Emotions are a very common trigger for magical essence in a being.

Aether or Nyx—whichever river of power one draws from—emotions are the dam, the gate, the governor. Lose that grip, and the current spills. Spill too much, and the force that should have obeyed you turns wild, uncontrolled.

Nyx users can afford that recklessness. Their reserves are oceans—deep, dark, and overflowing. But an aether-user? One mistake, one surge too intense, and they drain themselves to a brittle husk, ripe for slaughter by even the weakest hunter.

That is why magicians are drilled from childhood: command your emotions or be consumed by them. A steady mind creates steady magic; a firm heart, a firm grip over every thread of essence.

And William—like every disciplined mage—had mastered that restraint. His aether rarely leaked. Even in combat, his control was glass-smooth.

But everyone has a breaking point.

A threshold where the mind fractures, emotions boil over, and training crumbles into dust.

For William, that threshold was the blade lodged in Emma's neck.

*Crack.*

The asphalt split beneath his feet, shuddering as if struck by a meteor. Air warped around him, trembling under a pressure it was never meant to withstand. William rose slowly from the ground, weightless, his eyes bleeding into a furious red as he seized Raito by the torso and dragged him away from Emma—inch by inch, bone by bone.

Raito couldn't even twitch. His body locked, every muscle screaming, resisting, yet utterly powerless against the monstrous pull closing around him.

William's hair flowed upward like strands caught in a storm, his levitating form eerily still as he forced Raito to float level with him.

Emma watched with awe—and dread. A dread that prickled at her bones.

He was unconsciously using Nyx. And if the watchers caught even a whiff of that… William's secret would not survive another minute.

She yanked the blade from her neck, a sharp cry tearing from her throat as her spell immediately began stitching flesh together.

*Clang.*

The dagger clattered onto the ground. Emma lowered her blood-soaked hand, only for Nana to seize it gently—but a sound jolted them both.

**CRACK.**

Emma's head snapped back.

William had torn off Raito's left arm clean at the socket. Before the scream even finished echoing, he ripped off the right.

Blood burst outward in twin fountains. William flung both arms into the air and, without even lifting his hand, sliced them apart mid-fall—shredding them into dozens of neat, quivering chunks.

The pieces rained down like crimson hail.

William plucked a handful of that fresh meat and turned to the mangled man.

"Open your mouth."

Raito clung to consciousness by threads, teeth gritted, sweat raining off his chin. His body spasmed in agony.

William tilted his head, expression void, and with a flick of his chin—

*Snap.*

The criminal's lower jaw dislocated violently.

"Gaah!"

His scream barely formed before William shoved the minced meat into his mouth—fistfuls of pulped flesh—forcing it in deep.

Telekinesis surged.

The meat rammed downward in a thick, wet mass. Raito's throat bulged grotesquely as the forced lump expanded his food pipe, tears spilling uncontrollably as he choked on his own flesh.

…

In the monitoring room, many has already stopped watching, moving their heads away as they found the scene too gruesome.

While those who still had the stomach to keep their gaze on the screen could only feel their gut wrenching not only in disgust but in horror of what a single teenager was capable of doing.

"Is he really in our league anymore?"

"Do we really need to fight against…that?"

….

Back on the battlefield, William stood amidst the trembling air and drifting blood-mist, grinning wide enough for his sharp canines to gleam.

"What do you see now?" he whispered, voice thick with venom. "Where is your smile? Come on—smile now."

He tapped Raito's cheek lightly, almost playfully.

But the man was already gone—fainted, foaming, consciousness long surrendered to the agony that had drowned him.

William's grin collapsed into a snarl.

He raised his hand, palm open, fingers curled like talons. A small orb of compressed aether whirled into existence at the center—tight, volatile, a miniature storm clawing to be released.

Without hesitation, he slammed it against Raito's chest.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOM**

The blast ruptured the world.

Emma immediately pulled Nana into her arms, shielding the girl with her entire body. Her eyes snapped shut as she threw up a solid barrier—thick, layered, and desperate.

The explosion tore the half dead man.

Flesh, bone, and fragments of what had once been a body erupted in every direction, ripping through the battlefield like a jagged red storm.

William chuckled, bathed in blood. It felt ecstatic to use his powers.

The unrestrained use of his skills, his abilities which he needs to always keep hidden.

He was having a good feeling about this. He wanted to do more…he wanted to taste more.

He has used his actual strength in a long time and he was reluctant to let it go just yet.

Clenching his fist, he was thinking whom he should target now when suddenly,

"William."

A voice. A familiar voice rang from below and the blond one suddenly snapped out of his reverie.

He unclenched his fist, his eyes blinking as he realized what he was just thinking.

He slowly lowered himself to the ground as he saw Emma advancing towards him.

The silver head released the little girl and rushed towards William.

Her arms wrapped around his frame as he gathered him in a tight hug.

"You scared me there for a moment." She whispered. The blood and gore didn't bother her. She just wanted to feel him in her arms and so she did.

William exhaled a heavy breath, "I am sorry…I should have been careful." He also wrapped his arms around her.

Nana, watching this scene from a little far away, smiled finally. The tears had dried and her lips have finally curved seeing her brother and sister safe.

However, what no one noticed was the blood Nana's hand.

It was Emma's blood which got on her hand when Emma was holding her.

The dark mark of the Devil on her palm slowly devoured Emma's blood, the mark ominously glowing.

"...!!" Nana winced as she raised her palm.

William also noticed her discomfort but before he could have asked what happened….It appeared.

In the next instance, all the surveillance screens turned blank and Island Beta was turned into a prison.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- I hope you all remember how potent and significant Emma's blood is. Drop a review if you have been enjoying the story to help the future readers.

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