Kaius didn't think about the consequences of high-level protection magic—he'd never attempted it beyond enchanting stones.

He didn't measure it.

He didn't calculate it.

He simply… collapsed.

When he opened his eyes, the sky outside was still dark. It took him a few seconds to understand where he was, and a few more to notice the strange silence of the mansion. No footsteps. No voices. Nothing.

He grabbed his phone.

Monday. 5:03 a.m.

He sat up abruptly.

"...what the hell?"

He'd never slept that long. A full day. Twenty-four hours completely erased from his consciousness. The thought cut through his chest with an uncomfortable edge.

Please… please let Nicolas have been too busy with Ivana to notice my existence.

He got up quickly and headed straight for the shower. The cold water helped clear his head, though he didn't stay long. While getting dressed, adjusting his shirt, the sensation hit him.

He remembered.

The pill.

The pain responded before he could finish the thought. A brutal stab in his chest, identical to those first days when he wasn't medicated yet. Kaius doubled over slightly, breathing with difficulty.

"Shit…" he muttered.

He grabbed the canteen and opened the bottle with clumsy hands. He put a pill in his mouth and drank. Eternal minutes passed before the pain began to recede, like a tide retreating reluctantly.

When he could finally straighten up, he stood still for a second, breathing.

I can't forget again.

He left his room in silence. He went down the stairs carefully, more out of habit than necessity. He was hungry. Human hungry.

★ ★ ★

He entered the kitchen and, without knowing why, the memory came on its own.

Mexico.

His mom making chilaquiles.

His dad cooking beans with chorizo.

The kind that filled you up with just three spoonfuls… but you kept eating anyway.

He smiled slightly.

"That," he said to himself. "That's what I want."

He asked Rouge for beans, chorizo, and bolillos. Meanwhile, he began chopping onion and tomato, set the water to boil, added spices. His hands moved on their own, following a memory he hadn't used in over a year.

And it was there.

In the middle of the steam and the familiar smell.

When he realized.

He hadn't thought about them.

Not once.

For an entire year.

Not the parents who abandoned him in this life.

But the others.

The ones who actually loved him.

He felt his throat close up.

His parents weren't perfect. They separated. They had problems. But they never hated each other. They never blamed her. They always hugged her. They always made her feel enough.

He remembered his dad and his sister picking out ice cream. Her walking behind them, uncomfortable, with her headphones on because crowds overwhelmed her… but happy. Tired, yes. But happy.

He remembered the hugs.

The kisses on the forehead.

That feeling of being special without having to prove anything.

The tears fell without permission.

"I'm… a terrible daughter," she whispered.

How could she live a year without remembering them? How could she forget them until now? She thought about that last hug, those last words. I love you. And then… nothing. They found her lifeless in her bed. No wounds. No explanation.

The pain became deeper.

She would never be there when her sister started law school.

She would never help her choose her wedding dress.

She would never tell her she was the most beautiful bride in the world.

She would never be the aunt who held her children.

Never.

The ingredients appeared on the counter, but Kaius didn't see them. He cried in silence, praying that his parents wouldn't suffer anymore, that they would move forward, that they would live. That his sister would have the life he couldn't.

★ ★ ★

That's when he heard a noise.

Kaius turned barely for a second… and saw him.

Nicolas was standing at the kitchen entrance.

Kaius reacted immediately, turning his face and opening the faucet to splash water on his face, faking normalcy. He noticed then that everything was ready to cook.

"Nico," he said, his voice firmer than he felt. "Are you going to come in or do you plan to stand there until your legs fall asleep? Come on, sit down. I'm making breakfast. And no, I don't accept complaints."

Nicolas entered cautiously and sat at the bar.

"Smells good," he admitted.

"That's what they say before they regret it."

★ ★ ★

Kaius finished cooking and served two plates.

Beans with chorizo. Freshly heated bolillos. The smell filled the kitchen like a hug.

Nicolas watched him in silence while Kaius moved around the kitchen.

There was something different about him this morning. Something softer. More… human.

Was he always like this? Nicolas wondered. Or did I never take the time to see it?

He pushed the thought away. It was uncomfortable. He didn't know why.

Nicolas took a bite.

Then another.

"Okay," he admitted. "I don't regret it."

Kaius raised an eyebrow.

"Correct. Point for me."

They ate in silence for a few minutes. The only sound was the cutlery against the plates and the stove crackling as it cooled down.

Nicolas was the first to speak.

"You didn't come out yesterday."

"I slept."

"All day."

Kaius nodded without looking at him.

"That's not normal," Nicolas said quietly. "We're vampires."

Kaius avoided his gaze.

"I know."

"Does something hurt?"

"No."

The lie came easy. Too easy.

"If something's wrong… tell me," Nicolas insisted. "It's not normal to see you like this."

Kaius looked at him, surprised by the firmness in his voice. By the genuine concern.

Since when do you care so much, little brother?

"I'm fine," he said finally. "I just… need to get used to some things."

Nicolas didn't seem convinced, but he nodded.

They kept eating.

"Thanks for cooking," Nicolas said after a while. "I like it when you do… human things."

Kaius let out a low laugh.

"What a relief. I thought you'd say 'weird.'"

"That too," Nicolas smiled. "But the good kind of weird."

Kaius threw a napkin at him.

Nicolas dodged it, laughing.

And for a second—just a second—they felt like real brothers.

★ ★ ★

After breakfast, Kaius picked up the plates. A small gesture. Human.

"I'll drive you to school," he said.

Nicolas looked at him.

"That's not necessary."

"Yes, it is," Kaius insisted. "Let's go."

Nicolas accepted reluctantly.

In the car, the silence wasn't uncomfortable.

It was… comfortable.

Kaius felt something close to being the older brother he always wanted to be. Nicolas, something close to having him back.

★ ★ ★

When they arrived at school, Kaius got out with him.

The stares came quickly. Curiosity. Desire.

He was used to it by now.

Rouge was nearby, hidden in plain sight.

Kaius watched the students arrive. The group of girls was there too, approaching like vultures toward fresh carrion.

But before they reached him, someone grabbed him from behind.

Actually, it was two pairs of arms.

"Kaius! Hey, buddy! How are you?"

"We didn't think we'd find you here!"

Kaius smiled genuinely.

"Micha, Marcos. Hey." He turned to face them. "Yeah, I didn't expect to see you either. I'm just here dropping off my little brother at school. Are you here to see Ethan?"

They both laughed.

"Oh, no. Actually, our little sister had things to do. Paperwork and all that. So we offered to take Ethan to school."

Marcos winked at him.

"Why don't we grab coffee after?"

Kaius had already changed his mind about many things. Maybe he wouldn't be a hero. But he didn't want to be alone. And everything in him wanted… maybe… to have a friend. Or two.

"Sure," he answered. "Where's that kid?"

He saw Ethan in the distance, talking to Emmet. He waved at him from where he stood.

The bell rang.

★ ★ ★

Before Nicolas went inside, Kaius pulled something from his coat.

"Here," he said, handing him a crystal bottle. "Cranberry juice. I know you like it. And since you don't eat much, at least this will give you extra energy."

The bottle was… too eye-catching.

Nicolas took it carefully, surprised by the strange shine of the crystal. He turned it between his fingers, watching how the light refracted in impossible ways.

"It's… beautiful," he admitted. "Where did you get it?"

Kaius shrugged with false modesty.

"I made it."

Nicolas raised an eyebrow.

"You?"

"I have a jewelry shop," Kaius explained. "A human business. Nothing special. But lately I've been developing new products."

"A jewelry shop?" Nicolas blinked. "Since when do you have a jewelry shop?"

"About a year, more or less." Kaius pointed at the bottle. "These are part of a new line. Artisan crystal bottles. They're gifts for customers who buy certain pieces."

Nicolas looked at the bottle with new eyes.

"It's impressive," he said. "The craftsmanship is very fine. It almost seems… magical."

If you only knew, Kaius thought.

"Thanks," he said out loud. "It took me a while to perfect the technique."

Nicolas smiled slightly.

"You know? You should open a branch here. In town."

Kaius let out a laugh.

"Here? In Crimsonwood? Where everyone knows each other and gossip flies faster than bats?"

"Exactly," Nicolas said. "Imagine the headlines: 'The prodigal son of the Lindvergs opens local business. Town ladies line up to buy.'"

"'Kaius Lindverg sells jewelry and ruins marriages,'" Kaius added dramatically. "'Wives spend the inheritance. Husbands cry.'"

Nicolas laughed. A real laugh. The kind Kaius hadn't heard in decades.

"You should consider it," Nicolas insisted, still smiling. "Seriously. You have talent."

Kaius looked at him for a second.

Was that a genuine compliment?

"I'll think about it," he said finally. "Now get to class before you're late."

Nicolas smelled the bottle again. To him, it was animal blood. Nothing more.

"Thanks for this," he said. "And for breakfast. And for driving me."

"Don't get used to it," Kaius replied, though his tone said otherwise.

Nicolas smiled one last time and walked into the school.

★ ★ ★

Andrea had seen everything.

Not just the object.

The contained glow.

The sealed magic.

The absence of any recognizable trace.

That's not normal. It was magic she had never seen before, and she wanted it.

She approached with determination.

"Kaius," she greeted. "Hey, how have you been?"

"Andrea."

Kaius shook her hand. When their hands touched, she entered his mind.

That's when Kaius understood—she had sensed the magic in the bottle.

Kaius felt it immediately. A clumsy, greedy intrusion. Searching for the recipe and his magic.

Damn bitch. But maybe this is a good opportunity.

He expelled her with cruel precision. He took her to memories that were his—the story from the series—the death of the fictional Andrea, her mother dying in a massacre, her magic being ripped from her body fiber by fiber.

He didn't touch her physically.

But he destroyed her from within.

Andrea screamed.

She fell to her knees, trembling. Her eyes were open but saw nothing. Only death. Only fire. Only the void where her magic used to be.

When she came back to herself, she knew.

Kaius Lindverg was dangerous.

He released her hand without saying anything.

And left with the twins.

★ ★ ★

Inside, Kaius smiled.

First revenge complete.

Well, now she knows—she can keep messing with me or leave it at that.

It was cruel. He knew it.

But this time, the cruelty was HIS choice.

And that made all the difference.

★ ★ ★

With the twins, the coffee tasted like victory.

They sat in the café across from the school. The place smelled like fresh coffee and sweet bread. Kaius ordered an americano; the twins, lattes.

While they waited, Kaius asked what he'd been thinking since they arrived.

"I'm really glad you're here." He paused. "But I have a question, if you don't mind. Where's Margaret? I thought she'd be here to drop off her son. She always does."

The twins exchanged a look.

As if saying: Seriously, you don't know?

Michael pulled out a newspaper and handed it to him.

"Read."

The headline hit him:

THE TOWN'S MOST FAMOUS COUPLE IN LEGAL DISPUTE

Domestic violence alleged — Divorce proceedings initiated

Kaius read quickly.

"The full process will take about six months," Marcos explained. "That's how these cases work. But this morning there was an emergency hearing."

"And what happened?"

"Margaret won temporary custody of Ethan," Michael said with a smile. "Harold is prohibited from coming within fifty meters of her or the boy while the process continues."

"But that's not all," Marcos added, pointing to another part of the newspaper. "Keep reading."

Kaius looked down.

GRAYWOOD ENTERPRISES RETURN TO THEIR RIGHTFUL HEIR

The article detailed how Margaret had regained control of the family businesses. Harold never had any legal documents including him as an owner. It had all been his word. Manipulation. Lies.

But without signed papers, he had no rights.

"Our family's lawyers reviewed everything," Michael said. "Harold had nothing. Not a single document."

"The idiot got too confident," Marcos added. "He thought she'd never dare leave him."

Kaius felt immense pride.

That's my girl.

"And the divorce?"

"That will take time," Michael admitted. "Six months minimum. But meanwhile, Harold lost access to Ethan, the businesses, and the family home. All he has now is his parents' house."

"And if the abuse evidence holds up in the final trial…" Marcos paused dramatically. "He could end up in prison."

★ ★ ★

Kaius kept flipping through the newspaper.

And found another headline:

THE TOWN'S DAUGHTERS STAINING THE LEGACY

The photo showed three girls he knew very well, and what they said that day was quoted. That was Margaret's doing, for sure.

Andrea. Ivana. Rebeka.

Interesting.

It suited him—as long as his story wasn't leaked.

He remembered how in the original story, those three had mocked Margaret for years. They saw her as pathetic. They treated Harold like "a good man."

How ironic.

Now the town is judging them.

Kaius smiled.

"Good for her," he murmured, sipping his coffee. "Like a good Mexican… this calls for a celebration."

Sweet bread. Hot coffee.

A small victory.

★ ★ ★

The road would be long for Margaret. Six months of trials, evidence, lawyers. But she wasn't alone anymore. Her brothers were with her. She had control of her businesses. She had her son.

And Harold…

Harold only had his wounded pride.

And his membership in a certain cult with black hoods.

But that was a problem for another day.

For now, Kaius enjoyed the moment.

The hot coffee.

The new friends.

The silent revenge against Andrea.

The cracks beginning to form in the group of girls.

And for the first time in a long while…

…he didn't feel completely alone.