The Demon Castle Dining Hall — Midday
The long obsidian table stretched nearly the length of the hall, lit dimly by floating crimson candles.
A feast of roasted meats, dark wine, and spiced vegetables lay untouched at several ends.
Yuto sat near the middle, uncomfortably wedged between silence and subtle scorn.
To his left, Valek cut into his meat with methodical precision.
He hadn't spared Yuto more than a glance.
After Yuto made him a fool during breakfast.
Next to him, Lucien, the second eldest, leaned lazily on one arm, swirling his wine with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes.
"So," he finally said, voice slick with mockery, "have any more noble girls pledged their eternal love to you lately, little brother?"
Yuto didn't respond, stabbing his fork into a piece of meat and lifting it to his mouth without meeting his brother's gaze.
Irene, the third sibling and eldest sister, snorted.
"Why would they not? He's got Mother's charm, doesn't he?" she said, lacing the word Mother with venom.
"Deceit runs in the blood"
"Enough," murmured Elric, the fourth sibling, quiet, brooding, but no less cold.
He didn't speak often, but when he did, his words cut.
"He's here. We may as well pretend we're a family"
"Pretend being the key word," added Maeve, the second eldest sister, flipping her silvery-pink hair over her shoulder.
Her fork never touched her food.
"Your lover isn't here to shield you today, Yuto"
"Or Mother," muttered Viktor, the fifth brother and the most blunt of the lot.
"Makes you think they don't trust you alone. Can't imagine why"
Yuto gritted his teeth but said nothing.
It was always like this.
Quiet jabs.
Condescending glances.
Silence where there used to be warmth.
They didn't raise their voices, they didn't need to.
The temperature dropped with their presence alone.
Across from him, Selene quietly passed him a slice of bread.
"You're not eating enough," she whispered.
Yuto gave her a faint smile, accepting the bread easily.
Irene saw the exchange and narrowed her eyes.
"Careful, Youngest. You'll catch whatever disease made our mother run off with a human"
The bread in Yuto's hand trembled.
"I said enough," Darius finally growled, but it was too late.
The words had already struck.
Yuto stood, the chair sliding back with a sharp screech.
His eyes narrowed.
His aura surged with rage.
"...You know what?"
The temperature in the dining hall dropped, frost crawling along the silver goblets and plates.
With a cruel grin, Yuto raised both middle fingers.
"Eat shit, you sacks of garbage!"
A heartbeat of silence.
Then—
Viktor lunged over the table first, fists ablaze with crimson flame.
"YOU LITTLE—!"
Yuto met him halfway, armored gauntlet slamming into Viktor's jaw mid-air.
The fifth brother spun, crashing into a stone column that shattered under the impact.
Valek was next.
His blade whispered through the air, slicing down toward Yuto's shoulder.
But Yuto parried with his forearm, demonic armor shrieking as steel met obsidian.
Sparks flew.
Their gazes locked.
Lucien stood leisurely, wine glass still in hand.
"Brothers, please"
Yuto vanished.
A flash of shadow.
He reappeared behind Lucien and drove a brutal elbow into his ribs.
Lucien wheezed, the glass shattering in his hand, blood mixing with the wine.
"Still lazy," Yuto spat.
Elric crept, appearing behind Yuto.
A spear of darkness shot toward his back, fast, precise, lethal.
Selene screamed, "STOP IT!"
But Yuto was already spinning, Mizuki's spirit blade forming in his palm mid-motion.
Steel met darkness with a flash of red light.
The impact cracked the floor beneath their feet, sending energy waves rattling through the hall.
Maeve stood, watching with thinly veiled disgust.
"Animals. All of you"
"You're just mad your gossip's not the center of attention," Yuto growled, dodging a spike of ice she conjured from thin air.
He backflipped, landing beside the broken remains of a candelabra, panting, grinning.
"This is what you all wanted, right?"
Blood dripped from his lip.
Viktor was groaning on the floor.
Valek was breathing heavily.
Lucien clutched his side, eyes sharp now.
"You should be grateful that Selene is here… had she not, I'm not sure any of you would be breathing"
He flared his wings, massive, skeletal, wreathed in violet fire.
The room trembled.
Only Selene moved, running to stand in front of him with arms outstretched.
"Enough, please!" she cried.
Yuto didn't move at first.
His breath fogged the air.
The violet fire curling from his wings flickered, dimming slowly, like dying embers.
His eyes met Selene's, not hostile, not cold.
Just… tired.
He exhaled.
The skeletal wings folded inward, crumbling into smoke and shadow until nothing remained.
"I wasn't going to hurt you," he said quietly.
Selene's voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"I know, brother…"
A beat passed.
"Hah… I'll be in my room"
He turned, boots heavy against the stone as he walked toward the doors.
Behind him, Viktor groaned, blood on his lips.
Valek leaned on his blade, barely upright.
Lucien slumped in his chair, silent for once.
Yuto paused at the threshold.
"Oh—" he said without looking back, "Mother's back"
The doors slammed shut behind him.
The torches lining the walls dimmed, casting elongated shadows across the fractured floor.
Then—
A breeze, soft and fragrant like a blooming nightshade, swept through the hall.
The doors creaked open on their own.
A figure stepped through.
She didn't storm or glide; she simply walked, calm and graceful, as if the chaos meant nothing.
She wore layered black robes etched with lunar silver, her long, dark hair spilling down her back like flowing ink.
Her eyes shone, not with fury, but familiarity.
Love, even.
Silence clung to the siblings.
For the first time in nineteen years, their mother stood before them.
Viktor's jaw clenched.
Valek's grip on his sword trembled.
Lucien lowered his gaze.
Even Maeve's lip curled, but her eyes betrayed something softer, something broken.
Only Selene stepped forward, uncertain.
"I… saw you yesterday," she whispered.
"With Yuto. I didn't have the chance to say anything"
Hayami's eyes met hers gently.
"You've grown, little moon. When I last saw you… You were no bigger than a bundle of silk"
She placed a hand over her chest, expression solemn.
"I remember laying you by Yuto's door and whispering a prayer over your sleeping face. I wondered if you'd ever forgive me for it"
The siblings started, frozen.
"You left us," Viktor said through gritted teeth.
"For nineteen years, we thought you were dead, or worse, forgotten us"
"I didn't forget," Hayami said quietly.
"Not a single one of you"
She stepped forward, unafraid of their bitterness.
"You think I don't understand your anger? I do"
"You deserved a mother who stayed. Who fought harder. Who held your hands when the palace grew cold!"
Her eyes watered, but no tears fell.
"I made a choice, one I regretted every night. But I never stopped watching. Not for a moment"
Lucien's voice was hollow.
"So why now? Why appear in front of him first? Why Yuto?"
Hayami looked toward the hallway Yuto had disappeared into, then back to them.
"Tell me this first… did any of you treat Yuto as a sibling, beside Selene?"
The air in the hall grew thick as the question lingered, cutting through the tense silence.
The siblings stiffened, each grappling with the weight of her words.
Viktor's fists clenched at his sides, but he said nothing.
Valek's eyes darted to the ground, his expression unreadable.
Lucien remained quiet, his gaze fixed on the floor as if searching for something buried deep within it.
Maeve's lip curled in distaste, but even she could not mask the flicker of doubt in her eyes.
Selene's chest tightening at the mention of Yuto's name.
Her voice was soft but steady as she spoke, finally breaking the silence.
"I've always treated him like a brother"
Hayami nodded, her gaze softening.
"I know you have, my little moon. You've been more of a sister to him than any of them could ever be"
The siblings shifted uncomfortably, the truth landing like a heavy stone in the pit of their stomachs.
"You think I didn't see it? The way you looked at him with suspicion, with resentment," Hayami continued, her voice gentle but firm.
"The way you all kept him at arm's length, expecting him to be something he wasn't. Expecting him to be someone he never chose to be"
Her words hit harder than Yuto's fist, and for the first time in years, the siblings found themselves questioning their own actions, their own neglect.
"Yuto has never asked to be more than he is. And he certainly never asked for all of this"
Hayami swept her hand through the air, gesturing to the palace around them, the chaos, the power they were all struggling to control.
"So yes," she said, her eyes now focused on Lucien, "I came to him first. Because I knew he needed someone who saw him as family besides his youngest sister"
There was a flicker of something in Lucien's eyes.
A crack in his armor.
"You may not understand my choices," Hayami continued, "but I made them with love. Even if it was a love that had to remain hidden, out of necessity, out of duty"
"But I am here now. And if you'll allow it, I'll do everything I can to make it right. With all of you"
The words settled in the room like a heavy silence.
The siblings were still, each lost in their thoughts.
Finally, Viktor spoke, his voice low but edged with raw emotion.
"And if we can't forgive you?"
Hayami's gaze softened, her voice tinged with sadness.
"Then I will carry that burden for as long as it takes. But I hope that, in time, we can heal this together"
For a long moment, no one spoke.
For the truth lingered in the air longer than they cared to admit.
Demon Castle — Yuto's Room
Yuto lay still, one arm lazily draped over Mizuki's waist as she nestled against his side.
Her breath was warm against his skin, her presence grounding in the storm of emotions that had yet to fade.
He stared at the ceiling, eyes reflecting the dim flicker of candlelight.
His thoughts weren't on the council, his siblings, or even the political firestorm waiting to erupt.
They were on her.
His mother.
Hayami.
A memory stirred.
A faint lullaby whispered in the dark.
A pair of warm hands brushed his bangs aside as a kiss landed on his forehead.
"Sleep, little one. The stars will guard you"
He swallowed hard.
"Yuto?" Mizuki murmured, her voice barely audible.
"You're tense"
"I'm fine," he lied, voice low.
She shifted to look up at him, her hair cascading over his chest.
"No, you're not"
He exhaled, one hand coming up to trace idle circles across her back.
"She said that she watched over us all this time"
"And do you believe her?"
Yuto was quiet.
"I want to," he said at last.
"Because I don't want to doubt her"
Mizuki leaned up and gently kissed his cheek.
"You don't have to decide right away"
He turned to look at her, eyes finally blinking slowly.
"She chose to appear in front of me first. Do you think that makes the others hate me even more?"
"They already resented you, Yuto. This didn't start today," she said calmly.
"But now they'll have to confront the truth. Maybe for the first time"
"And what if they don't want to?"
Mizuki smiled, bittersweet.
"Then that's their weakness. Not yours"
Silence fell again, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
It was the kind that settled between two people who understood each other too well.
Then—
A knock on the door.
Soft.
Hesitant.
Mizuki sat up slightly, her expression guarded.
Yuto didn't move.
"Come in"
The door creaked open slowly.
Selene stood on the threshold, her eyes unsure, flickering between Yuto and Mizuki.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Can I come in?"
Yuto gave a small nod, gesturing to the chair beside him.
"You don't need to ask"
She crossed the room and sat, folding her hands in her lap.
Her posture was stiff, like a child unsure if she was welcome.
"I just… I wanted to say I'm sorry," she said.
Mizuki tilted her head.
"For what?"
"For the others. I know it's not my apology to give, but… I needed to say it"
Yuto stared at her for a long moment.
Then, without a word, he sat up and reached out, placing a hand gently on her head.
"Selene… this is not your burden to carry"
She blinked fast, her throat tightening as her eyes welled with tears she hadn't expected to shed.
Yuto's hand was warm, steady, just like always.
Just like when they were kids, sneaking out of the palace to catch fireflies under moonlight.
All created with his magic of course, just to make her smile.
"But I care," she whispered.
"I always have"
"I know," Yuto said softly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"That's what makes you different"
She lowered her gaze, but didn't move away from his touch.
The guilt still sat heavy in her chest, but Yuto's words, his presence, made it just a little easier to breathe.
Mizuki watched them quietly, her expression unreadable, but her eyes softened as she saw Selene's shoulders finally relax.
"I want us to be a family," Selene said, voice shaky but earnest.
"I don't care about politics, or powers, or who she saw first. I just… I don't want to lose the only brother I ever truly had"
Yuto's throat tightened, his hand falling back to his lap.
"You won't lose me," he said.
"But I need you to promise me something"
Selene looked up.
"Don't let their bitterness become yours"
There was a pause.
Then Selene nodded.
"I promise"
A long silence passed between the three of them, quiet and sacred.
Then Mizuki spoke, her voice light but firm.
"Well, if that's settled, I suppose we'll need more chairs"
"The way things are going, everyone's going to come crying at your door by sunrise"
Yuto chuckled under his breath.
"I probably have to think of a way to shoo them away"
Selene smiled softly, brushing a tear from her cheek.
"Then I'll help you face it. All of it"
"Of course you would, haha"
They made a few more jokes before they heard a knock on the door.
But this one was different.
Soft.
Steady.
Measured.
And just from the presence alone, Yuto knew who it was.
It wasn't a sibling.
It wasn't a servant.
It was her.
His mother.
Selene stiffened beside him, her earlier calm beginning to unravel.
"She probably came to discuss what happened with the others," Yuto murmured, his voice quieter now, more guarded.
Then, he glanced at the two girls with a weary smile.
"Selene, Mizuki… could you slip out the window for now?"
Mizuki's brow lifted, clearly unimpressed.
"Again with the window?"
Yuto gave a tired shrug.
"It's tradition at this point"
Selene looked toward the door, then back at him.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded.
"Yeah. This is something I need to face on my own"
She hesitated… then slowly rose.
"Alright"
And with that, Mizuki and Selene vanished through the open window, leaving the room in hushed stillness.
The knock came again.
Yuto turned toward the door, heart heavy, and opened it.
There she stood, regal, graceful, and heartbreakingly familiar.
Her eyes searched his face, quiet with emotion.
"May I come in?" she asked softly.
Yuto swallowed the lump in his throat.
"O-of course, mother"
She stepped inside without hesitation, her presence as calm and commanding as ever.
The soft scent of moon blossoms followed her, subtle but grounding.
Yuto closed the door behind her, already bracing himself.
Hayami looked around briefly, the open window, the lingering warmth of others recently present, the quiet tension that hung in the room.
Her gaze returned to her son.
"We need to talk," she said gently, but firmly.
"I figured," Yuto replied, crossing his arms.
"I just spoke with your siblings. Or, rather, they all tried speaking over one another"
Her expression didn't shift, but her tone cooled ever so slightly.
"It seems you caused quite a stir over a meal, of course, I know that's not true"
Yuto exhaled through his nose.
"Of course it's not"
She stepped closer, her eyes studying him carefully.
"Are you alright?"
"I've had worse days," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Not many. But some"
Hayami nodded, then moved to sit on the chair Selene had only just vacated.
"You didn't do anything wrong"
"I know," he said quietly.
He sat down on his bed, getting the pillows behind him and passing one to Hayami so she could put it under her chair.
"Mom… what's this really about?"
Hayami accepted the pillow wordlessly, smoothing it across her lap before settling in.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Her gaze fell to the floor, fingers curling slightly around the fabric, as if anchoring herself.
Then, softly—
"This isn't about your siblings," she said.
"Not really"
Yuto stayed quiet, watching her with cautious eyes.
"It's about me," she continued, lifting her gaze.
"And everything I should have been to you… But wasn't"
Her voice trembled, barely perceptible.
"I left you. I let you grow up without me"
"While I was out fighting in other realms, gathering just enough influence to shield you from behind the curtains… You were alone"
Yuto's throat tightened, but he stayed silent.
"I kept telling myself it was the right thing," she went on, "that if I stayed away, you wouldn't be dragged into the chaos of my world"
"That you'd get to be a child. Just my boy… free"
She let out a bitter, fragile laugh.
"But I was wrong. You still found pain. And when you needed a mother, I wasn't there"
Her voice cracked.
"I wasn't there when you cried at night, and no one came"
Yuto's fingers clenched the blanket beside him.
"Mom—"
"Let me finish," she whispered, her eyes glistening, yet steady.
"Please"
She took a breath, then:
"I knew not being Azazel's child would put you in danger. That your blood alone could start wars"
"So… I had Selene, hoping she'd pacify him. That she'd give me leverage to keep you safe"
Her hands trembled slightly.
"It was selfish of me. I'll apologize to her, too"
"I watched from the shadows like a coward, because I thought that was love"
She drew in another shaky breath.
"I failed you, Yuto. Not because I didn't care… but because I thought that loving you meant sacrificing everything else"
"Including being your mother. And now… I don't even know if I deserve to call myself that"
Silence fell like a curtain between them.
Yuto looked away, swallowing back the storm of words threatening to spill.
When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse.
"Was my father at least… a good man?"
Hayami froze.
"…I don't know anymore," she admitted, barely above a whisper.
"Back then… I thought he was. He was kind, strong, and gentle in the ways I needed. But time… changes things"
Her eyes shimmered.
"I'm sorry," she said, voice breaking.
"I'm sorry, my choices, my selfishness put you through so much"
Yuto stood up, his hands trembling slightly as his mother's words sank in.
The anger that had surged through him earlier faded, replaced by an overwhelming wave of regret.
Without thinking, he stepped forward.
His heart hammered in his chest as he reached for her, his arms enveloping her in a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry, Mom," his voice broke as the first sob escaped him.
"I'm so sorry... I couldn't be there for you, either. I didn't understand"
He held her even tighter, as if trying to convey every feeling he couldn't put into words.
She stiffened for a moment, but then she relaxed into his arms.
Her hands found their way to his back, and she pulled him closer, as if she, too, needed this moment more than anything.
"I never knew how much pain you were carrying," Yuto whispered, his voice thick with tears.
"I thought it was just me, just my crap to deal with... but you were hurting, too. And I couldn't be there for you when you needed it most"
His chest heaved with a shaky breath, and the weight of it all felt so much heavier now.
The years apart, the loneliness, the misunderstandings.
They were both broken in their own ways, and neither had been able to reach out to the other.
Hayami's voice was soft, barely a whisper as she spoke against his shoulder.
"Yuto, you were never the only one who suffered. I've carried so much guilt... I never wanted to hurt you"
"I thought I was protecting you by keeping my distance, by sacrificing everything. But in the end, I just left you to struggle alone, and that's the greatest regret of my life"
Yuto's breath hitched as more tears flowed, his grip tightening.
"I should've known, Mom. I should've known you didn't leave because you didn't care"
"I just… I didn't see it. I was so angry and confused"
They stayed like that for a long while, the two of them, holding onto each other in a quiet, aching kind of peace.
The room was still, the only sound the soft rhythm of their breaths as they allowed the grief to be shared between them.
"I'm sorry for all the times I couldn't be the son you needed," Yuto murmured, his voice steadying as he pulled back, just enough to look her in the eye, though his tears hadn't stopped.
"I should've been there for you"
Hayami reached up, gently wiping away a tear that had slid down his cheek, her fingers trembling.
"No. You are the son I needed. It was my fault I couldn't be the mother you deserved"
For a moment, neither of them said anything more.
There were no more words needed.
"Sadly, I do have one piece of bad news"
He chuckled as he wiped a tear away, "And what's that?"
"Azazel wants to have dinner with you… alone"
Yuto stiffened at the mention of his father's name.
His grip on his mother loosened slightly, but he didn't pull away entirely.
"Father… wants to have dinner with me?" His voice was a mix of confusion and hesitation.
Hayami nodded, her expression softening.
"He requested it. And given the nature of things, I thought it best to let you know ahead of time"
"I can't say I'm exactly thrilled about it," Yuto muttered, running a hand through his hair.
"But… I will do it for you"
"You don't have to agree, we can always–"
Yuto gave her a quick, grateful squeeze before stepping toward the door.
"See you around Mom!"
"Haha… See you around, Yuto!"
Demon Castle – Dining Hall – Night
Yuto walked into the dining hall.
The massive stone room, lit only by flickering candles and cold, distant moonlight streaming through the high windows, felt suffocating.
At the far end of the table, Azazel sat, watching him with an unnerving intensity.
Yuto felt a chill settle in his bones as his gaze pierced through him.
This wasn't the usual imposing presence that made him want to cower.
This felt different.
There was something… softer?
But still commanding.
Something that made Yuto's chest tighten in a way he couldn't explain.
"Sit," Azazel's voice was low, but not the usual harsh command.
It was almost like an invitation.
Yuto hesitated for a moment before making his way to the seat across from Azazel.
The silence between them was thick, the tension palpable.
Yuto wasn't sure if he wanted to strangle him or scream at him for everything that had happened.
"You've grown," Azazel said, his gaze assessing.
"I've been… observing you. You're not the same as the boy I once knew"
Yuto gripped the edge of the table.
"Is that supposed to make me feel something?"
Azazel's eyes flickered, the corners of his mouth tightening slightly, but he didn't respond right away.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair, folding his hands.
"I'm trying to understand you"