Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

It wouldn't be a lie to say Julia didn't regret her actions from before. She couldn't deny that she was at fault for her part in Cain's fall into the abyss. In her fear for her life after trying to avoid taking responsibility for her actions, she had essentially sold her body to a man who did not have her best interests at heart.

Now with the actions of Felix and her own growing fear for her future, something dawned in her. It was like an epiphany or a moment of clarity before her impending death. Her trembling stopped as Paigos and Felix began speaking more in detail about the plan to crush Cain and anyone who stood by his side. Her entire mindset had changed.

If she was fated to die... She would want to die doing the right thing. She would be a betrayer one final time. She knew it wouldn't make things right but she still had to try.

Julia drew in a shaky breath, the air catching in her throat as her decision solidified. She could feel the cold press of inevitability against her skin, but instead of shrinking away, she embraced it. Her heart hammered in her chest, but the fear that had once paralyzed her now fueled her resolve.

Her eyes flickered to Paigos. The grin on his face was a cruel one, sharp with hunger for violence. Felix, calm and composed as always, was weaving his words with the kind of ease that made his schemes sound inevitable. They saw her as nothing more than a pawn, a discarded piece to be moved around until she broke.

But Julia had made her choice.

If her fate was already sealed, then she would at least seize control of how it ended.

"I understand," she said softlt to herself, her voice steady in a way that surprised even herself. She lowered her gaze to hide the storm raging within her, but inside her mind the path forward was clear. She would play her part long enough to fool them. Then, when the moment came, she would betray them both.

It would not redeem her. It would not erase what she had done to Cain. But perhaps it would buy her a measure of peace, and in the end, that was more than she deserved.

Felix's eyes slid toward Julia as Paigos droned on about strategies and slaughter. He caught the subtle shift in her posture, the way her trembling had stopped, the flicker of steel in her gaze where there had only been fear before. It was the kind of change most would overlook, but Felix was not most people.

A corner of his mouth curved into the faintest smirk. He didn't call attention to it. He didn't need to.

Let her think she had grown a spine. Let her believe she could betray them, that she still held any cards to play. He would even let her plan take shape if it came to that. Because in the end, it didn't matter.

A false betrayer was still a pawn and in this game, he was the grandmaster who could move even kings.

Felix already knew how to twist this to his advantage. Her betrayal would draw Cain in closer, just enough for the trap to spring shut. He would make certain that when the blade finally fell, Julia's hands would be stained in a way that left her no path to redemption.

And when she realized it, when she saw how completely she had been used, Felix knew her despair would be delicious.

He turned his attention back to Paigos, expression smooth and unreadable, as though nothing had passed through his mind at all.

Paigos' grin widened as he thought of Cain's allies. The words Felix spoke to him barely registered as his mind was elsewhere, painting images of conquest in broad, fevered strokes. It wasn't enough to kill Cain. Death alone would not satisfy the gnawing hatred in his chest.

No, he wouldn't be sastified with just that. He wanted Everything!

He wanted the mouthy redheaded wolf girl who had stood so fiercely at Cain's side. The one who dared to bare her fangs at him, who looked at him as though he were beneath her. Paigos could already picture the fire in her eyes breaking as she was forced to kneel between his legs

And Mira.

He wanted her too, had wanted her for years, even as she made it clear she had no interest in him. The fact that she had chosen Cain only fanned the flames of his obsession. Taking her back would be more than revenge. It would be the final proof that Cain had been defeated, that everything once belonging to him was now Paigos' to claim.

Having followed the advice of Felix, he had swallowed the orb that held the Tyrant skill. He had felt the surge of power that it contained. When he subjugated his kingdom, he would enslave Felix so he could force the man to empower his army. Even supposed allies were not safe from his wanton desires.

Deep inside of him, the Tyrant Skill pulsed again like a second heartbeat. It fed on those thoughts, his ambition and lust weaving together into something darker, heavier. He didn't feel it slipping past the edges of his will, didn't notice how eager it was to encourage him, to push him toward cruelty and domination.

In his mind, this was all his choice, his will, his destiny. He was the future king. No! Future Emperor! He was the one taking what he wanted.

Never realizing that the Tyrant Skill was quietly taking him instead.

Felix of course said nothing about this, keeping his expression perfectly neutral, though inwardly, he noted every spark of madness growing behind Paigos' eyes. The parasite was working faster than he expected. Soon, Paigos would be too far gone to realize whose game he was really playing.

The foolish princr who viewed himself as a god amongst men was just a means to an end. While holding the skills he did was somewhat impressive, Cain was in another category altogether.

Something in the Abyss had changed Cain and Felix could barely contain his desire to find out what. Once he obtained Cain's corpse, he would dissect him and find out what it was.

His gut was telling him it was related to the Teacher he betrayed and if he was right, it could very well be the breakthrough he needed to reach his goal: True Immortality!