"Son of Draco? You are the Prince of the Star Nation?" The man asked, staring at Sunny in disbelief. He was one of the three Fearless Family elders, kneeling in the chains.

​Sunny nodded. "Why are you all here? And what exactly happened?" he asked, frowning at the gruesome sight of their missing limbs.

​Samuel lowered his gaze to the blood-stained floor. "We three are the eldest of the Fearless Family. We were good people... not until that Kid—the Head of our family—found a strange, corrupt technique. They claimed the only way to master it was by sacrificing our humanity. He even went to the extent of hurting his own daughter." His tone was dark, his teeth gritted in barely contained rage.

​"Hurt his daughter? If my guess is correct, that's Matilda, right?" Sunny asked, remembering Matilda's detached cruelty.

​The Elder slowly nodded, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Such a pure and kind-hearted child, corrupted by his greed... And now..." He sighed deeply:

"She is a monster, a killer without a shred of humanity left. And where is he, dead. I wish he could be alive to see what he turned his only daughter into."

​'Now thinking about the Matilda from my childhood... she didn't have a single evil bone in her body. She was an angel in human flesh,' Sunny realized, the pieces of Matilda's cold persona clicking into place. He looked at the three elders.

​"What exactly happened to her?" Sunny asked, needing the full truth.

​"It is a long story, Your Highness," Samuel said with a deep sigh.

​Sunny moved his gaze around the dungeon, then fixed his eyes on the three men. "I have all the time I need. Start from the beginning."

​"Okay." Samuel exhaled, bracing himself for the painful recollection, and began his tale.

______

​[Some Years Back.]

[Star Nation.]

​"Family Head. Why are we in this dark, cursed forest?" The Elder asked, standing behind Tang, the current head of the Fearless Family. Tang was a middle-aged man with long, inky black hair, dressed in an expensive suit, his face contorted in a mix of ambition and nervousness.

​"Just stay silent," Tang snapped, his eyes fixed on the moonlit breach ahead.

​WHOOSH!!

​Samuel looked up at the dense, ancient trees, seeing three figures in black cloaks with glowing red eyes landing on the breach.

​"Greetings to the Death's'!" Tang, the Fearless Family head, bowed slightly toward the three figures who jumped down.

​"Are you sure your family is ready for this honor?" Jabez, the leader standing at the center of the trio, asked, his voice echoing under the hood.

​"You don't have to worry about that. We are ready to serve the royal family!"

​Tang and Samuel turned to the side, seeing Viper—younger and less bloated then—walking toward them, his battleaxe placed on his shoulder.

​He stopped before Tang and gave a small bow. "Greetings, Uncle."

​Tang nodded at his nephew and turned back to the three cloaked figures. "Okay. You said if we help you, we will gain great benefits. I want details."

​"Shouldn't you be asking what we want, rather than what you'll gain?" Alastor, standing on Jabez's right, asked, his expression concealed by the cloak.

​"Whatever you need won't be higher than the prestige and power of my Fearless Family," Tang said with a confident smirk.

​"Good." Jabez nodded his head in satisfaction.

​"We will give you a technique which can help you steal the bloodlines and power essences of others," Jabez began, detailing the dark art. "And if you impress us, we will reward you with a God Rank equipment." Jabez smiled, a soundless, chilling expression.

​"Practicing this technique will take away your humanity. You will become cold and utterly ruthless to everything, except those who also master it," Jabez continued, laying out the terrible cost.

​"We just need something small in return."

​"What is this you want?" Samuel asked, staring at the three with growing dread.

​"We need the soul of your only young child, Matilda," Jabez said plainly. "We discovered she is the purest being in the Star Nation—a perfect, untainted host. She is a good candidate."

​"Her soul? We won't kill the Young Miss for anything!" Samuel snapped, appalled.

​"Oh... Don't misunderstand. We only need her as a host," Jabez said, his chilling smirk visible even in the dim light.

​"Host? I don't understand," Tang said, a deep frown creasing his brow.

​"The Great Lord lost his Queen," Andras answered. "He plans to resurrect her through your daughter. If this succeeds, you will have unbelievable wealth and favor. You will see and rule worlds. The Star Nation will be your first conquest."

​"Really? Is there any side effect or something to take note of?" Viper asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

​"Only one," Alastor nodded. "She will lose her humanity and turn evil. All her characteristics will be altered." He continued:

"If you keep a close eye on her, there will be nothing to worry about. You just need to keep her safe until she comes of age and grows strong enough for the full possession."

​"Then what?" Samuel asked, instantly disliking the entire proposal.

​"Does he speak for you...? He asks a lot of questions," Jabez asked, turning his red eyes to Tang.

​"He is the oldest Elder of my family. So he has the right to know what's happening," Tang said with a small, placating smile.

​"Okay. Know one thing," Jabez warned. "If you fail at this, the Great Mother Madeleine and the Lord will have your heads." Jabez opened his palm and an old, ancient Scroll appeared.

​"The instructions for the ritual and the Bloodline Technique are in this. You must fulfill the end of your deal before three days pass."

​Tang nodded and slowly took the scroll, his eyes glowing with greedy visions of future power.

​"We will get going," Jabez said. The three leaped into the air, disappearing into the dark forest depth.

​"Are we really going with this, Head?" Samuel asked, his voice laced with disgust.

​"Samuel... We must. This is the time for our rise. The royal family took our family weapon decades ago. We can't let this continue, or we won't have any power in the Star Nation," Tang said, obsessed with vengeance and power. He turned to Viper.

​"Go get ready. We will do it tomorrow night."

​Viper nodded and walked away, eager for the benefits.

​'Head... Won't you reconsider? Taking away your daughter's innocence and purity isn't good... She is good as she is. And those guys didn't even say what will happen if she comes of age or gains more power—'

​"—Silence," Tang cut him off harshly.

"No matter what you say, I won't go back. Besides, going back will get us all killed. We already got so far; stopping now is foolishness." He turned and walked away.

​'I have a bad feeling about this,' Samuel thought, unable to stop the betrayal.

_____

​[Time flew, and the day of the ritual arrived.]

[Matilda's Room.]

​KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

​Matilda moved her gaze from her worn-out novel, stood up, and walked toward the door, opening it.

​"Hello, Elder Samuel. Why are you here?" she asked with a small, pure smile, her eyes reflecting the untouched innocence of her soul.

​Samuel stared at her, countless warring emotions—guilt, pity, and powerlessness—running through him. He forced a strained smile. "It seems you still love these ancient books, child... Getting such books now is harder than anything."

​"Is something the matter, Uncle?" Matilda asked, genuine worry softening her expression.

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