1 month later… On a dark night
This very night was the moment the long-awaited baby of Nazael's parents would be born. From outside the house, the screams of María in labor echoed as she delivered her first child. Pedro wasn't in the room; she shouted orders at the servant to fetch him, no matter where he was. Without delay, the servant rushed to her master, Pedro, who was right outside the room, fast asleep on a couch. Suddenly, the servant tried to rouse him:
Servant 1: "Mr. Pedro, please wake up! Your wife needs to see you urgently!"
Pedro: "What does she want now? Let me sleep!"
Servant 1: "Sir, she's about to give birth to your son!"
Pedro: "What?! Good God, it's already time? Damn it!"
He immediately jumped up and bolted straight to María's room.
Servant 1: Was the master really a Protector? she thought, confused.
The moment Pedro entered the room, María glared at him furiously and yelled:
María: "You damn idiot! Where were you?! Ah, screw this!"
She managed a few words before screaming in pain again. Pedro, confronted by the chaotic scene, froze at the sight of her suffering—then fainted. The servant tried to revive him, but nothing worked. This dragged on for another hour.
1 hour later.
The birth had been a success, and nothing but joy shone in María and Pedro's eyes as they welcomed their first child together. María's tenderness was unmistakable as she played with her son's tiny fingers. Pedro promptly ordered the servants to fetch the other children to meet their new brother.
One servant hurried to Sacha's bedroom door but barely started speaking when Sacha teleported behind her, bursting with excitement:
Sacha: "My little brother's here, right?!"
Servant 2: "Ma'am, please don't scare me like that!"
Sacha: "Well?!" (eagerly)
Servant 2: "Yes, my lady. Your father is asking for you and your brother… though I don't see him. Where could he be?"
Sacha: "Probably anywhere but here, that fool… Anyway, I'm going to see my brother!"
She rushed downstairs and dashed into the room.
Pedro: "Ah, Sacha! Come meet your brother."
Sacha saw the baby in María's arms and gasped:
Sacha: "Oh, how precious! He's so adorable!"
Pedro: "Right?!" (nodding) Then he asked: "Where's your brother, Sacha?"
Sacha: "Oh, right! That idiot Nazael… He's here!"
After saying this, she snapped her fingers—teleporting him forcefully in front of the door. Nazael seethed with rage.
Nazael: "Didn't I tell you not to annoy me, brat?!"
Sacha: (mocking) "You're such a dummy you can't even resist a forced teleport. Not my fault you're useless at magic."
Nazael (furious): "You'll see who's the dummy, Devil's child."
Pedro: "Enough fighting! This is an important moment. Nazael, come here!"
Nazael, stubbornly arrogant, refused to approach his brother, staring silently at the walls. To coax him, his father said:
Pedro: "If you come closer, I'll give you the sword. Deal?"
Nazael craned his neck to look at him:
Nazael: "You're joking, right?"
Pedro: "Of course I'm joking. You think I'd let you have something so dangerous? It's not even up to me. Now come greet your brother. Don't be stubborn, son." (warmly)
Nazael reluctantly approached, locking eyes with the baby as if challenging him. The infant simply smiled innocently. Pedro said:
Pedro: "If I'm ever not here to protect you all, I want you to look after everyone."
Nazael listened neutrally, unmoved.
Nazael: "Sure, Dad."
Pedro: "Good. That's my boy." (smiling)
Nazael: "I'm leaving. I'll wait in my room."
He turned sharply and left without a hint of interest in his brother.
Sacha: "By the way, you've picked a last name for the baby, right?"
Pedro and María froze, speechless. Sacha wasn't surprised.
Sacha: "Yeah, I expected this."
Pedro (defensive): "Of course I've thought of one! It'll be Don."
María: "My son will be named Shaw!"
Pedro: "Shaw? What?!"
María: "Over my dead body will you name him Don, you jerk!"
Pedro: "Who are you calling a jerk, you wicked woman?!"
The baby's crying interrupted them, forcing them to calm him for over half an hour. Once he slept, Sacha begged to hold him. María handed him over, and Sacha's eyes sparkled:
Sacha: "I'll wait for you to grow up! We'll play so much! I'll teach you magic, how to make giant fireballs, how to fly… We'll train every day. My little brother will be the strongest man in the world… right?!" (grinning)
María: "Wait, isn't that… too much?"
Sacha: "Hehe… Dear María, he's your son, but the moment he touched my angelic hands, he became mine."
María: "Pedro?!" (panicked)
Pedro: "Don't look at me. Once she gets an idea, not even the devil would dare stop her. My advice? Give up."
María fainted instantly, and servants scrambled to revive her. Meanwhile, Sacha, delighted, chirped:
Sacha: "I don't care if you name him Don or Shaw—I'm calling him Don! I can't wait for him to grow up! Is there a spell or seal to speed that up?"
Pedro smiled at her joy but muttered under his breath:
Pedro: "She'll never forgive me…" Then, snapping back: "I know someone who could, but they're gone. I'm no good at magic. You'll figure it out… but don't you dare test it on my son."
The scene shifts to Nazael, locked in his room by the window, staring at the stars.
Nazael: "Mom… I swear I'll avenge you." (clenching his teeth, tears of rage in his eyes)
He heard his father's footsteps approaching the door and hurriedly pretended to sleep. Pedro called his name three times but left when no answer came. Nazael simmered with hatred.
Why does he despise his father so much?
Exhausted by his turmoil, he drifted into a sleep he should never have experienced—a nightmare that would alter his life forever. Blurry, flashing images: a house bathed in red light, two charred bodies hanging behind it (one smaller than the other), a woman's agonized screams as she's assaulted, and himself crawling helplessly on the ground.