliding silently. But before either could act, an arrow tore through the air toward them. 

Sun instantly melded back into the shadows, narrowly dodging the projectile.

The arrow struck the forest with devastating force, ripping through trees and leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

Claude's eyes widened as he stared at the destruction. His chest tightened. "That was way too close…" he murmured, scanning the area for the attacker.

A figure stepped forward, radiating a blinding, golden light. Dressed in pristine white robes, the man held a massive bow of pure light in his hand. 

His piercing golden eyes and short white hair made him look otherworldly—majestic, like a celestial being descended from the heavens.

Claude's blood ran cold. This was no ordinary adversary.

"One of the Seven Saints…" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The figure was Aether, a saint of Euthymia, and his very presence exuded danger. 

The air around him felt heavy, his overwhelming holy power pressing down on Claude like an invisible weight.

Claude's instincts screamed at him to run. Now.

Behind Aether stood a familiar figure—Nadia.

"You were right. There's a daemon here," Aether said, his voice calm but laced with authority.

Nadia nodded solemnly. "Yes, Your Holiness. I've always believed it. I did everything I could to convince the cardinal."

Aether chuckled, a hint of mockery in his tone. "That old man? Pessimistic as ever. But… this daemon is different from what you described." His golden eyes locked onto Claude. 

"He's weak. I can barely sense his darkness."

Claude's mind raced, piecing together the situation. His heart twisted with hatred. Enzo must have tipped them off. 

'That bastard sold me out!'

But amidst the fury, another thought bubbled to the surface—questions.

Claude clenched his fists, his voice sharp and demanding. "Where is Theo?!"

Aether smirked, effortlessly pulling back the glowing string of his bow. "Who's Theo? Is that one of the men I killed not long ago?" He glanced at Nadia, who confirmed with a small nod.

Claude's chest tightened, his rage threatening to consume him. "You're lying, you bastard!"

Aether raised an eyebrow, a mocking chuckle escaping his lips. His arrogance was palpable. 

"Lying? Do you even know who I am? I am Aether, one of the Seven Saints. I do not lie."

The weight of Aether's words hit Claude like a stone. Could Theo really be dead?

The saint's power was overwhelming, a force Claude had never encountered before. 

While Theo was the strongest man he knew, even his strength might have paled against the might of a saint.

Claude shook his head, trying to drown out the pain tightening his chest. "Damn it…" he hissed under his breath.

But there was no time to linger on his anguish. Survival was the only option.

Running felt like failure, like he was abandoning the chance to avenge his father, but Claude was a man of reason. 

Even as his heart screamed for vengeance, he knew the truth: he wouldn't win. Not against a saint.

And he couldn't die. Not now. His mother was waiting for him.

'I'm sorry, Theo,' he thought bitterly, his glare locked on Aether. 'But I'll kill this bastard one day, once I'm strong enough.'

"Teleportation," Claude murmured, his voice steady, as he began to warp toward the village gate.

But Nadia acted swiftly, her voice ringing out. "I won't let you escape! Holy Chains!"

Golden chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around Claude's arms and legs. The metal burned his skin, searing him as he struggled in vain.

"Goddess Eunomia," Aether prayed, his bow glowing brighter. "Guide your children and purge this darkness."

The arrow in Aether's bow grew, its golden light radiating power and divine judgment.

Claude gritted his teeth, his breaths shallow as he tried to remain calm. The massive arrow was moments away from piercing him.

"Sun," he whispered through clenched teeth. "Use your shadow—entangle me!"

Sun obeyed, emerging from the darkness were shadows in the form of hands coiling around the chains in an attempt to dissolve them. 

But the holy chains resisted, their radiant energy too strong.

Claude's eyes darted toward the blinding arrow now inches from his face. His mind screamed at him to think of something—anything—but time had run out.

The light consumed his vision, and he braced himself for the inevitable.