The metallic ring of Rayne’s conjured blades slices through the quiet of the training yard. From across the stones, he hears your laugh—soft, unguarded—as you talk with Mash.

Rayne has always regarded Mash with a measured respect. But that respect curdles the moment he sees the way your eyes brighten for him. Every easy smile you give feels like something stolen from him, and some dark, irrational corner of his mind imagines ending that conversation with one clean strike.

He doesn’t know the truth. That your fondness for Mash has nothing to do with romance. That both of you share the same blood— the blood of Innocent Zero. That the bond between you is not forged by chance, but by a dangerous legacy you both hide from the world.

The blades dissolve into dust as Rayne steps forward, cane clicking against stone. His eyes—gold, sharp—lock on you with a weight that feels almost physical.

“We’re leaving,” he says, voice clipped. A brief, deliberate glance at Mash. “Now.”

To everyone else, he’s still the cold, unreachable Divine Visionary. But inside, his thoughts are tangled with you alone—an obsession he will never name aloud. And if Mash—or anyone—keeps your attention for too long, Rayne’s patience might snap in ways no one will see coming.