After Melesa and Shira went back, Rage was in his room, furiously destroying everything in sight. “Are you angry that I brought you here, dear?” Zarelle asked, her tone sweet and warm.

“No, actually, I’m so happy that I’m in the mood to destroy the whole palace, but unfortunately, I don’t have the strength for that,” Rage replied. His tone was calm, but there was a hint of uncontrollable rage brewing inside. At Rage’s outburst, Zarelle froze the entire room, encasing Rage in an ice block.

“I’m sorry, baby, but you’re losing your sanity, and I can see that,” Zarelle said, getting close to him. “I warned you before not to stay around that girl, but you didn’t listen. You were under the same delusion about humans as I was back then! I know that you’re no longer interested in love or living!”

Zarelle’s revelation shocked Rage. He had never told anyone that he was trying to give up on life. “Who... who told you I’ve lost interest in living?” Rage asked, sweat forming at the back of his neck.

“I’m your mother. I don’t need anyone’s help to understand my son! You’re part of me, Rage! That’s all the explanation you need,” Zarelle said, cupping his face, her grip slowly tightening.

“Why... am I no one to you? After all these years, everything I did means nothing? Is that pathetic, lowly, filthy human girl more important to you, mother?” Zarelle said, her voice a mix of rage and hurt, tears forming in her eyes.

“Mother, I’m one of them! Demons will never accept me. I’m different from them. Just because those horny idiots accepted me doesn’t mean everyone will! And it’s better if I just…” Rage began, but before he could speak of giving up on himself again, Zarelle slapped him.

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“Don’t you dare say that again! Do you want to know who you are? Lick this!” Zarelle demanded, opening Rage’s mouth and dropping a single drop of her blood in. As Rage gulped it down, the ice block shattered.

Rage’s ash-black hair now had a thick white strand, his canines were slightly bigger, his figure was more defined, his body turned a bit pale, and the lens that had rendered one of his eyes blind was now giving him data about everything around him, like some kind of appraisal.

“Ice spirits have a ritual to make their offspring aware of whose blood they are. I didn’t perform it because I wanted to raise you among humans, but things took a turn, and now I had to make you aware of who you are,” Zarelle explained, turning away.

Rage stared at his reflection in the mirror, trying to gather his thoughts. He recalled Shira’s words from the past: “We demons are born with appraisal, Rage. We can see through what other races can’t…” He also recalled what Nora said while rejecting him: “Are you serious? I have no interest in mating with a monster, even if he’s handsome.”

Coming to his senses, Rage let out a chuckle, “I see... they weren’t the weirdos. It was just me who was wrong…”

After reshaping his chamber, Rage came out as it was time for dinner, and one of the servants came to call him. As Rage reached the dining hall, he noticed no one was there.

“Mother isn’t here?” Rage asked Arnold, a skeleton and necromancer who had died but was given a second chance by Zarelle to serve Rage.

“Master Rage, your actions have deeply hurt milady. As your old servant, I am hurt by your desire to give up... please, don’t do something so drastic! This undead lives now just for your sake, just to see you grow. Please, don’t do something so terrible!” Arnold cried, grabbing Rage’s legs.

“I... I’m sorry, Arnold. I was just lost... alone... maybe because of things that were never the cause!” Rage apologized, helping Arnold to his feet. “I’m not going anywhere,” Rage said, at which Arnold wiped his tears, thinking to himself, “Finally, everything is going according to milady’s plan. I’ll be able to see our young master’s children...”