Promise

Klaus opened his eyes inside the sleeping pod. With a hiss, it slid open, and he jumped out, getting dressed at record speed. Without a moment's hesitation, he vanished from his mansion, leaving only a letter behind.

Appearing near the academy, he looked around, scanning for Effie and Kai. Only Kai was there, standing awkwardly.

Klaus frowned. "Where's the glutton?"

Kai raised an eyebrow in confusion before his eyes widened in realization. He coughed into his fist, looking away. "Ahem... Uhm... I forgot that Effie lives with Sunny, so... you know... And she can't really move around freely."

Klaus stared at him blankly, dumbfounded. Then why the hell did he say to meet at the academy? And why did that glutton agree?!

"Fucking hell... Let's go. She tricked us. Haha, very funny... Bitch."

He grabbed Kai, and they vanished. Teleporting straight to his garage, Klaus sighed. The academy and his mansion were only a few kilometers apart, so it wasn't exhausting, but he was beyond tired. Weeks of constant travel—from the Sky Below to the Chain Isles, then disguising himself as Kate, then running to the Fire Keepers, then back to the Sanctuary of Noctis—had drained him. His essence recovery wasn't keeping up, and he had never truly restored all his energy.

"I marked this location," Klaus clarified, opening the door of his PTV and sliding inside. Kai blinked at him in surprise before getting in too, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"I didn't know you were that rich. If Sunny was here, he'd be drooling all over your dashboard."

Klaus shrugged, starting the engine and driving toward Sunny's house.

As they arrived, Effie opened the door, giggling.

"You guys actually fell for it, huh?"

Kai sighed and walked inside while Klaus just stared at her, unimpressed. She grinned and leaned back.

"Heh, aren't I charming?"

Klaus grinned back, ruffling her hair. "How cute. Let's race with wheelchairs later, but for now, let's get down to business."

She sighed, stuffing her mouth with snacks. "How do we even check if they're alive or not? Their bodies are fine, but their souls are in the Dream Realm. It's impossible to tell whether they're alive or not. So what now?"

Kai nodded, his expression tense. "That's true. We have no way to know."

Klaus, meanwhile, had already raided the fridge, sipping orange juice cheerfully. Ahh, this was the best.

Kai and Effie stared at him, dumbfounded. Well, mostly Kai. One of them was eating, and the other was drinking—when they were supposed to be in a hurry.

Klaus chuckled, patting Kai's shoulder. "No worries. Just relax, darling. I have a way."

They glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed him. Klaus walked through the house, his Divine Eyes of Void analyzing everything. Damn, why did that idiot need this much protection? Was he that paranoid? Petty + spiteful + paranoid = annoying little gremlin, huh?

He made his way to the basement, finding Sunny's sleeping figure. Behind him, Miseria appeared like a wraith, floating ominously.

Klaus sighed. "Alright, let's do this."

Miseria cut Sunny's arm—but no blood flowed. Klaus frowned. Annoyed, he grabbed his arm, but—what the hell? Why was he that durable? It felt like Sunny's bones were made of steel, and his blood was some introverted bastard refusing to leave the house.

"Well… whatever."

Instead, he cut some of Sunny's hair and took a small piece of flesh from his arm.

Kai immediately grabbed Klaus's wrist in alarm. "What are you doing?"

Klaus gave him a flat look and shook him off. "I need his hair and flesh to check. So shut up and let me work. Don't interrupt me."

Hesitantly, Kai backed down, sighing.

Klaus got to work, drawing a ritualistic circle around Sunny, placing the hair and flesh inside, and pouring soul essence into it. Miseria floated to the center, acting as a conduit, as black smoke began to rise from the circle like it was burning. Soon, thick walls of smoke enclosed Miseria entirely.

Klaus waited patiently while Kai and Effie were as horrified as they were in awe. This looked nothing like lightning and wind abilities—this was straight-up sorcery.

Effie was confused, but Kai wasn't. He knew Klaus was lying about a lot of things. The Forgotten Shore had taught him that much—or, more specifically, Sunny had taught him too much about lies. The truth was a funny thing. One person's truth was another's lie. If Klaus believed that memories were part of his power, then for him, it was the truth. At the end of the day, personal truth was just an opinion.

But he didn't voice his thoughts. It didn't feel right. Klaus never asked them about their abilities, so why should they ask about his?

Effie, meanwhile, didn't care. Klaus seemed funny enough, and by the looks of it, he was Cassia's friend. That was enough for her.

Meanwhile, Miseria shared her vision with Klaus. It showed Sunny... sleeping with the Lost? What the hell was he doing cuddling with those miserable bastards? And where the hell was Cassia?!

Klaus exhaled slowly. "This idiot..."

Klaus, Kai, and Effie made their way to Klaus's precious PTV after leaving Sunny's house. Their destination? Cassia's place. Well, technically, Klaus walked while Kai pushed Effie's wheelchair.

Klaus shot a glance at Effie and scowled. "Still eating? Was the prank not enough?"

His expression shifted as an idea struck him, his eyes widening with wicked glee. A slow, smug grin spread across his face. He turned toward Effie, voice dripping with mock surprise.

"Wow, Effie. What are you doing? Out for a walk?"

Effie's hand stilled mid-snack. She threw a disgusted look his way before chucking a half-eaten protein bar straight at his face. "Oh, you're hilarious, Klaus. You should do stand-up—preferably in front of a moving truck."

Kai, meanwhile, was frozen in place, eyes darting between the two. "Uh… wasn't that a little harsh?"

Klaus merely smirked as he slid into the driver's seat. Effie was in the back, fiddling aggressively with her seatbelt. She giggled suddenly and peered at Klaus.

"Hey, Klaus. Your seatbelt doesn't work right."

Klaus's eye twitched. "The hell it doesn't." He pressed harder on the accelerator, muttering darkly under his breath. "My majestic PTV is flawless. Flawless, I say. You must have broken it. You barbarian woman!"

Effie gasped in exaggerated offense. "How dare you! I am a delicate flower."

"Yeah, one that crushes buildings," Klaus shot back, lighting a cigarette with a dramatic flick. He took a deep drag and exhaled, voice dripping with faux indifference. "Besides, what's gonna happen to you that hasn't already?"

Effie clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes, while Kai sat awkwardly in silence, his jaw practically unhinged in horror. He slowly turned to Effie. "I think he just cursed you."

Klaus ignored them, pulling up to Cassia's house with the elegance of a man who believed parallel parking was beneath him. He stepped out, leaving Kai and Effie behind.

The door opened to reveal a striking woman who bore a strong resemblance to Cassia. Her eyes immediately narrowed when she saw Klaus.

"Klaus, dear," she greeted, voice laced with suspicion. "To what do I owe the… sudden visit?"

Klaus gave her his most charming smile, the kind that had conned merchants out of entire inventories. "Came to see my darling, of course. My fair lady."

Cassia's mother sighed, rubbing her temples. "You sound like an aristocrat who lost a bet and had to join a traveling circus."

Klaus patted his chest dramatically. "You wound me."

Still unconvinced, she let him in. He followed her upstairs to Cassia's room, where she lay motionless, still trapped in the Dream Realm. Cassia's mother hesitated at the door, worry flickering in her eyes.

"Klaus… be honest. Is she okay?"

Klaus's smirk softened. "I can't give details, but let's just say she found some trouble. Nothing she can't handle. You know, I'm kinda a devil—"

"Oh, trust me, I know—"

He raised a hand to stop her. "—And devils never break contracts. So if you want, let's make one."

She arched a brow. "A contract?"

Klaus's gaze remained fixed on Cassia, his expression unreadable. "I'll bring her back to you. No matter what. It might take time, but believe in her. She's your daughter. And honestly? I don't think there's anyone stronger than her."

Cassia's mother pressed her lips together before nodding. "Fine. I'll hold you to that." She left, giving him space.

Klaus exhaled, turning his attention to the empty air beside Cassia. His voice dropped to a murmur.

"All right, Miseria. Let's get started."