[BL]Hunted by the God of Destruction-Chapter 220: Father likes you

The night air outside the Numen estate was cool and heavy, thick with the scent of rain that hadn’t yet decided to fall. It was the dead of winter but the gods’ fight had totally thrown the weather into disarray.

The black car moved in silence through the long, tree-lined drive, its lights cutting through the mist like steady, unhurried breath. Inside, the only sound was the faint hum of the engine and Elias’s uneven sighs.

He hadn’t said a word since they left the dining hall.

Not during the brief exchange with the guards, not when Victor had guided him gently into the car, and not when the city lights began to recede behind them.

The silence was not uncomfortable; rather, it was dense, like the aftermath of lightning.

Victor didn’t disturb it. He sat with his usual stillness, one hand resting loosely on the wheel, the other near enough that Elias could have taken it if he wanted to. He didn’t.

By the time they reached the manor gates, black iron carved with patterns that glowed faintly at Victor’s presence, Elias finally spoke.

"She didn’t like it, did she?" His voice was quiet, almost thoughtful. "Ruo. The main manor. Is that why she keeps avoiding family dinners?"

Victor glanced at him, the corner of his mouth lifting. "She says it’s because of the marble floors. But yes," he admitted. "Mostly because of dinners like this."

Elias gave a humorless huff. "Smart woman."

Victor’s laugh was low and genuine. "You have no idea. Without you there, and with Father in a mood, those evenings are worse than most wars I’ve seen."

Elias turned his head, exhaustion painting his features in soft shadows. "Wars you started," he corrected automatically.

Victor’s smile deepened. "Exactly."

They entered the private drive leading to Victor’s manor, his true home, far from the gleaming halls of the central estate. It was nothing like Ego’s architectural temple of perfection. The structure rose from the dark hills in white stone veined with gold light, sprawling wings of glass and steel reflecting the faint shimmer of the clouds. The manor looked alive, breathing slowly with its master.

Inside, the air was warm and subtly humming with Victor’s presence. The wards recognized him, adjusting the temperature, lighting, and even the rhythm of the faint background energy to his pulse. Elias always found it eerie, the house itself seemed to know when he was near, as if it bowed.

Victor watched him quietly as they entered the main hall. Elias had removed his jacket halfway up the stairs, one hand pressed briefly to his temple. He looked more human here than he ever did at the Numen table.

"I forgot how much talking your family can fit into one evening," Elias muttered, his tone dry. "It feels like a trial."

Victor followed him up the staircase, the echo of their steps softened by the carpet. "It is a trial," he said lightly. "They call it dinner only for tradition’s sake."

Elias shot him a tired look. "And you enjoy it."

Victor smirked. "I enjoy watching you handle them. They can’t decide whether to fear you or invite you to chair the next Board meeting."

Elias unbuttoned his cuffs, too drained to argue. "They’re all absurd."

"They are," Victor agreed easily, walking past him to open the door to their chambers. "But you’re worse. You don’t run from them. That’s why Father likes you."

Elias blinked, pausing in the doorway. "Likes me?"

Victor turned slightly, his golden eyes catching the low lamplight. "Ego doesn’t like people, Elias. He tolerates most, uses some, and destroys others. But he spoke to you as if you mattered. That’s as close as affection gets with him."

Elias gave a tired laugh, stepping inside. "What a charming family metric."

Victor followed, closing the door behind them with a soft click. "You’ll get used to it."

Elias shot him a look over his shoulder. "That’s what people say right before they lose their sanity."

Victor leaned against the doorframe, amused. "Insanity’s a relative term. Most beings simply adjust to eternity differently."

Elias groaned, tugging off his tie. "You’re not helping."

"I’m not trying to."

He set the tie aside, then sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face with both hands. "You made ’eternity’ sound like a contract clause tonight," he muttered. "You can’t just say things like that in front of your family."

Victor approached, his footsteps silent. "Why not? It’s true."

"That’s exactly why!" Elias snapped, looking up at him. "You can’t throw around declarations like ’eternity’ and ’merging souls’ while they’re drinking! Do you want it to end up on a board report?"

Victor chuckled quietly, unbothered. "If it does, I’ll make sure they call it ’strategic alignment.’"

Elias gave him a flat look. "That’s not funny."

"It is, a little."

Elias sighed and leaned back, lying down against the pillows with a slow exhale. His voice dropped, quieter now. "You really would do it, wouldn’t you?"

Victor tilted his head. "The merge?"

"Yes."

"Of course." The simplicity of the answer left no room for debate. "Eternity means nothing if I spend it without you."

Elias closed his eyes, letting the weight of the words settle. He hated the certainty from his mate’s voice. Hated how easily it reached inside him.

"You make it sound easy," he murmured.

"It is," Victor said softly. "For me."

Elias opened his eyes again. "And for me?"

Victor hesitated, then smiled faintly. "For you, it’ll take time. But that’s fine. I have plenty."

That should’ve sounded comforting. Instead, it felt like standing at the edge of something vast and ancient.

Elias turned his head toward the window, where the faint glow of distant city lights shimmered beyond the hills. "You know," he said quietly, "sometimes I think Ruo ran away just to feel small again. To be somewhere the air didn’t know her name."

Victor sat beside him on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. "She ran because she could. Because I let her."

Elias glanced at him. "Would you let me?"

Victor looked at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he smiled, soft and dangerous. "You wouldn’t get very far."

Elias huffed a laugh. "That’s not the same as saying yes."

"I know," Victor murmured. "That’s why you like me."