"Fuck... It's even worse than you said..." Leo muttered once Ava finished recounting everything up until she and Adam arrived at the Safe Zone.

When Ava began, Leo was ready to hear about their struggles at the beginning of the Outbreak. He even expected to listen about how they had to hide and thus leave Adam without any Void Essence to stop the curse from spreading.

Only none of those things ever happened.

The tale Ava gave him was grimmer than anything Leo could have ever dreamed of. Even worse were the facts her story presented as they affected not only them but the entire world at large.

Catastrophic... Now I know what Holden meant...

According to the information given to Ava during her own awakening, children under a certain age had even lesser chances of surviving the initial Outbreak than adults. Add to that if the parent of that child didn't become Awakened or was too far away, those chances went down to zero, and nothing could change that.

That Ava and Adam survived was a miracle in itself. However, just like Holden and his sister-in-law explained, it didn't mean they got off easily. No, now they both had to bear the curse that slowly drained their lives away, and it worked nothing like it did for Leo.

After all, he was alone and could counter the curse with Drain without much problem. But Adam and Ava? They had it much worse.

His sister-in-law had to sacrifice a part of her soul so that her son could even live through the awakening. It bonded them forever, giving Ava partial access to Adam's system. Yet, in return, she was now connected to her son's curse as a proxy, slowly losing her mind.

And all of this did nothing to stop the Taint from spreading. If it even can be stopped...

From what Ava said, they tried, they really did try to find a way to stop the curse from advancing, but nothing paused it for as much as a second. Drain only made the progress a bit slower, while killing a Voidling didn't even do that much. And they only managed to test the latter thanks to a small, level one Ameist that attacked them on day two.

Thank god they had other people to protect them, or I would have lost them then. Leo balled his fists, reminding himself how Ava spoke about Adam's first frenzy when he killed the ant. He could only imagine how the woman must have felt back then. To see someone you love unconditionally lose their mind just after the world went to shit...

Leo raised his gaze to look at the tired woman. Right after she finished talking, Ava cradled her head and had hardly moved since then.

"Right after you awoke, when the Outbreak began... How much did the Void take from Adam?" He asked, forcing his sister-in-law to meet his eyes.

"Most of his torso and both legs," Ava gritted her teeth as if fighting a hard memory. "I was so scared, Leo, that I had lost him, that I awoke to another nightmare. But then Adam opened his eyes, and it was still my son on the other side. I felt it in my soul, just as I felt the Void's curse running through his veins."

Fucking hell. Leo scowled, his mind running a hundred miles per hour, trying to find a solution to this misery. "What else have you tried since you two arrived here? Do they even let you leave?"

Ava shook her head. "No, and it's for the best. You haven't seen him, Leo. Adam might be my little boy, but the moment a Voidling appears in his sight, even I can't recognize him. The Void takes over, and we can do nothing but wait it out. Not even I am safe to approach him then."

Perfect... Leo scoffed. He had hoped that maybe by getting Adam out and letting him slaughter more than just one Voidling, they could satiate his cursed state.

Not any longer.

She might want me to save him, but there is no way she will let me take him outside, not with how she is currently. I need a different plan.

Suddenly, Leo stood up, even alerting Dylan, who until now just waited silently in the corner.

"I need to see him. Now."

"Wait!" Ava rose quickly, coming around the desk and stopping just a few steps away from Leo. "What if Adam attacks you? You aren't a human any longer, Leo. We both know that."

Grimacing, he refrained from placing a hand on her shoulder. "I can handle it, and I promise you, I won't harm my godson." Once Ave nodded shakily, Leo turned to the only other person in the room. "Dylan, if you could?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Aye," the mage tipped his head, going straight for the door. "Give me a sec."

The moment the door closed again, leaving the duo alone, Ava's shoulders slumped. Nonetheless, she took another step forward and grabbed the end of Leo's cloak.

"I-I," Ava tried, only to shake her head as her eyes grew misty. "N-Nick... Did you find him? Please, Leo... I need to know."

Shit...

When Ava didn't ask him more about Nick in the beginning, Leo hoped she already knew. Being the bearer of the bad news was the last thing he wanted, but it seemed like the universe couldn't even spare him from this.

"I did," he muttered, turning away from the eyes that now shed tears. "The Outbreak took him. There was nothing I could do."

"And did you..." Ave trailed off.

Leo nodded. "I couldn't let some sick, twisted version of him walk around the city. He now rests in your old home. I left him there, buried under whatever I could gather."

"Thank you," Ava whispered, and he finally looked at her just in time to see her wipe the final tears.

"He was my brother after all," Leo replied and left it at that. There was no more to be said, and they both knew it.

----------------------------------------

"Are you sure it's a good idea, Hale?" Holden asked as they all stood in front of the same door the man was glancing at earlier. "You might have Ava's trust now, but I still don't like this. There is a reason that boy must be isolated here."

On instinct, Leo bristled at Holden's words even though he knew the man probably didn't mean anything by them. Putting Adam as farthest away from other survivors was an obvious choice here, and no good leader would hesitate to make it.

"I can handle my own godson," Leo hissed back, pretty much repeating what he said to Ava. "You can keep the door open if that's gonna make you less wary."

Holden nodded, "Alright, but remember, you don't have much time left. I can't keep people away from here forever. Not without telling all of my fighters what is going on."

Leo scowled but didn't argue. However, Ava might do it for him as she didn't like it when he told her he had to leave soon.

Okay, let's see what happened to you, kiddo. I just hope your mother announced me properly.

In a single move, Leo opened the door wide and stepped through, his eyes immediately registering the broken furniture strewn around. Then his gaze fell on the two mattresses at the far end of the room, and that was when he saw him — Adam, his godson.

Neither Holden nor Ava did lie. The Void's curse had taken over the boy, leaving only a bit over half of his head, a small part of his torso, and one arm unscathed. The rest was just like Leo's skin not long ago, deformed and grey, full of glowing veins.

He met Adam's eyes, one green and the other crimson, both glaring in Leo's direction, full of hate. The child stood up slowly, a low growl leaving his throat. "What are you?"

Yeah, that voice definitely doesn't belong to a kid. Much less Adam. Leo grimaced as he took another step forward and lowered his hood. Come on, buddy, don't make it harder than it already is.

The crazed boy hissed, baring his teeth and raising his clawed hand. Hunter stirred at that, a growl echoing through Leo's mind. Even a bit of bloodlust spilled out, but he pushed it away. It was the last thing he needed now.

Still, you might be onto something. Leo sent back to Hunter and let out a growl on his own. Only he wasn't some half-transformed human but a full Akirian. Thus, when the echo reached Adam, the kid's eyes widened, and he instantly backed off.

So Ameists are not the only ones scared of me. Leo noted, approaching the frozen boy. "Adam. Kiddo, calm down. It's me, your uncle, Leo."

His godson's back hit the wall behind him. "U-uncle Leo?" He stuttered only for a glint of crimson to enter his healthy eye. "I don't care! But you are strong. I can feel it. I need it!"

Instantly, the boy-turned-demon darted forward, ready to slice through the opposing monster with his claws. However, no matter how much power the Void's curse gave him, Adan could never match what Leo fought and bled for in the last week.

Faster than a human could blink, he grabbed the boy by his arms and just held him in place. Adam tried to wriggle away, hissing all the while, but nothing worked.

Some bloodlust finally seeped into his veins, and at once, Leo and Hunter roared right into Adam’s face. The boy stilled, eyes going wide before they rolled back, his body going limp.

Worked better than I expected. Good job, Hunter. Leo sighed, cradling the boy in his arms. I'm sorry, kiddo, but it's for the best.

"He is fine, just sleeping," he muttered as Holden, Ava, and Dylan practically ran into the room. "You guys were right, though. He definitely doesn't like anything that comes from the Void."

"What was that?" Holden hissed, completely ignoring everything said.

"A trick I learned yesterday. Works well for low-level Voidlings, so I thought it could help here too. It did," Leo shrugged, lying through his teeth.

Ava dropped to her knees, grabbing Adam's healthy hand and giving Leo a light glare. "I shouldn't have let you in alone."

He shook his head. "It was bound to happen anyway, Ava, and like I said, he is fine. Now, I can at least get a proper look at him. Might find something you missed."

"I thought you wanted to talk with him," Holden cut in.

"I did," Leo nodded. "But I can do it later. Maybe after what just happened, buddy here will be more open to dialogue."

"And if he won't?" Ava whispered, finally looking up from her son.

Leo swallowed, closing his eyes for just a moment. "Then we will figure it out. I promise."