Azazel waited a few minutes before deciding to follow Kreo. Slipping out of bed, he moved silently down the stairs. The living room was dimly lit, and he spotted Kreo sitting on the couch, his head in his hands with glasses on.
"Kreo?" He whispered, stepping closer.
He looked up, surprised. "Sweetheart, you're awake."
"I couldn't sleep," Azazel admitted, sitting beside him. "What's going on?"
Kreo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I was just re-reading the documents."
He hesitated, wondering if he should bring up what he had seen. "Kreo, I saw something today. In your office."
He looked confused. "What did you see?"
Azazel took a deep breath. "A contract. It said that if the hero is seen with the villain, they'll be executed."
Kreo's expression darkened. "You shouldn't have seen that."
"Well now I have," Azazel shouted. "Don't put your life at risk because of me. I'm meant to be killed, it's the rules made by the system."
Kreo took Azazel's hands in his, his grip firm and reassuring. "Azazel, sweetheart, listen to me," Kreo said. "That's why I brought the documents back."
Azazel looked at Kreo, confused. "What?"
"The contract said that whatever is listed and I did it, I'll only be executed," Kreo said as he led Azazel to the couch. "But it didn't mention one thing."
"What?" Azazel asked.
"Carrying the next generation of heroes," Kreo answered. "For centuries, when a new generation of heroes was born, the villain matched the hero's gender. Never once different, so they didn't add that to the contract."
Azazel couldn't believe it. He took the contract, reading it from start to finish out loud. The last page came forward, still never mentioning it.
Azazel looked down at the agreement signature. It wasn't Kreo's signature or name.
"My dad agreed to that for me, without my consent," Kreo explained. "I didn't care about it until now."
"So what are we going to do?" Azazel asked.
"Tell my parents first," Kreo said. "Then our friends and the people."
"Wouldn't it ruin your reputation—" Azazel started but Kreo cut him off.
"Doesn't matter anymore," Kreo answered. "What matters now is your safety and the kids'."
Azazel stayed silent, guilt weighing heavily on his mind.
"Hey, did I tell you that our children will be special?" Kreo asked.
Azazel looked at him. "No, how are they special?"
Kreo chuckled. "First, their mother was male."
Azazel rolled his eyes.
"But secondly, they will be the first set of triplets to continue the hero's legacy," Kreo continued. "This has never happened before. All heroes were born singletons, no twins before. But we had three."
Azazel tried his best to take in this new information. "You're saying that…"
"They all will be heroes when they grow up," Kreo answered as he pulled Azazel into a hug. "We just have to tell my parents now…"
"How about tomorrow?" Azazel asked.
"Isn't that too fast?" Kreo replied.
"It'll give them more time to process everything, don't you think?" Azazel suggested.
—
Kreo messaged his parents in the morning, and they agreed to meet up.
They were nervous, mostly Azazel, after all, he had brought chaos to the family.
The bell rang, and Kreo went to get it. As the door opened, Darla ran in to find Azazel.
"Where is he?" she asked with worry.
"On the couch," Kreo pointed.
Alexander soon walked in the door, facing his son before putting a hand on Kreo's shoulder.
Darla was sitting next to Azazel, hugging him. She was grateful to Azazel for being Kreo's partner and having the next generation of heroes.
Alexander, too, was thankful for Azazel. "You helped me fulfill my wish to be a grandad."
"You wanted to be a grandad?" Kreo looked at his father, surprised.
"With your attitude, I was worried I'd never get to be one," Alexander said as he sat down.
Azazel didn't say anything. He just smiled, trying to lighten the mood. But this wasn't the point of the invite. Azazel stood up and walked towards Kreo.
"Father, Mother," Kreo took a breath. "The reason why we asked you here is because we want to confess something."
Darla and Alexander sat straight, wondering what the confession would be.
"But you can't get mad at us," Kreo said. "Especially you, Father."
Alexander nodded before Azazel stepped in front of Kreo.
"I am the villain of Tenawyuv," Azazel said.