Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

Anna had her arms crossed as she glared at Cain. He was running late for his next class but she didn't care at this point.

She couldn't ignore the fact that he just confessed that he could hear her father. She had ignored her mothers warning and had run away, hoping to free her dad so they could live together as a family. For once.

She knew it was a selfish wish, but it was the one that she had held onto for all of her life. She had wanted to see her mom be happy. She didn't know much about her father but she thought the academy was the best place to start looking.

In fact, she had never even heard her dad's voice. Despite it being centuries since her dad had disappeared from the world, it was due to his and her mothers magic and innate skill that she could stand there.

The theory she had spouted to the class was more than just that. She had proof. Her mother had managed to find a piece of her husbands scattered body. By having it in her possession. her mom's aging was ground almost to a halt.

A year was almost equivalent to a day. With hundreds of years having gone by, her mother had only aged a couple years but it came at a cost. The process hadn't stopped the aging process, it had stretched the function of the cells so they lived longer.

When her mom had obtained the piece of her dad's body, she had already been pregnant with Anna. What was supposed to be a 9 month pregnancy ended up being slowed to the point it took years.

By the time Anna was born, the world had already changed.

And the man she had spent her entire life wondering about had become little more than a myth reviled by most of the world.

Until now.

She stared at Cain, her voice cold.

"You say you can hear him. Prove it."

Cain looked at her, his expression unreadable.

"Say something to him. And tell me what he says back."

'You should probably tell her that I can hear her. A daughter huh.... It's a strange seeing and hearing this....'

Cain blinked as Gaius's voice echoed in his mind. It was calm, thoughtful even, but there was an undertone Cain couldn't quite pin down. Regret? Awe?

He glanced at Anna, whose arms were still crossed, waiting. Her glare hadn't softened.

Cain exhaled slowly.

"He says... he can hear you too. And that it's strange. Seeing and hearing this. You being his daughter."

Anna's breath caught. Her expression faltered for just a second, but she quickly schooled it back into a mask.

"That's convenient," she muttered. "Anyone could say that."

Cain didn't respond right away. He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing in focus.

"What was the nickname he had for mom?"

"Kitty."

"Kitty."

Anna's entire body tensed.

She hadn't said it in years. Not even to her mother. It was a name whispered only in letters, in stories, in the moments she had eavesdropped on the memories her mom tried to bury.

No one should have known that.

Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

"...How...." she finally asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Cain shook his head.

"I didn't. He said it the moment the words left your lips.."

Anna looked away. Her arms dropped to her sides.

"That confirms it," she said quietly. "It's really him."

Cain didn't speak. He let her process.

She stood still for a long time, eyes downcast, breathing shallow. Then her fists clenched.

"So he was in a dungeon? I was this close but I never thought to look there?"

It was a self-deprecating tone, she was angry with herself. She had failed him.

Cain finally spoke, his voice low.

"You wouldn't have found him."

Anna looked up sharply.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I found this necklace in the Abyss below the dungeon. A sheer vertical cliff with no purchase. If it wasn't for some of the new skills I have, I wouldn't have made it out of there."

Anna's throat tightened. She wanted to speak but couldn't form the words. Instead she reached forward, almost hesitant, and gently touched the necklace. Her fingertips brushed against it, and she gasped softly as a warm pulse danced along her skin.

'Kitty's daughter...My daughter...

The words echoed in her mind. Not Cain's voice.

Her father's.

Anna stumbled back, hand over her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.

Cain caught her before she fell. She didn't resist.

"That... was him?" she whispered.

Cain nodded.

They stood like that for a moment, the hallway around them still and empty, time suspended in the weight of what had just happened.

Then Cain broke the silence.

"We can bring your father back. I will gather the pieces of him. I can promise you that. But for now, this must stay between us."

She stepped back, wiping at her face with the heel of her palm. Her composure was fragile, but it was rebuilding.

"Why?" she asked after a moment. "Why are you doing this? Helping him. Helping me."

Cain's eyes lowered for a second. "Because he saved my life."

Anna blinked, surprised.

"I was dying," Cain said, his voice rough. "In a place I thought was going to be my grave. I told myself that I wouldn't give up but a part of me already had. But he was there. He pulled me back from the edge, gave me hope and the spark. He was I needed to start everything I've done since."

His jaw clenched.

"Gaius gave me my chance at revenge. Now it's only fair I return the favor."

Anna stared at him, unsure what to say. That quiet fury in him, that unwavering drive—it wasn't just words. She could feel it like heat radiating off him.

She took a deep breath. "If you go down this path… you may turn the whole world against you."

Cain met her eyes. No flinch. No hesitation. Just a steady, boiling resolve.

"So be it," he growled.

The words were low, but carried the weight of mountains behind them. His gaze didn't waver, and for a second, the air around them seemed to still.

Anna's heart skipped a beat.

Not out of fear but from something else entirely.

She looked at him, truly looked at him for the first time. This wasn't the same Cain who kept to himself, the pushover who grumbled under his breath and avoided others when he could. He was no longer the 'Trash Prince', there was something bigger burning inside him now.

Something dangerous.

Something unstoppable.

"…Alright," she whispered. "Then I'm with you."

Cain turned away, ready to walk, but his words lingered in the air behind him.

"Good. Because I'm not stopping until he's whole again."