The One King

Selena asked when she heard that Azrael would be leaving the next day, clear disappointment in her voice:

"You're leaving so soon? Why?"

Over the past few days, Selena had greatly enjoyed spending time with Gaya and Azrael. She had grown so accustomed to their presence that she found herself wishing she could keep them there for several years, or even persuade them to live with her in the estate.

Lilian's feelings, however, were far more complicated.

Azrael's departure meant the departure of her son—the son she had found after twenty-one years. She had finally found him, yet he was about to leave again without knowing her true identity, without knowing that she was his mother.

She had also grown very fond of Gaya during the past few days and had already begun to regard her as her daughter-in-law. Naturally, the thought of Gaya leaving with Azrael filled her with sadness as well.

As for Gaya, she said nothing.

Although she had greatly enjoyed her time with the Foyd family, she had no intention of objecting. She knew very well that wherever Azrael went, she would follow him.

When Azrael heard Selena's question, he turned toward her for a moment before raising his gaze toward the distant horizon, as though he could pierce through the heavens and see the universe beyond them.

He remained silent for a while before releasing a deep sigh.

It was the sigh of a man who had witnessed the rise and fall of countless eras and watched millions of years pass before his eyes.

Then, in a deep and ancient voice, he said:

"The appointed time is drawing near, and I am still weak.

Time waits for no one, and neither will they.

The Wheel of Fate has begun to turn... and the Taam is about to return."

The three women froze in place.

There was something ominous about those words, as though they were fragments of a prophecy dating back to the beginning of time.

Then they witnessed something even more astonishing.

In an instant, Azrael's eyes seemed to age by millions of years.

His gaze possessed a depth that was utterly incompatible with his youthful appearance, as though he were remembering horrific events that had taken place in ancient ages—events no human being should ever have witnessed, let alone imagined.

The women silently wondered:

What was this appointed time that was approaching?

Who were they, the ones who would not wait?

And who was the Taam?

Simply hearing the name carried a strange sense of dread, as though the name itself concealed a terrifying existence beyond their understanding.

More importantly...

What could possibly make a man possessing Azrael's pride, might, and arrogance reveal such an expression?

At that moment, they realized that they had never truly known Azrael.

Behind his youthful appearance was a mysterious existence carrying secrets that transcended this world—and perhaps enemies who did not even belong to this world.

Then Azrael's gaze returned to Selena.

He approached her, placed his hand gently on top of her head, and ruffled her hair before saying:

"Become stronger, and perhaps we will meet again, if fate allows."

He paused for a moment before continuing:

"Before I leave."

The women's expressions changed the instant they heard those final words.

Gaya froze in place, while Lilian felt a painful tightness in her chest.

The same questions echoed through their minds:

Leave?

Where is he going?

Will he return?

Will he leave me behind?

Yet Azrael offered no explanation.

To him, this world was nothing more than a starting point.

A starting point from which he would reclaim his strength.

He would continue growing stronger, gather resources, uncover the secrets of this world, and once he had regained sufficient power...

He would return to that place.

The place where a past he had never forgotten awaited him.

The place where old debts remained unsettled.

The place to which Azrael would one day return—not as the person he had once been...

But far stronger.

And he would return for only one reason.

Revenge.

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