When he felt he had composed himself enough, Axis stood up from his spot and made his way to the door. As he reached for the handle, the door swung open by itself. His heart skipped a beat, his pulse quickening in surprise.

On the other side stood his sister, Lilithra. The unexpected appearance nearly caused him to falter, but he managed to mask his shock with a composed demeanor. His mind raced, I should have known the scan was directed at me.

He forced a smile that was more rigid than warm—a tight-lipped expression that barely masked his unease.

It was a smile that suggested polite curiosity rather than genuine warmth, the corners of his mouth curving slightly in a practiced, almost mechanical fashion.

"What more might you want, my dear sister?" Axis asked, his voice low and husky, carrying an edge that sent a shiver down Lilithra's spine.

The tone was deliberate, a subtle echo of the tension that had filled the room before her arrival.

Lilithra's eyes widened imperceptibly, her composure momentarily slipping. She had expected to find her brother in his usual state of innocence, not with the wary edge he now displayed.

The unexpected coldness in his voice and the calculated precision of his words made her pause.

For a heartbeat, the room seemed to hold its breath.

Lilithra's practiced smile wavered as she met Axis's gaze, her own eyes momentarily betraying a flicker of surprise and fear.

They were the exact same eyes she had once feared more than even her mother's—eyes that held a piercing clarity and intensity that she had hoped would never return.

The brief moment of confusion and hesitation did not escape Axis's notice. He could sense the shift in her demeanor and the underlying tension that her forced calm could not fully conceal. It was as if a shadow had passed over her, revealing a vulnerability she wasn't prepared to show.

Axis's mind flashed back to the face of his younger self he had seen in the garden of seals and demons.

That face, cold and unyielding, had seemed so distant then, but now it felt like a reflection of his own growing resolve. Fully embracing the icy resolve he had seen in his younger self, Axis mimicked the expression with unnerving precision.

His voice, now smooth and deliberate, carried a chilling edge as he spoke, "Oh, Lilithra, oh, Lilithra. Why must you be like this?"

The words hung in the air, each syllable carefully measured, and Lilithra froze as if she had seen a ghost.

Her expression shifted from surprise to a deep, palpable fear. "A… Axis, do you remember everything?" she stammered, her voice trembling with a mix of shock and apprehension.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Lilithra's face, usually so composed, now betrayed a fleeting moment of panic. Her eyes, wide and glistening, darted around the room as if seeking a way out.

The slight tremor in her hands and the way she tightened her grip on her sleeve spoke volumes of her inner turmoil.

Axis observed her carefully. The realization struck him with cold clarity: her fear wasn't just about him remembering—it was about the fearsome reputation and power of the person he used to be.

The shadow of the past Axis seemed to loom over the present, unsettling her. But the question still gnawed at him: What could a four-year-old child do to evoke such fear? The answer remained elusive, hidden beneath layers of secrecy and hidden motives.

His gaze remained steady, unblinking. He took a deliberate step closer, his presence imposing, filling the narrow space between them. "You seem quite unsettled, Lilithra. Is there something you wish to explain?"

Lilithra's face went pale, her composure fracturing under the weight of Axis's scrutiny.

She attempted to steady her breath, but it only served to accentuate her vulnerability. Her eyes, once strong and commanding, now betrayed a profound apprehension.

The air around her seemed to thicken, the walls of the room closing in as her fear became almost palpable.

Axis noted the subtle tremor in her voice as she began, "You must understand…"

Before she could finish, Axis's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Understand what, exactly?"

The sharpness of his question made Lilithra flinch. She glanced at him, her eyes wide with a mixture of alarm and desperation.

The rigid control she had over her emotions was slipping, her carefully constructed facade unraveling before him.

Suddenly, a bird struck the window, leaving a large crack in the glass. Axis turned around, seeing the bird—wounded and almost at death's door—still scratching at the glass. Its appearance made it difficult to gauge what kind of bird it was. The eerie persistence of the bird, even in its injured state, was disturbing.

Finding what little strength she could muster, Lilithra ran, her steps unsteady. "He… he remembers what we did…" she muttered, repeating the phrase as she stumbled toward her room.

Back in the room, Axis paid no mind to Lilithra's retreat. He knew he couldn't stop her without blowing his cover. Instead, he focused on the bird that continued to scratch the window despite its injuries, as if possessed.

It kept scratching the glass with its beak, its claws maintaining a grip on the slippery surface, its blood-filled eyes staring at Axis.

'System, scan that bird.'

{As you wish, host…}

{Setting target: the bloodied bird}

{Analyzing…}

{Analysis successful…}

{Displaying information…}

[ Status :

Name: Unnamed

Species: Swift Catcher

Rank: F

Age: 12

Status condition: Possessed

Note: Swift Catchers are natural aerial hunters, usually hunting smaller animals to survive and are proficient in wind attribute attacks and enhancements.

]

'System, what's the status condition?'

{Status condition: Possessed}

{Explanation: The Swift Catcher is under the influence of an external force, compromising its natural behavior and abilities. The possessor can exert control over the bird, making it act against its survival instincts.}

Axis's mind raced as he processed the information. Possessed? He had seen strange things, but this was a new level of abnormality. He knew he had to proceed with caution.

Taking a deep breath, he focused his attention on the bird. Its blood-filled eyes stared back at him, filled with an unsettling intensity.

The window was now smeared with the bird's blood, the cracks spider-webbing out from where it had struck.

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