Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine

Thunder!!

Raphael's eyes reflected the violent flash of lightning as the sky roared overhead, thick with storm clouds swirling like a beast in the dark.

Rain poured down in relentless sheets, drowning the world outside as if tomorrow no longer mattered.

She had almost made it to the door... coat in hand, heart pounding, determination burning in her chest to bring her nephew back—but then this cursed downpour had come crashing from the heavens, halting her in her tracks like a divine warning.

Ophis, sprawled lazily on the couch with one leg draped over the armrest, licked her ice cream with slow, deliberate strokes. Her eyes, narrowed in smug disinterest, flicked toward the television glowing in the dim room.

The news anchor's voice crackled through the storm outside, "…the weather is expected to intensify through the night. Stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel."

Ophis rolled her eyes, smirking. "Well, looks like he might be stuck over there tonight," she said with a nonchalant tone, dragging the spoon along the rim of the cup.

Raphael's jaw tightened.

She clenched her fist, as she immediately pulled out her phone and dialled their friends—one by one.

The screen glowed red.

<Your call is unable to reach. Please call again later.>

Beep!

Raphael's expression twisted, from concern to outright panic. Her fingers trembled as she tapped Leo's number with growing urgency.

Still no answer... No connection!

Her call was once again unable to reach the recipient.

THUNDER!!

A flash of white light carved through the windowpane like a blade, accompanied by a shattering boom that shook the glass. Raphael flinched, nearly dropping her phone. Her breath caught, fear swallowing her whole.

She gripped her phone tighter, pressing it to her chest, her voice a low, trembling growl.

"If she touched him… if she dared lay a finger on him…" Her voice cracked. "I swear, I will—"

She bit her lower lip, hard, as her nails dug into her palm. A violent image crossed her mind, of tearing that woman apart limb by limb if she'd done anything twisted to Leo.

Ophis glanced at her from over the rim of her cup, her tongue slowly curling over the last bit of ice cream. She exhaled in boredom and shook her head.

"Don't worry, Big Sis," she said flatly,

"He doesn't have the guts to do anything like that."

"…Huh?"

Meanwhile,

Drip…

The soft, rhythmic fall of water echoed through the marble chamber like a hypnotic chant.

Each droplet rang out in the silence, slow and sensual, striking the pristine white floor like heartbeats trapped in glass.

Steam coiled through the air like phantom serpents, trailing golden light that filtered through the fog, kissing skin slick with heat and breathless tension.

A man fell, damp strands of reddish-black hair clinging to his neck and jaw. Muscles flexed under glistening skin, and every inhale he took pulled steam deeper into his lungs.

His body leaned forward… until only a single breath separated him from the woman before him.

His lips hovered an aching inch away from hers, trembling—not from fear, but restraint.

Their breaths tangled, hot and uneven, stirring the charged air between them.

Her eyes—those haunting, silver-violet eyes, gleamed like dying stars.

Trembling... Defiant... Afraid.... and Seductive!

They shimmered with a pale glow that pulsed between resistance and surrender.

Daring him to cross the line... Begging him not to!

So confusing!

Strands of midnight hair clung to her flushed cheeks and throat, each strand dripping water like melted darkness sliding over moon-pale skin.

Her chest rose and fell, slow but shallow, as though she, too, was drowning in the heat.

And still, she said nothing.

Azrael.

Her parted lips trembled, soft and inviting, barely holding back a gasp. Her hands, weak and hesitant, rose to shield her bare chest—but instead only framed the gentle, vulnerable curves of her breasts. Droplets traced lazy trails down the soft swell, vanishing into the shadow between her trembling form.

A single bead of water slid along the column of her throat, gleaming like nectar in the soft glow—an unspoken temptation, begging him to lean down and claim it with his tongue.

Leo's breath hitched. His lungs refused to steady. His gaze devoured her!

He didn't see… Azrael or Raphael's friend!

He saw a woman whose beauty burned like a dangerous flame, a woman whose every drop of water, every quiver of her lip, every flicker of her silvery eyes was a dance of lethal seduction.

Their bodies, soaked and shivering, were pulled together by a gravity neither could resist—an invisible thread drawing skin to skin, breath to breath.

Leo and Azrael… had fallen into this moment. But how?

To understand that…

We need to go back a little bit.... goooooo....baaaaccckkkkkk.....

Ssrrcchhh~

The slick car screeched to a slow halt in the middle of a deserted road, tires hissing softly against concrete.

Leo blinked, staring forward for a moment, confused, before slowly turning to Azrael in the driver's seat.

She gave him an awkward, sheepish smile, the kind of smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Haha… I-I think we don't have gas."

"…" Leo stared. Once. Twice. Then again. "Pardon?"

Azrael's throat bobbed in a nervous gulp. "I think we do—"

"Don't have gas? Right? That's what I thought I heard!" Leo cut in, shaking his head with a sigh, his expression growing mildly annoyed.

"What I meant was… how in the world did you not see that coming? The fuel indicator was right in front of you, wasn't it? We passed more than a few petrol stations too."

Azrael's smile vanished. Her face turned slightly gloomy. "I didn't mean to…" she murmured, voice shrinking. "I filled up the tank this morning. Thought it'd be enough for the day… but since we changed the route to my house instead of yours, I guess… I—I'm... sorry."

Her voice cracked with guilt.

Honestly, she had planned to drop Leo off at his place.... She really had.

And she had even wanted to stay there tonight, too. That was the plan all along—simple, innocent.

But then he looked at her.

He smiled at her.

Said something gentle, something soft… and her mind collapsed.

All logic evaporated.

For whatever reason, she turned the wheel toward her house instead.

And now here they were—stuck.

She hadn't noticed the fuel warning. Maybe she didn't want to. Her eyes weren't on the dashboard.

They were on him.

On the man who made her heart stammer in ways she didn't understand.

Leo sighed, dragging a hand down his face as he glanced at the dashboard again. "Is there any other petrol station nearby?"

Azrael shook her head quickly. "No… the last one we passed was a while ago. Quite far now."

"Sigh… Alright then. How far is your house from here?"

Azrael's expression lit up again, bright and hopeful like a spark reignited. "Just a few hundred meters! You see that building there?"

She pointed ahead. A towering apartment complex shimmered through the haze, its outline blurred but definitely closer than expected.

Leo nodded, already unbuckling his seatbelt.

Without another word, he opened the car door and stepped out.

"L-Leo! Wait—where are you going?! I said I'm sorry! Don't leave me!"

Her voice trembled.

"I'm just moving the damn car, you know!"

Leo's voice echoed sharply through the night.

Azrael flinched at first—but then giggled softly, caught off guard by his tone. She quickly opened her door and jumped out, hurrying to help him.

Both of them pushed the car from the back, their feet slipping slightly on the road as their bodies leaned into the weight of it.

"Haha…"

Suddenly, Azrael let out a light laugh… amused.

Leo glanced sideways at her, curious. "Hmm?"

"It's just…" she said, pushing again, "It's funny. Something like this happened before—feels familiar somehow." Her voice was warm, touched with distant nostalgia.

Leo raised a single eyebrow. "Oh? So this isn't your first time doing this?"

Azrael flinched slightly and offered a crooked smile. "W-Well, I mean… well… it's… kind of… not exactly my first, no."

Leo's lips curled.... not quite a grin. Somewhere between annoyed and… oddly content. Like something about her flustered honesty amused him more than he wanted to admit.

"So?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you move it with your boyfriend or something?" he asked casually.

The moment the word left his mouth, something snapped.

Azrael stiffened. Her eyes widened, fury flashing across her face like another bolt of lightning.

"How dare you ask that!" she snapped, pouting hard, voice sharp and offended. "I've never had a boyfriend! Not once! And I can't believe you forgot that!"

Leo blinked in surprise at her outburst, raising both eyebrows now.

"…Yeah," he muttered, nodding to himself. "You did say that once, didn't you? Right. Yup."

He didn't press the matter, just went back to pushing the car, lips twitching in mild amusement.

Azrael, cheeks still slightly puffed, spoke more softly now. "It happened back when I first became friends with Raphael. Just like now… I was stuck, and she—she was the first to jump out and help push my car. No hesitation. Even when I told her we could come back later."

Leo turned to glance at her.

And in that single moment… her eyes softened.

So gentle... So quiet.

So vulnerable.

It was an expression he had never seen from her before. And he realized something strange… that softness, that deep affection in her gaze—it was only there when she spoke about Raphael.

Only for her.

"…You really love her, don't you?" he asked, tone almost reverent.

Azrael smiled gently. "What else could I say? When everyone else wanted me gone… discarded, thrown away… she stood by me. Protected me. She fought for me—even if it meant standing against those closest to her."

She exhaled deeply, voice tinged with awe. "She was just… a lovely, reckless, beautiful little child. But gods… she saved me."

Leo hummed under his breath, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

But then—

"Of course," Azrael added quickly, raising a hand in mild panic, "I'm not into her romantically, if that's what you're thinking!"

Leo let out a low chuckle from the back of his throat, amused by how quickly she tried to clarify.

He looked at her again. Rain streaked across her cheeks, but her eyes held his now—firm, open.

"If you don't mind…" he said, voice dipping a little lower, more serious now. "Can I speak to you frankly?"

Azrael nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Go ahead."

Leo took a breath before speaking, his voice low but steady. "I know… you're trying to hit on me."

!!!!

Azrael flinched as though struck. Horror rippled across her face.

What the hell?

Was she really that obvious?

Had this boy seen through her so easily?

How… how in the world had he noticed it?

"W-When did you—" she began, but before she could finish.

"Well, I'll be honest. It happened the moment I saved you, right?" he said, eyes fixed on her dull, sly expression.

Azrael's face turned beet red. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She blinked at him, horrified by the thought that he'd known from the very instant her heart had skipped that forbidden beat.

Leo shook his head slowly. "I'm not going to complain about what you like or don't like. That's not the point. This is about me."

"You?" Azrael frowned, her heart hammering faster with every word, terrified of what he might say next.

Even though she hadn't yet confessed outright, she felt the shadow of rejection closing in already. Her fingers curled tightly into trembling fists.

"I… I have a girlfriend."

Thud!

Azrael's hands slipped on the metal. She stumbled and fell to the ground, knees striking the road.

Leo flinched and moved immediately. "Azrael! Are you alright?"

Azrael slowly stood, brushing at her clothes with shaky hands. "S-Sorry… my fingers slipped," she murmured.

But then her eyes lifted to his, a strange expression flickering there. "Girlfriend?"

Leo nodded, a small, restrained smile on his face. "Yes. I can't betray her. So instead of letting your feelings get the better of you, I need you to understand and know this."

He smiled sincerely, but there was weight behind it.

He knew it might wound her, but the truth was necessary. The only reason he had come with her to her house, had spoken to her so openly… was because she was Raphael's friend.

Otherwise, he would have cared nothing for her at all.

Azrael blinked, staring at Leo with a slightly confused expression. Then her gaze fell, heavy, like her eyes were being pressed down by something unseen, something squeezing her chest.

"I… see…" That was all she could manage before she started pushing the car again, lips sealed.

Leo glanced at her for a moment, guilt flickering across his face. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he knew the truth would only backfire if he tried.

This was a wound she had to absorb on her own.

Also—

"Do you like her?" Azrael asked blankly, eyes still on the car.

Leo smiled inwardly. He had known this question would come... And he had known exactly what to say.

"Of course, I really…"

But the words trailed off. Images rose unbidden in his mind: Valra's deathbed expression… Sakura's tear-streaked eyes… and Caelindra's final words.

Those memories tore at him.

Their faces were etched into his eyes, their lovely expressions still engraved into his heart, a pain he could never name or erase.

A pain he hadn't even cared about before.

They did so many things and yet... he didn't give them anything... it felt so wrong!!

Would any girl do him like that?

Huh?

Leo blinked, his eyes trembling faintly. "Yeah… I… I do love them," he said finally, voice weak.

Wait?

Did he just think of… Caelindra, too?

The fuck?

Leo blinked again, realising he'd added Caelindra into the equation without meaning to.

Why?

"Them?"

Suddenly, a chilling tone sliced through his spiraling thoughts.

He turned.

Azrael was watching him with a sly expression now, a haughty smile curling her lips. "What do you mean… them?"

Ah… shit.

Leo cursed himself silently.

He'd just screwed himself over again.