<Danger! Critical anomaly detected! Procedure aborted. System integrity compromised.>

Thud!

The entire robotic arm shuddered violently, mechanical joints locking and servos whining before the limb lost all power and hung limp.

Azrael blinked, stunned. She turned to the video feed in disbelief—the biopsy needle hadn't even penetrated the bone itself; it had stopped, completely neutralised, a fraction of a millimetre away.

She issued the command again, voice strained. "Repeat the sampling protocol. Attempt again at standard force."

The robotic system rebooted, arm recalibrating, approaching Leo's thumb once more. The drill extended, whirring with increased power, but—

<Danger! Procedure failure. Critical interference field detected. Retraction initiated.>

Thud!

Again, the robotic arm seized and fell inert, as if something invisible had frozen its internal mechanisms.

Azrael's frown deepened. "What kind of danger? Specify the interference!"

<Unable to identify threat vector. Unknown force field or energy barrier encountered at the osseous interface. Bone tissue is impenetrable to current technology. Further sampling is impossible without subject cooperation or increased risk. Recommend aborting invasive protocol.>

Azrael clicked her tongue. Ignoring the warning, she seized the portable surgical tool with her own hands. Her grip was tight as she prepared to attempt the bone biopsy manually, desperate for any answer—

Crack!

The machine cracked in her hand—even before it made contact with the bone. Azrael staggered back in disbelief, staring at the device as a sharp, splintering noise echoed in her palm. The surgical tool fractured violently, as if some invisible force had shattered it from within.

She inspected the jagged remains, metal twisted and circuits ruptured.

Undeterred, she reached for another instrument—a new biopsy tool, this time reinforced with an adamantine-alloy tip, built to pierce even the hardest mineral. She activated it, but as soon as it neared Leo's thumb, the internal mechanisms seized, grinding to a halt before the tip split cleanly down the middle.

She tried again, swapping for a laser bone saw, then an automated marrow extractor.

Each machine broke, split, or fried its core within seconds of activation.

Whether controlled by her own hand or through robotic arms, every device failed, their reinforced materials snapping as if under impossible pressure.

Her frown deepened, "Tsk, useless," she spat, discarding the latest shattered tool. With an irritated clap, she gave the command, "Disengage!"

At her words, the transformed medical chamber responded. The room's advanced machinery and swirling technology faded, panels sliding shut and retracting as if time itself was rewinding.

The bed beneath Leo slowly ascended back to its original position, its plush surface restoring itself. Holographic screens and scanning arms vanished into the ceiling and walls, leaving only the soft hum of normalcy behind.

Leo's body was gently dressed by a pair of precise robotic arms, his clothes reappearing, arranged exactly as before. The bed's form cradled him softly, settling him into a peaceful, sleeping position.

Another robotic arm, smaller and more delicate, applied a sterile adhesive bandage to his thumb, then pulled the quilt over him with practised care.... For a brief moment, the robot even patted his chest—a strange, almost motherly gesture—before it rose back into the ceiling, disappearing as if it had never existed.

Meanwhile, Azrael, cigarette clutched tightly between her fingers, stalked out of the room. She pushed open the balcony doors and stepped outside.

The cold, rain-laden air whipped across her face, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she inhaled deeply, the cigarette's tip burning fast and bright. With every drag, she exhaled smoke into the furious wind, her face a mask of both pain and rage.

She stood at the railing, staring into the rain and thunder. Lightning danced across the sky,

"What have you done? Tsk, I should've realised when you always made excuses about Leo being busy, never letting us see him, never letting us talk after he started suffering those strange illnesses…" She spat smoke, grinding her teeth.

"You must have done something to his body... Tsk, fucking asshole… Tsk, tsk…"

Her hand clenched, trembling with anger.

"I shouldn't have trusted you back then… tsk, tsk… argh! I can't believe I came back when you called me. I… only came to be a piece in your damned game, didn't I? Pathetic…" she muttered, voice cracking as her eyes shimmered with tears.

A single tear slid down her cheek as her thoughts drifted to softer memories—back to the day, the day when a much younger Leo would run down the hallways to greet her, eyes wide and bright, heart open.

"Mommy~"

Just that word was enough to shatter her defences; remembering his pure, innocent smile made her whole body tremble with longing and pain.

She balled her fist, voice barely above a whisper.

"I should have taken him and run the first chance I got… tsk, tsk… It's my fault, all of it." The cigarette burned low in her hand as she took another harsh drag.

She raised her hand, trembling, to the sky. "Come on!!" she shouted, demanding, as if the world itself owed her an answer.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, suddenly, a black spark ignited at her fingertips. Her eyes widened—a smile flickered across her face. But before she could savour the moment—

"ARRHH!!"

A jet-black collar materialised around her neck like a tattoo, snapping tight around her neck. Azrael gasped, clutching at the collar, her nails digging into her flesh as if trying to peel from her neck.... Her eyes blazed with fury and pain, lips curled in a silent snarl.

"FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE!!"

She shouted furiously before taking a breath.

"Just how long do you think you can control us… Brother?" she hissed, "One day, you'll lose your power… and you'd better remember it, because...."

She took one final drag, the last ember curling up to her lips. Suddenly, she flicked the cigarette away, sending it flying into the storm. With a twisted smirk—half pain, half defiance—she turned away from the balcony and strode inside.

The burned cigarette flew into the sky, its ember glowing against the storm-dark air. It spun in a slow, smouldering arc, carried by the wind, drifting just a few inches away from the balcony's edge.

For a brief moment, it looked as if the cigarette would disappear into the night—until suddenly—

Thud!

The cigarette struck something that wasn't there. There was no railing, no wall, yet a sharp, unnatural collision rang out. The glowing tip flattened and scattered, embers bursting outward in a halo of sparks. The burning fragments danced in the rain, swirling around as if outlining a shape that should have been invisible.

As the glowing cinders spiralled, the air began to shudder, warping the view beyond the balcony. The outline of something massive appeared where the cigarette had struck. Shadows twisted and the falling ash illuminated a monstrous form, gradually peeling away the shroud of invisibility until the creature revealed itself fully—

A humongous crow, far larger than any natural bird, hung in the air. Its feathers seemed to drink in all the light, blacker than the night itself... Raindrops splashed against its body but never seemed to wet it, rolling off its wings like liquid silver. Its talons, thick and razor-sharp, clenched and flexed as it hovered, powerful muscles coiled beneath obsidian skin.

The creature's head was massive, the curved beak long and serrated, catching the flashes of lightning in stark, ghostly lines.

Its eyes were the most terrifying—enormous orbs of glossy, pitch-black glass, shot through with crimson veins, staring unblinking at the balcony. The crow's gaze felt intelligent, and utterly inhuman... staring at only Leo!

The crow's wings beat the air in slow, deliberate strokes, each movement calm as if it was not even flying... not even a disturbance of air at all!

Azrael, without even turning back, kept her tone cold and murderous,

"…I will slit your throat for this!!"

THUNDER!

She closed the balcony doors with a hard shove. Then, with a sharp clap of her hands, the glass wall was suddenly covered—metallic security shutters unrolled from the ceiling with a grinding mechanical whirr.

She walked back to the bed.

She leaned over him, the storm's glow haloing her hair, and let her hand drift lightly along his jaw, her fingertips trembling with desire. She trailed her touch down his neck, over his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin through the thin fabric. Her fingers played over him, teasing and gentle, sparking small shivers in his sleeping body.

Azrael eased herself onto the bed beside him, her warmth pressing against his side, her curves moulding to him. She lowered herself until her lips were barely an inch from his ear, her breath hot and uneven, scented with cigarette smoke and rain. She whispered his name, voice trembling with both love and heat, and pressed her body closer—her thigh sliding between his legs, her hand slipping beneath his shirt to stroke his skin.

She pulled him into her embrace, not just hugging but claiming him, drawing his face to her breasts, holding him there with a tender yet possessive grip. Leo stirred in his sleep, his arm reflexively tightening around her waist, his cheek nestling deeper into the soft, warm valley of her chest.

Azrael's expression melted, her eyes half-closed with pleasure and aching affection. "Haha… just like before, always loves mommy's boobs… don't you?" she murmured, a teasing, sultry smile curving her lips. She ruffled his hair slowly, her fingers combing through the strands as she inhaled deeply, breathing in his scent—fresh, masculine, and uniquely his.

"Now that's… a manly scent," she whispered, her voice low and husky, radiating both love and predatory hunger.

Her thighs tightened around his waist, hips tilting forward, drawing him snugly to her. She pressed her pelvis to his, heart pounding, loving the way his body responded even in sleep. Her hands wandered, stroking his back, tracing the line of his spine.

"I always saw you as a boy… but now… Prince, ah…" she whispered into his ear, her words soft as velvet, her lips brushing his skin, leaving him shivering even in his dreams.

"Oops! I forgot that…" Azrael suddenly remembered, noticing his injured hand. She took his fingers in hers, delicately peeling away the bandage that covered the tiny puncture wound left by the failed biopsy. With a mischievous, maternal smile, she brought his finger to her lips—

Chomp!

She closed her mouth around his finger, sucking softly, her tongue swirling gently over the injury. Her eyes closed, lost in the taste and sensation, her other arm wrapped tight around his shoulders, cradling him with possessive tenderness. Her whole body trembled, love and desire mixing until she almost couldn't breathe.

Meanwhile, Leo, caught in the haze of sleep, felt every sensation, every pulse of heat and longing, his subconscious flooding with dizzy pleasure as Azrael's touch, her scent, her love surrounded him.

Damn, man…

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