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

Slurrpp~

Ophis licked her lips, savouring the lingering taste as she took one final, deliberate pull from his neck. Not a single drop of blood was left behind; she drank him clean, her gaze soft and wild, glinting with midnight hunger.

As she lifted her head, her eyes met his.

Ophis pressed her lips together, pouting just a little as she perched on Leo's bare chest. He lay beneath her, the sheets tangled around his waist, eyes steady on hers.

"What?" Ophis finally mumbled. Her pout was genuine, a fleeting show of vulnerability, even as she feigned innocence.

She knew exactly why he was staring at her so intently.

He smiled, slow and patient, and brushed his thumb gently along her cheek, "You don't need to fight—"

Before he could finish, Ophis snapped upright, her voice cold, "I will fight!" She jabbed a finger at his chest, her stare unwavering, "Don't you dare look down on me, Leo. Not even for a moment."

He raised his hands in surrender, but the smile never left his lips. He reached out and tapped her nose,

"I'm not looking down on you," he said softly, "not ever. But sometimes… I wonder if you're fighting just for me. Are you pushing yourself beyond your limits because you think I need saving? Or are you running from something only you can see? Is he really that scary?"

Ophis felt the question land inside her like a stone in a pond. She hesitated, words caught in her throat, before she finally leaned forward and let her head rest on his chest, listening to the slow beat of his heart beneath her ear.

"It happened… a long time ago," she murmured, voice suddenly small. "Before I even understood what fear was."

Leo almost teased her, wanted to point out how much she was still a child, but he swallowed the words. He waited, letting the silence settle between them, his hand moving in slow circles across her back.

Ophis took a shuddering breath, then continued, her voice steady but distant.

"My father… he loved us, all of us. At least, that's how it seemed when I was small. But something changed after I was born. I started walking, learning words, and suddenly, he was different.

He began with my older sister's mother, the woman he married first.

He killed her... In front of everyone.

Smashing her head, tearing her insides, cutting off her parts... eating it.

He laughed while he was doing it all."

Her breath hitched. Leo said nothing, only pulled her closer, letting her continue at her own pace.

"That was the day the monster woke inside him. The father who smiled and joked with us vanished.

In his place was someone else.... He sent my older sister away on a mission, and when she came back, she found out. She lost control, and she snapped at him.... I-I remember how fast it happened.

He looked at her, and in an instant, she just… withered away, like a leaf crumbling in fire.

That was the second time fear crept into every one of us."

She clenched her fists, her voice trembling now, but she kept going.

"After that, everything changed. He tormented us, all his children. If anyone failed a mission, their mother would be dragged in front of us and killed.

He made us watch.... E-Every single ti... time..."

Ophis's eyes clouded as memories rose, ghostly, violent, impossible to banish, her body shaking in fear.

"Smashing them, tearing them apart, stomping… breaking them… right in front of us. And we could do nothing.

We were too afraid."

Leo hugged her tighter, feeling her shake as the horrors spilt out,

"I-I… we watched the mothers begging, crying… and… dying," she whispered. A single tear slipped down her cheek and splashed onto his chest.

"From that moment, our lives became something else. Just mechanical work. We weren't children anymore, just tools.... Disposable meat. He used us, threatened us, made us feel terror in our bones."

She swallowed, voice growing rough. "My older brothers and sisters… they feared him more than death itself. That's how much horror he brought to us all."

Leo's expression turned grave... He spoke softly, "So the reason your mother was kept away… was that also his doing?"

Ophis let out a bitter, broken laugh. "I used to think the other mothers sealed her away for their own power, to use her for themselves.

But after I heard the truth from my father… I realised it was never that simple.

They did it to protect her. To hide her from him." Her voice wavered. "All this time, I hated them. I blamed them for everything. When I saw them die, I… s-smiled. I thought they deserved it... Y-Yet... I... I...."

Her eyes turned glassy, tears running freely.

Leo bit his lip, quietly understanding what Ophis was struggling to say.

She was blaming herself, wasn't she?

Even as she tried to sound strong, he could see the old scars.

Ophis took a deep breath, rubbing away her tears with the back of her hand.

"I will try my best to overcome this fear… P-Please don't abandon me… I, I will do it, please…" Her voice cracked, but she forced herself to look up.

Leo lifted her chin with a gentle touch, forcing her eyes to meet his. "I will not…" he said softly. Then, frowning slightly, he added, "But if you're really that afraid of your father, then why did you stab him before?"

Ophis tilted her head, trying to remember.

When had she done that?

Oh, right, she had, back when she and Valra found Aether during the chaos of Raphael's kidnapping.

"I… I don't know, honestly. It just happened… When I saw him trying to kill you, something snapped inside me. I didn't think. I just did it…" She shook her head.

Leo nodded, reading her unspoken thoughts. For that moment, her terror of her father had been overwhelmed by something else, something stronger than fear.

"I see…" he murmured, a knowing smile flickering across his lips.

Ophis narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What?"

He met her gaze, teasing now. "Well, I think you love me more than you fear your father."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ophis's face turned a deep, furious red. She stared at Leo as if he'd just revealed her most guarded secret to the world.

"H-How dare you say that!!" she sputtered, nearly choking on the words.

Leo just grinned. "Then care to explain how else you'd do it?"

Ophis gritted her teeth, struggling to hide her embarrassment. "M-Maybe I just worried I wouldn't get to drink your pathetic blood?" she snapped, but even as she said it, her blush deepened.

Leo watched her with an amused, almost judgmental gaze. Ophis's bravado faltered, and she finally mumbled, "Sorry…"

He shook his head, a gentle smile on his lips. "Well, at least I know that if your father ever caught me, I wouldn't need to worry. You wouldn't hesitate to kill him… because you love me more than you fear him, right?"

Ophis's cheeks turned even redder, and she pouted, refusing to meet his eyes. "I am not loving you, you asshole!! This mighty Dracula Vampire would never fall for someone as pathetic as you!! I would never, ever mate with you!!! HMPH!!"

Leo blinked in surprise, "Fall for me? Mate with me? Who said anything about love in a romantic way?" He looked honestly confused. "I was just talking about normal liking, like between siblings… or maybe like a daughter. There's no way I see you that way… If I did, I'd be nothing but a pervert!"

Ophis stared at him, her mind stalling out for a moment before she exploded,

"The hell are you talking about, bastard?!" Her face went scarlet.

In a fit of indignation, she snatched a pillow and shoved it over his face with all her strength.

"MFFF!!" Leo's muffled protest came from beneath the pillow.

Ophis cackled, a wicked, triumphant grin on her lips, even as the corners trembled, betraying the truth she could never quite say aloud.

"Haha… take that, you ugly ass!!"

But in the dim light, even Ophis couldn't hide the faint smile tugging at her lips, nor the flicker of something warmer in her eyes.

Just like that, the long night passed away.

The next morning, since Leo and Ophis didn't need to go to school, they trained with Essa, who patiently taught them a few new defences and fighting techniques.

In truth, Ophis hardly needed to learn at all; her talent was supernatural, her movements precise and elegant as if she'd been born to the blade.

It was just that she was scared of dealing with her father, that was all.

Otherwise, she was fine… still, she trained.

On the other hand, Leo… well, he was managing to move and block Ophis's attacks, whether by skill or by instinct; sometimes it felt as if his muscles just moved on their own, almost like a forgotten memory surfacing beneath his skin.

Anyhow, it was fine for defence, but when it came to attacking, he was severely lacking.

"You need to work on that, Leo," Essa said, resting her rusted, curved blade on her shoulder as she looked at Leo. He was sitting in the sunlit yard along with Ophis, Azrael, and Raphael, all catching their breath from the morning's sparring.

"I did good, right?" Ophis chimed in with a proud smirk, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Essa nodded, a rare smile flashing beneath her hood. "Yeah… You're getting faster. And you could be even faster if you actually put your heart into it."

Ophis grinned at Leo, cheeks puffed out with smug satisfaction. "See? I'm good!"

Leo glared at the brat. There was no way he was feeding her any more blood,or her ego.

Essa's gaze shifted to Azrael. "You're definitely not comfortable with hand-to-hand fighting, are you?"

Azrael rubbed the back of her neck, "Hmm… Yeah, but I'm good with guns, though!"

Essa tilted her head, considering, then nodded. "I guess you should focus on your aim, then. Here, take this stone and look at that tree."

"Yes." Azrael nodded, accepting the stone and turning to face the old willow at the edge of the yard.

Essa pointed to a branch high above. "I want you to knock down only the leaves on that particular branch. No others."

Azrael stared in disbelief. "Wait, what? That's impossible! How am I supposed to hit just those leaves? If I throw the stone, it'll fall to the side and might hit the others, too!"

Essa nodded, "Yes, it might. But… It's your responsibility not to let that happen. Don't hit anything you shouldn't. Understood?"

Azrael sighed, rolling her eyes as she gripped the stone tighter. "This is going to be hard," she muttered.

"You can do it!" Raphael called out, trying to sound encouraging.

Azrael glanced over, even more deflated. "I wish my prince would have cheered me up instead…"

Raphael's eyebrows twitched, barely hiding her annoyance at the comment.

Essa turned to Raphael, studying her with sharp eyes. "As for you… hmm. Do we really need to focus on your training?"

Raphael's face paled, dread flickering in her expression. Essa shook her head and sighed.

"Don't take it the wrong way. I mean, you're clearly skilled in self-defense and fighting, but… unlike Leo, you're not quick, and you're not very responsive. I think you might not be suited for close combat. Maybe you should focus on ranged attacks, like using a gun."

Raphael's lips pressed together in disappointment, but she nodded in understanding. She'd helped teach Leo before, but now, Leo was operating on a different level, his movements stronger and faster, and he could channel that strange mana breathing technique, whatever it truly was, to boost his power far beyond what she'd ever seen.

Leo had even confessed the truth about his parents possibly being involved with magic, though Raphael still struggled to accept it; her own life had never hinted at such secrets.

Leo glanced at his aunt, noticing the disappointment shadowing her face. He tried to offer a solution. "I could spar with her, if you want…?"

Raphael's face lit up. Essa shook her head, but there was a gentle smile hiding beneath her hood.

"That's it, guys. Let's start the real training! We've only got five days left!"