«Mom... dad... please, come back! Don't leave me...!»
Kajetan floats in the deepest darkness.
In front of him, two shadowy figures—an indistinct man and woman.
He stretches his arm toward them.
He wants to reach them, but the faster he runs, the more they drift away.
Suddenly, two large violet eyes—menacing and demonic—open behind them.
Long, black claws grab him from behind.
Dozens of limbs hold him down.
Kajetan tries to scream in terror.
But no sound comes out.
The two figures fade into the distance.
His eyes fill with tears.
Darkness swallows everything.
...
Kajetan jolts upright from the mattress.
His toned abs tense with the sudden motion.
A sharp pain shoots through his body.
Isabelle's wounds still burn, even if they look healed.
He breathes heavily. His chest rises and falls.
He's trembling.
His eyes dart around the room.
Confused. Scared.
Soft dawn light filters in.
It takes him a few seconds to understand—it was just a nightmare.
He turns his head to the left.
A girl with long white hair lies beside him on the small bed.
She's gorgeous. Completely naked.
A thin sheet covers her only up to her lower belly.
~She's sleeping so deeply...~ Kajetan thinks.
~She must've come home late again. Brianne... why did you throw it all away? You could've lived rich, and instead...~
He gently strokes her under the breast.
A quiet sigh leaves his lips.
~...you gave up everything just to stay with me. You idiot...~
Everything Kajetan knows about his past comes from his sister—Brianne Leviantis.
She was barely five back then.
So young, yet already acting like an adult.
«Those violet eyes... I gave birth to a Possessed! What did we do to deserve this? Tell me!»
Those were the first words his mother said when she saw him.
Her voice was shaking with tears.
She spoke to her husband.
He didn't answer.
He just punched the wall in rage.
Brianne watched everything from behind the door.
She was scared—but too young to understand.
Having a Possessed child—a human with demon blood—is a deep shame.
Especially for noble families.
Long ago, powerful beings lived in N'Reath.
Among them were the Ancient Demons—ancestors of today's demons, far stronger and more malevolent.
After a catastrophic event, still unknown, the Ancient Demons—and all other living beings—went extinct.
But their energy remained.
It now drifts as spirits, waiting to infest unborn embryos and take control of them.
This phenomenon is called possession.
Two signs mark it: violet eyes, and a small crystal inside the heart—the Demon Crystal.
That crystal holds the demon's magic—in Kajetan's heart lies the spirit of Nyartalir, the Shadow Demon.
Killing a Possessed is forbidden by law.
So his parents decided to abandon Kajetan as far away as they could.
But Brianne opposed that decision.
«If you want to leave my little brother... then I'll stay with him!»
Her words changed nothing.
Their parents' shame was stronger than their love for her.
Kajetan and Brianne spent thirteen years in a small orphanage, at the edge of the kingdom.
When Brianne turned eighteen, she took legal custody of her little brother.
They moved to Cavebless, a village near the orphanage.
Kajetan found work in a small forge.
Right after Kajetan touches her, Brianne shifts in bed.
The sheet curls around her legs like candy wrapping.
Brianne yawns and stretches her arms.
Her sky-blue eyes slowly open and fix on Kajetan.
«G-Good morning, little brother... is it already morning?» she mumbles, still half-asleep.
«Morning, Bry...»
That's what Kajetan calls her.
He looks at her with gentle eyes.
They've never talked about it, but he knows why she comes home late.
Sometimes with bruises.
Sometimes with strange marks on her body.
«It's easier to gather mushrooms at night, you know? When the forest demons are asleep... but I can't see well in the dark, so I trip a lot. I'm really clumsy.»
That's what Brianne always says.
Kajetan works every day, pushing himself to the limit.
He'd rather die from exhaustion than watch her throw herself away like that.
He knows she sells her body.
But Brianne is stubborn.
Stubborn like no one else.
Once she decides something, no one can stop her.
After resting for a moment, Brianne walks into the kitchen.
She's now wearing a thin white robe.
She opens the pantry—small and always half-empty—and takes out some bread and a jug of milk.
«We'll have to make do today,» Brianne says with a tired smile.
«We ran out of money even earlier than usual this week.»
«I'm sorry... it's all my fault...» Kajetan murmurs, guilt in his eyes.
«Two nights ago, on my way back from work, I got attacked by Crystal Hunters. I managed to fight them off and hurt one, but they stole my pay. I didn't tell you... I didn't want to worry you.»
The crystals inside the hearts of the Possessed—Demonic Crystals—are rare and worth a fortune.
Because they're so hard to get, whole black markets were created around them.
Now, hunters and mercenaries hired by powerful criminal groups stalk the streets.
For a Possessed, danger is a daily reality.
«It's still Dhon Dargot, isn't it?» Brianne asks.
Anger flashes across her face.
'Dhon' is the title given to the leaders of major crime syndicates.
Kajetan nods, saying nothing.
«We applied for the armed escort for Possessed over a year ago. Why hasn't anyone come yet?! Are they waiting for you to die?!»
Her hand trembles as she grips the bread knife.
Her voice shakes with rage.
«We just need to wait a bit longer. I'm sure someone will respond soon.»
«You trust the authorities too much.»
Brianne sets the bread on a wooden plate, adds a glass of milk.
«Breakfast is ready.»
«If we can't trust those in charge, then who can we trust?»
Kajetan sits at the table.
He starts eating while Brianne watches him with gentle eyes.
«Aren't you hungry?» he asks.
«Don't worry about me,» she replies, walking back into the bedroom.
He hears drawers and cupboards opening.
«What are you doing?» he asks.
«I have to leave for work.»
«Leave? Seriously? Where exactly?»
«A work trip. I got a tempting offer. I can't say no.»
«No way!»
Kajetan jumps up, eyes wide.
He knows what that kind of 'work' means.
To please the twisted desires of some rich old creep.
Brianne doesn't respond.
She gets dressed and starts packing a few worn clothes into a leather bag.
Kajetan's eyes fill with tears.
He's on the verge of breaking down.
He knows she won't change her mind.
«You're all I have. I don't want to lose you...»
His voice cracks.
He starts sobbing. «If something happened to you, I... I...»
Brianne walks over and hugs him tightly.
Her chest presses warmly against him.
Her red eyes shimmer.
«I've taken care of you for sixteen years. You think I can't manage on my own for a few weeks?»
She cups his face.
Wipes away his tears.
«I'm going now. See you soon, little brother.»
Then, Brianne parts her lips.
She brings them to Kajetan's.
Their tongues intertwine gently.
A long, tender kiss.
Kajetan always hated that.
He used to say,
«Stop kissing me like that—I'm not a kid anymore!»
But this time is different.
He wants that farewell more than anything in the world to last forever.
He doesn't want to see her go.
«Now go or you'll be late for work,» Brianne says.
Brianne says sweetly.
She smiles at him.
Then, she disappears beyond the door after a final wave.
Kajetan remains frozen on the chair.
His gaze is lost in the space where his beloved sister stood just a moment ago.
«See you soon...» he whispers.