Lovers Quarrel?

Klaus groaned as Lich worked on him, his breath ragged. His arms had been torn off and half of his body was burned. but there was no need to panic. Lich was a scholar and master of unorthodox and demonic sorceries—this was well within his expertise. And Hemera was there, too. She wasn't yet strong enough to regenerate limbs, but his beautiful phoenix could mend his body if Lich reattached his arms.

"Ughhh… fuck!"

He hissed as the final stitches pulled his flesh together, Lich's eerie essence binding his limbs back into place. Hemera's purifying light flickered across the dark living quarters of the flying vessel, casting long, wavering shadows.

Klaus forced himself upright, shifting to sit on the worn-out couch. His upper body was bare, covered in dried blood and half-healed wounds. His fingers twitched—unresponsive, sluggish. Not battle-ready yet, but it didn't matter.

He grinned through the discomfort, throwing his head back in a rough, breathless laugh.

"Fuck it! It worked! Hahaha! Yes! Yes! Suck on that, Cormac, you miserable little shit!"

His arms felt foreign, like dead weight. It would take time, but that didn't concern him. He had a Nightmare ahead. His spirit body and physical body would fuse, and with it—a new body, free of these limitations. No problems. No setbacks.

---

Outside, on the upper deck of the flying vessel, the Zakharov siblings, Nephis's cohort, and Saint Tyris sat around a steaming pot of stew that Effie had cooked. Conversation had died after Tyris explained the situation. The weight of it lingered in the air like an omen.

Tatiana, however, was seething. Why had Tyris revealed so much to these people? What right did they have to know? It made her stomach churn.

Across from them, Sunny leaned back, arms crossed, a mocking grin playing on his lips. His eyes, however, burned with barely restrained fury.

"Oh? Your brother lost his arms? What a tragedy." His smirk widened. "Tell me, what can he do now?"

Noah barely spared him a glance, his cold gaze like a blade against Sunny's smugness. His voice was calm, detached.

"You should take a moment to realize that the only reason you're still breathing is because of my brother. And you'd do well to remember your place." He exhaled. "Losing arms is nothing to Klaus."

That struck a nerve. Sunny's expression twisted, his restrained rage finally snapping free.

"None of this would've happened if it wasn't for your 'glorious' brother! He manipulated me into doing his bidding! Do you think I'm just going to thank him and move on!? I should slit—"

Tatiana moved before he could finish.

Her fist connected with his jaw, a sickening crack echoing through the deck. Sunny stumbled, a strangled grunt escaping him—only for her boot to slam into his ribs, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"Say one more word about harming my brother," Tatiana seethed, her voice low and venomous, "and I will kill you and everyone you know, you filthy maggot."

Noah grabbed her arm before she could strike again, his grip firm. Tyris tensed, ready to intervene. Cassia rushed forward, kneeling beside Sunny, her gaze flickering up to Tatiana as she sighed.

"Enough, Tatiana. This isn't the time to fight. And Klaus is still…" She hesitated. "Sigh… what he did wasn't—"

Tatiana cut her off, eyes blazing.

"My brother saved your worthless lives, you ungrateful bastards! Do you think this is his fault? Huh? Even if it were, no one forced you to go to the Night Temple! No one forced you to unleash that abomination! Who do you think you are, acting self-righteous now?! You did it because of your own greed!" She scoffed. "What sane person walks into a temple guarded by a Valor Clan's Saint, two Masters, and a hundred Awakened just for some scraps of knowledge and knife? You brought this upon yourselves! So shut your rotten mouth!"

Noah exhaled, stepping in. Isaac moved beside him, holding Tatiana back. His gaze swept across the gathered Awakened, his voice measured, level.

"She's not wrong. Our family now has to withstand the full wrath of the Valor Clan while you all remain safe. Even if they interrogate you, we will bear the brunt of their fury." He let that sink in. "Negotiations will begin. We will suffer losses. But what matters is that all of us are alive. So take a moment to appreciate that, Sunless."

Sunny's jaw tightened. He wanted to argue, to lash out, but he couldn't. Because Noah was right. No one had forced him to enter the Night Temple. No one had made the choice for him.

Noah turned his attention to Cassia, his voice softer but still firm.

"And Lady Cassia," he continued, "I hope you won't be too harsh on my brother. He wouldn't have sacrificed this much for just anyone. It was for you that he went to such extremes."

Cassia hesitated. She wanted to refute it, to push back, but the words caught in her throat. Because it was true.

And yet…

She clenched her fists. She liked Klaus—a lot. But the more time passed, the clearer it became that he wasn't perfect. He was charming, funny, and pleasant to be around, yes. But he was also ruthless. Cunning. Wicked.

What was the difference between him and Mordret if neither of them had a moral compass?

Maybe Klaus wasn't as malicious, but… still.

He had used a child to win. He had ordered his brother to kidnap Saint Cormac's son, using the boy as leverage. And even when a deal had been reached—when Noah and Cormac had finalized their agreement—Klaus had struck, taking advantage of Cormac's lowered guard to kill him.

An Awakened… killing a Transcendent.

It was absurd.

But what truly shook her wasn't the impossibility of it.

It was the fact that he had done it for her.

She could understand him saving her. But why had he also saved Sunny? Sunny meant nothing to him. Klaus wasn't the type to risk himself—or his family—for just anyone.

So why?

Cassia nodded at Noah and stood up.

"I will take my leave... and check on Klaus, too."

Isaac slid onto the bench beside Kai and Effie, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh? Drama... Hey, do you have popcorn? I think a lover's quarrel is about to start."

Kai frowned, but Effie grinned, nodding in amusement.

Meanwhile, Cassia pushed open the door, her Awakened ability guiding her effortlessly as she glimpsed a few seconds into the future. The blind seer's gaze swept across the room, more for appearances than necessity—she already knew what lay ahead.

Klaus sat slumped on the couch, his body, half burned, slick with sweat, smeared with blood and dust. His arms had been reattached, though the sight of them was unsettling. Now that she thought about it, this was the first time she had ever seen Klaus's bare body. It was... intriguing, to say the least. His skin was marked with inked stories—broken chains coiled around his arms, a black sun with strange, hypnotic patterns etched across his chest. But what truly sent a shiver down her spine was the grotesque yet mesmerizing image on his back: a headless angel with vast, tattered wings, cradling her own severed head in trembling hands, her weeping face frozen in agony.

Cassia exhaled wearily, sinking into a chair. Her wounds had been healed—Hemera's light had worked on both her body and mind—but exhaustion still clung to her bones. She wouldn't pass out, but she was drained nonetheless.

"Klaus... I don't even know what to say."

Klaus, his face unreadable, didn't lift his gaze. His voice was cold.

"Then don't say anything."

She frowned. Stubborn bastard....

"I know what you did."

Klaus smirked and let out a soft, melodic laugh—pleasant, even though he had committed something truly vile.

"Do you? No, sweetheart. You know nothing."

Cassia's arms crossed, her expression hardening. "Why? Why did you kidnap a child? What you did to Cormac was inhuman. Cruel beyond reason.

Klaus grimaced, shaking his head. "Because it wasn't about morality, Cassia. It was about necessity. Your life was on the line, so I did what had to be done. I couldn't afford to gamble with it. As for my siblings and Tyris... they were backup plans. Cormac's son was just another card to play, in case I lost."

Cassia felt sick. The ease with which he spoke about using a child as leverage was... terrifying.

"Why can't you ever do something decent for once?"

Klaus's expression darkened. He spat his next words like venom.

"I did what was necessary to save your life." His voice dropped, something bitter creeping into it. "At the very least, I expected understanding—if not gratitude."

Cassia shot to her feet, looking down at him with a storm brewing in her gaze.

"That doesn't excuse your actions. You could've—gods, I don't know—waited for Sky Tide? Escaped? I never asked for your help, Klaus."

His amethyst eyes gleamed in the dim light as he stared at her, blank and unblinking.

"And? Was I supposed to just wait? Do nothing? No. When I said you were important to me, I meant it. But looking at you now... like I'm some kind of disgusting, wicked beast..." His lips curled. "Do you really think I would have harmed an innocent child?"

Cassia grabbed his face, her fingers twisting into his hair, forcing him to look at her unfocused, bleak eyes.

"I've turned a blind eye to many things, Klaus. I've tried. Gods, I have tried. I looked the other way when you butchered Awakened in your district to seize control. I looked the other way when you made Olivia's life a living hell. I looked the other way when you reveled in cruelty. But tell me—how do you think you deserve my friendship when you've done nothing to earn it?"

She took a breath, her voice softer now, almost pleading. "But you can be better. You can help us. Fight for—"

Klaus shot to his feet, his patience snapping. His voice was sharp with irritation.

"I won't have my hand forced by you or anyone else!"

He could see what she was trying to do. Did she really think she could manipulate him? That she could turn him into one of Nephis's zealots? Nephis was his sister, and he would protect her—but he would never take orders from anyone.

Cassia's face twisted in anger. She shoved him, her frustration spilling over. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air—half his body seared, his newly reattached arms struggling to hold together.

"What is wrong with you?! I'm reaching out to you despite everything, and you still refuse to get out of your own way! Gods, I pity you!"

She turned away, exasperated, throwing her hands up. But in a blink, Klaus was in front of her, blocking her exit, his voice thundering.

"Don't turn your back on me!"

Cassia swung, her fist cracking against his jaw. Klaus didn't flinch. He didn't even react. She shoved him aside, her voice breaking between fury and hurt.

"I should have turned my back on you long ago!"

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her. The room fell into a deafening silence.

Klaus stood there, staring at the door she had disappeared behind, breathing heavily. Then, with a furious snarl, he drove his fist into the wall, sending a tremor through the entire ship.

"Damn it!"