"Fuck... It's even worse than you said..." Leo muttered once Ava finished reting everything up until she and Adam arrived at the Safe Zone.

  When Ava began, Leo was ready to hear about their struggles at the beginning of the Outbreak. He even expected to listen about how they had to hide and thus leave Adam without any Void Esseo stop the curse from spreading.

  Only none of those things ever happened.

  The tale Ava gave him was grimmer than anything Leo could have ever dreamed of. Even worse were the facts her story presented as they affected not only them but the entire world at rge.

  Catastrophic... Now I know what Holde...

  Acc to the information given to Ava during her own awakening, children under a certain age had even lesser ces of surviving the initial Outbreak than adults. Add to that if the parent of that child didn't bee Awakened or was too far away, those ces went down to zero, and nothing could ge that.

  That Ava and Adam survived was a miracle in itself. However, just like Holden and his sister-in-w expined, it didn't mean they got off easily. No, now they both had to bear the curse that slowly draiheir lives away, and it worked nothing like it did for Leo.

  After all, he was alone and could ter the curse with Drain without much problem. But Adam and Ava? They had it much worse.

  His sister-in-w had to sacrifice a part of her soul so that her son could even live through the awakening. It bohem forever, giving Ava partial access to Adam's system. Yet, iurn, she was now ected to her son's curse as a proxy, slowly losing her mind.

  And all of this did nothing to stop the Taint from spreading. If it even be stopped...

  From what Ava said, they tried, they really did try to find a way to stop the curse from advang, but nothing paused it for as much as a sed. Drain only made the progress a bit slower, while killing a Voidling didn't even do that much. And they only mao test the tter thanks to a small, level one Ameist that attacked them on day two.

  Thank god they had other people to protect them, or I would have lost them then. Leo balled his fists, reminding himself hooke about Adam's first frenzy when he killed the ant. He could only imagine how the woman must have felt back then. To see someone you love unditionally lose their mind just after the world went to shit...

  Leo raised his gaze to look at the tired woman. Right after she fialking, Ava cradled her head and had hardly moved sihen.

  "Right after you awoke, whebreak began... How much did the Void take from Adam?" He asked, f his sister-in-w to meet his eyes.

  "Most of his torso and both legs," Ava gritted her teeth as if fighting a hard memory. "I was so scared, Leo, that I had lost him, that I awoke to anhtmare. But then Adam opened his eyes, and it was still my son oher side. I felt it in my soul, just as I felt the Void's curse running through his veins."

  Fug hell. Leo scowled, his mind running a hundred miles per hour, trying to find a solution to this misery. "What else have you tried since you two arrived here? Do they eve you leave?"

  Ava shook her head. "No, and it's for the best. You haven't seen him, Leo. Adam might be my little boy, but the moment a Voidling appears in his sight, even I 't reize him. The Void takes over, and we do nothing but wait it out. Not even I am safe to approach him then."

  Perfect... Leo scoffed. He had hoped that maybe by getting Adam out aing him sughter more than just one Voidling, they could satiate his cursed state.

  Not any longer.

  She might wao save him, but there is no way she will let me take him outside, not with how she is currently. I need a different pn.

  Suddenly, Leo stood up, eveing Dyn, who until now just waited silently in the er.

  "I o see him. Now."

  "Wait!" Ava rose quickly, ing around the desk and stopping just a few steps away from Leo. "What if Adam attacks you? You aren't a human any longer, Leo. We both know that."

  Grimag, he refrained from pg a hand on her shoulder. "I ha, and I promise you, I won't harm my godson." Once Ave nodded shakily, Leo turo the only other person in the room. "Dyn, if you could?"

  "Aye," the mage tipped his head, going straight for the dive me a sec."

  The moment the door closed again, leaving the duo alone, Ava's shoulders slumped. heless, she took aep forward and grabbed the end of Leo's cloak.

  "I-I," Ava tried, only to shake her head as her eyes grew misty. "N-Nick... Did you find him? Please, Leo... I o know."

  Shit...

  When Ava didn't ask him more about Ni the beginning, Leo hoped she already knew. Being the bearer of the bad news was the st thing he wanted, but it seemed like the universe couldn't even spare him from this.

  "I did," he muttered, turning away from the eyes that now shed tears. "The Outbreak took him. There was nothing I could do."

  "And did you..." Ave trailed off.

  Leo nodded. "I couldn't let some sick, twisted version of him walk around the city. He now rests in your old home. I left him there, buried under whatever I could gather."

  "Thank you," Ava whispered, and he finally looked at her just in time to see her wipe the final tears.

  "He was my brother after all," Leo replied a it at that. There was no more to be said, and they both k.

  "Are you sure it's a good idea, Hale?" Holden asked as they all stood in front of the same door the man was gng at earlier. "You might have Ava's trust now, but I still don't like this. There is a reason that boy must be isoted here."

  On instinct, Leo bristled at Holden's words even though he khe man probably didn't mean anything by them. Putting Adam as farthest away from other survivors was an obvious choice here, and no good leader would hesitate to make it.

  "I handle my own godson," Leo hissed back, pretty much repeating what he said to Ava. "You keep the door open if that's gonna make you less wary."

  Holden nodded, "Alright, but remember, you don't have much time left. I 't keep people away from here forever. Not without telling all of my fighters what is going on."

  Leo scowled but didn't argue. However, Ava might do it for him as she didn't like it wheold her he had to leave soon.

  Okay, let's see what happeo you, kiddo. I just hope your mother announced me properly.

  In a single move, Leo opehe door wide and stepped through, his eyes immediately registering the broken furniture strewn around. Then his gaze fell owo mattresses at the far end of the room, and that was when he saw him — Adam, his godson.

  her Holden nor Ava did lie. The Void's curse had takehe boy, leaving only a bit over half of his head, a small part of his torso, and one arm unscathed. The rest was just like Leo's skin not long ago, deformed and grey, full of glowing veins.

  He met Adam's eyes, one green and the other crimson, both gring in Leo's dire, full of hate. The child stood up slowly, a low growl leaving his throat. "What are you?"

  Yeah, that voice definitely doesn't belong to a kid. Much less Adam. Leo grimaced as he took aep forward and lowered his hood. e on, buddy, don't make it harder than it already is.

  The crazed boy hissed, baring his teeth and raising his cwed hand. Huirred at that, a growl eg through Leo's mind. Even a bit of bloodlust spilled out, but he pushed it away. It was the st thing he needed now.

  Still, you might be onto something. Leo sent back to Hunter a out a growl on his own. Only he wasn't some half-transformed human but a full Akirian. Thus, when the echo reached Adam, the kid's eyes widened, and he instantly backed off.

  So Ameists are not the only ones scared of me. Leo noted, approag the frozen boy. "Adam. Kiddo, calm down. It's me, your uncle, Leo."

  His godson's back hit the wall behind him. "U-uncle Leo?" He stuttered only flint of crimson to enter his health eye. "I don't care! But you are strong. I feel it. I !"

  Instantly, the boy-turned-demon darted forward, ready to slice through the opposing monster with his cws. However, no matter how much power the Void's curse gave him, Adan could never match what Leo fought and bled for i week.

  Faster than a human could blink, he grabbed the boy by his arms and just held him in pce. Adam tried tle away, hissing all the while, but nothing worked.

  Some bloodlust finally seeped into his veins, and at once, Leo and Hunter roared right into Adam’s face. The boy stilled, eyes going wide before they rolled back, his body going limp.

  Worked better than I expected. Good job, Hunter. Leo sighed, cradling the boy in his arms. I'm sorry, kiddo, but it's for the best.

  "He is fine, just sleeping," he muttered as Holden, Ava, and Dyn practically ran into the room. "You guys were right, though. He definitely doesn't like anything that es from the Void."

  "What was that?" Holden hissed, pletely ign everything said.

  "A trick I learned yesterday. Works well for low-level Voidlings, so I thought it could help here too. It did," Leed, lying through his teeth.

  Ava dropped to her knees, grabbing Adam's healthy hand and giving Leo a light gre. "I shouldn't have let you in alone."

  He shook his head. "It was bound to happen anyway, Ava, and like I said, he is fine. Now, I at least get a proper look at him. Might find something you missed."

  "I thought you wao talk with him," Holden cut in.

  "I did," Leo nodded. "But I do it ter. Maybe after what just happened, buddy here will be more open to dialogue."

  "And if he won't?" Ava whispered, finally looking up from her son.

  Leo swallowed, closing his eyes for just a moment. "Then we will figure it out. I promise."