The tension in the air was palpable, a heavy weight that pressed down on Kaito's chest. Celestia's glowing presence, full of warmth and light, contrasted sharply with Seraphina's dark, commanding aura. It was as if the entire world had split in two, and Kaito was standing at the fault line.
Seraphina's eyes were locked on Celestia, her expression cold but simmering with anger. "You really think you can just waltz in here and take him from me?" she said, her voice low and dangerous. "He made his choice the moment he accepted the Abyss. You don't belong here, Celestia."
Celestia stepped forward, her wings unfurling slightly, casting a soft glow over the shadows. "You talk about choice, Seraphina, but how much of that choice was his? You manipulated him into taking the power. You bound him to the Abyss before he even understood what it was."
"Manipulated?" Seraphina scoffed, crossing her arms. "You think I forced him into this? Kaito chose the Abyss because it's part of him—just like it's part of me. You can't understand that because all you see is light and righteousness. You don't know what it means to embrace the darkness."
Celestia's wings twitched, and for a moment, her usual calm demeanor cracked. "The Abyss is corrupting him! It's twisting his soul, turning him into something he's not. I'm trying to save him, Seraphina. You're too blinded by your own connection to the Abyss to see what it's doing to him."
Seraphina's eyes flashed with anger, her hands clenching at her sides. "Save him? Is that what you think you're doing? You don't care about Kaito—you just want to use him for your own ends. You're no different from my father."
The accusation hung in the air, and Celestia flinched as if struck. For a moment, her expression softened, but she quickly regained her composure. "I'm nothing like your father. I'm trying to protect Kaito from the same fate that claimed you. If you can't see that, then you're more lost to the Abyss than I thought."
Seraphina took a step closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Don't you dare compare me to him. I've fought my whole life to escape his control, to make my own choices. And Kaito—" she hesitated, glancing at him before continuing, "—he's the only one who's ever seen me for who I really am. He accepted me, darkness and all. You can't take that from me."
Kaito stood frozen between them, the weight of their words pressing down on him. He could feel the pull of both sides—the warmth of Celestia's light, promising safety and a way out of the chaos, and the raw power of the Abyss, which had become as much a part of him as his own heartbeat. Seraphina and Celestia were fighting for him, but it wasn't just about him anymore. It was about their own beliefs, their pasts, and their visions for the future.
Before Kaito could speak, Celestia's voice softened, and she turned to him, her eyes filled with quiet desperation. "Kaito, you don't have to be afraid of the Abyss, but you also don't have to surrender to it. There's another way. You can live without being consumed by this power."
Seraphina's gaze darkened, her jaw tightening. "She's lying to you, Kaito. The light isn't going to save you—it's going to trap you. It'll bind you in chains, just like it bound her. I know what the Abyss can do. I can help you control it, master it. With me, you'll be free."
Kaito felt his heart racing, caught between the two forces pulling him in opposite directions. Celestia's light offered hope, a way to escape the looming darkness, but Seraphina's words struck a chord deep inside him. The Abyss wasn't just a curse—it was a part of him now, a power that could be harnessed. But at what cost?
The silence that followed was thick with tension. Both girls stood on the edge, waiting for Kaito to make his move.
"I..." Kaito began, but before he could finish, the ground beneath them trembled. A deep rumble echoed from the shadows, and the mark on his chest flared with heat, pulsing violently. The Abyss was reacting to the conflict, feeding off the emotions swirling around them.
Suddenly, a portal of dark energy tore open in the space between them, and out stepped the demon king. His eyes gleamed with triumph as he surveyed the scene, the corners of his mouth curling into a dark smile.
"Fighting over him, are we?" the demon king said, his voice dripping with amusement. "How deliciously predictable."
Seraphina immediately stepped in front of Kaito, her eyes blazing with fury. "Stay away from him."
The demon king chuckled, his gaze shifting between Celestia and Seraphina. "You think either of you can protect him? Kaito's fate is already sealed. He belongs to the Abyss, just as I always intended."
Kaito's heart pounded as the weight of the demon king's words sank in. He was the center of this cosmic struggle, but for the first time, he realized that both Seraphina and Celestia were fighting not just for him, but against a future they feared.
As the tension escalated, Kaito knew one thing for certain—his decision would determine the fate of all three of them.