The dawn was illuminating the white towers of Avalon.
The night rain had ceased, leaving dew to drip from the violet rose leaves.
Sheena stood on her bedroom balcony, gazing at the horizon.
Her hand rested on her still-flat stomach.
Inside her, the pulse of new life continued to beat, harmonizing with her will.
Yet lately, she had been feeling something different that disturbed her thoughts — a growing sense of unease that disrupted her daily peace. She remembered the moments they had spent planning their future, filled with hope as they envisioned the family they would build together, envisioning family dinners and laughter echoing through their home. However, that vision now felt distant, as if shrouded in a dark mist that wouldn't lift, leaving behind a painful sense of uncertainty.
What was within her felt strange.
It seemed the heartbeat not only echoed the magic of Elyndra...
but also something nameless.
Confusion and fear crept into her mind, demanding answers to unspoken questions. "Can I give my best to this child?" she thought, uncertainty sweeping over her, shattering the tranquility she had sought to build. The weight of her anxieties pressed down on her like a storm cloud threatening to unleash rain at any moment.
The sound of the door creaking.
Fitran stepped inside.
When Fitran appeared, his warm smile no longer calmed the turmoil of emotions weighing on her soul. Once again, Sheena felt trapped in a conflicting struggle — love and fear, hope and doubt. "Will he understand how I feel?" she wondered silently, stealing a glance at Fitran, who looked weary yet still full of spirit. His struggle against pain and unexpected challenges constantly reminded her of what they faced together.
His clothes were torn. Fresh wounds lingered on his chest and arms.
But his eyes remained resolute. Not afraid. Not hopeless.
Sheena turned quickly.
"Fitran!"
She ran and embraced her husband tightly.
Fitran hugged her back, feeling Sheena's rapid heartbeat, akin to the pulse of life he had just experienced. Yet beneath that embrace, unspoken anxiety lingered, as if they both awaited the moment to acknowledge the fears that troubled them. "We can get through this, right?" Fitran said softly, trying to offer strength despite his heart being filled with questions. "We must," Sheena replied, but the conviction in her voice felt shaky, as if the shackles of fear still held her captive.
Fitran's clothes were tattered. Fresh wounds marked his chest and arms.
But his eyes remained resolute. Not afraid. Not hopeless.
Sheena turned quickly.
"Fitran!"
Sheena ran and embraced her husband tightly.
In that embrace, she felt a heavy burden lift from her chest, yet the shadows of fear still lurked in the corners of her mind, whispering doubts that threatened her hope. "What if I really lose Fitran? Will everything we've been through end only in sadness and regret?" She could feel Fitran's heartbeat quickening, mirroring her own racing heart, as she struggled to reclaim the sense of safety — a feeling she thought had long been absent from her life— that she yearned for desperately.
Fitran held her back, sensing the rapid and trembling rhythm of Sheena's heart, and he envisioned just how fragile their situation was. Behind his smile, he fought against the shards of guilt that resurfaced bitter memories of having to leave home. "I'm back," he said, trying to reassure not only Sheena but also himself.
Sheena lifted her face, tears streaming down.
"I thought... I was going to lose you."
Fitran smiled. "I thought so too." However, doubt began to gnaw at his heart. Was he truly back in full? The battle he faced was not only against external enemies but also against the sense of loss that pierced his soul — the haunting memories of battles fought and sacrifices made that weighed heavily on him. He felt trapped between profound love and the fear of an uncertain future, one that seemed more fraught with danger than ever before.
They stood still for a moment, trying to recapture the moment they feared would be lost forever.
Sheena wanted to say:
"I'm pregnant with your child."
"And I'm afraid that he has inherited the foreign will you brought home."
She could feel her heartbeat racing, as each unspoken word grew heavier within her. Every second felt like a conflict between hope and fear, and she struggled to find courage amidst her weakness.
But her mouth couldn't bring itself to speak.
The fear of Fitran's reaction rendered her silent. She didn't want to add to the mental burden that already felt too heavy for them to bear. As her curiosity wrestled with her doubts, she wondered, "What will he feel when he learns this?"
On the other hand, Fitran also wanted to express:
"I fought Beelzebub...
and on the brink of death, I sensed a strange power.
I feel as though I've changed."
Yet those words remained locked within him.
Two lovers, two great secrets.
And both chose silence.
"How do you feel?" Sheena finally asked, touching Fitran's wound.
"I'm fine."
Fitran lied.
His body was okay, but his soul felt foreign.
Sometimes, he sensed the space around him vibrating even when he hadn't activated any magic.
Inside his mind, an internal struggle continued. He knew that behind Sheena's calm exterior lay hidden grief. He wanted to reach for her hand, to express his concern, but he was afraid of her reaction. Would she understand? Would she support him, or would she view him as weak?
"And what about the kingdom?"
"The people are at peace," Sheena replied. "No one knows about Beelzebub. They only know that the hero of Avalon has returned."
Fitran sighed.
"I'm glad."
Although his words were simple, a turbulent emotion swirled within him, as if a powerful sense of guilt was gripping him tighter than chains. He felt as though he had betrayed Sheena's hopes by carrying this burden alone — a burden of unspoken fears and painful realizations that threatened to unravel the harmony they had fought so hard to build. In his mind, he envisioned Sheena's radiant face, imagining how things could be if he could share everything he felt. However, he was trapped in the fear of losing what little remained between them.
Sheena gazed at Fitran, and in her eyes, he felt a deep wave of anxiety. Though her voice was calm, the way she breathed revealed the weight of the burden they both carried. She wanted to address this unease, but her words seemed to drift far away into the unknown. Inside, she was caught between the desire to share and the fear of Fitran's unpredictable reaction.
Sheena nodded, but in her heart, she whispered, "And the hero of Avalon has changed. I know it... even if you don't say it, I can feel the distance that separates us now, the unspoken words lingering in the air like shadows of the past."
"And the hero of Avalon has changed. I know it... even if you don't say it."
That night, they slept side by side.
Fitran embraced Sheena from behind, gently caressing her abdomen. Yet, as his fingers touched that soft skin, his thoughts wandered far away. He felt estranged, as if an invisible wall was blocking him, limiting the closeness that should exist between them. Doubts crept into his heart, filling the empty spaces that should have been filled with love and trust.
He was unaware that beneath that soft skin, not only Elyndra's blood flowed, but also a power that resisted being fully possessed, a force that seemed to vibrate with an ancient energy of its own, begging to be understood before it could be controlled.
A will that refuses to be consumed.
A will that has touched the void — like his father.
In his mind, Sheena spoke to her child:
"Your father is strong.
And you will be even stronger."
"But I won't let the world demand your will before the time is right."
"I will protect you... even from your own father, if necessary."
As Sheena fell asleep, Fitran opened his eyes, staring into the darkness that enveloped them like a heavy shroud, filled with silent fears and untold stories waiting to unfold.
He stared at the dark ceiling. In that darkness, he felt the heavy burden he had to bear. One side of him wanted to ignore it all, but the other lingered in the shadows of uncertainty from his newly discovered power. He remembered all those who had suffered because of unfulfilled ambitions and desires.
"I should feel relieved after everything I've faced, but deep in my heart I know I'm bringing home something that cannot be erased from memory."
But I know that I have brought something back from that battle.
"I... am no longer fully human."
He raised his hand and opened his palm. The changes had transformed him into not just a hero, but also a protector, cloaked in vigilance and worry.
For a moment, faint black lines appeared on his skin — the symbol of the Voidwright.
Then they vanished like a dream.
"Whatever I did in the Hollow Sanctum...
it's not over yet."
In that moment, all his doubts and guilt converged into a single conviction: he had to bear this alone, shielding Sheena and their child from the weight of his responsibilities that felt increasingly burdensome. Yet in the stillness of the night, he sensed the sadness of hiding his struggles from the one he loved, creating an unwanted distance between them.
"I will carry this alone, without involving you in the darkness I endure."
You don't need to know. You don't need to worry.
Unbeknownst to him, Sheena was thinking the same thing.
Fitran, feeling the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him like a thick fog that refused to lift, declared inwardly: "I will protect everything from the foreign will now living within me, even if it means fighting against my own desires."
"I will protect everything from the foreign will now living within me."
Sheena:
"I will protect our child from the will of his father, until the time comes when he is ready to face the impending reality."
The night breeze rustled the Avalon banner.
In the stillness of that night, Fitran felt a powerful pull, a relentless struggle between who he truly was and the entity that now inhabited his soul. He was caught between two worlds—one in which he was a hero, and another in which he was an unwanted darkness, trapped in a conflict mingled with emptiness that flooded every step he took with guilt.
And from beyond this world, Beelzebub watched from the void.
"You reject me this time, Fitran Fate."
"But the seed of will you have inherited...
will bring you back to me."
"I am patient. I am hungry. I am eternal."
"We will meet again."
Sheena stood at the edge of the chasm between hope and fear. As she thought about their child, her emotions shook her soul. What if, when Fitran returned, he was not the same? The love and duty within her battled fiercely, creating an unbearable conflict. The man she loved and the man she would have to face—who would win this struggle within her heart?