Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine-Chapter 78: L-Little boy, you better not be doing anything weird, o-okay?!

Chapter 78: L-Little boy, you better not be doing anything weird, o-okay?!

Ophis and Valra stood quietly in front of the door, their cheeks tinted with a light blush, eyes darting away awkwardly as an embarrassed silence hung between them.

"That idiot..." Valra muttered through gritted teeth, her fists clenched slightly at her sides.

"He was... almost naked... completely...!"

Her voice cracked in disbelief. She couldn’t even believe what she saw. That image—Leo in just his underwear—was now burned into her brain.

Ophis gave a small shrug, her crimson eyes trembling slightly.

"I mean... I guess we can’t really blame him. I woke up naked, too. That woman probably checked if we were corrupted or not..."

She tried to sound logical, to justify the situation. But even her voice held hesitation.

The thought settled in Valra’s mind for a second. Then—

Her eyes widened in sudden realisation.

"Wait... does that mean... Ms. Jing saw everything?!"

There was a pause.

"..."

Valra’s expression twisted, her brows twitching with frustration as a dangerous spark flickered in her eyes. Her lips curled in silent rage as a furious thought echoed in her head, ’Why you!!’

She couldn’t believe it—Jing had seen what she didn’t get the chance to.

Shit!

Ophis stared at her with a weird look, puzzled by the shift in her expression and the way she was acting.

"...Hey," Ophis asked casually, tilting her head with curiosity, "do you love that guy?"

Valra froze. Her eyes widened for a split second before she quickly looked down, her blush deepening to a brighter red. She slowly gave a shy little nod, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her sleeve.

Ophis blinked. She simply stood there for a second, observing Valra. Then she gave a quiet, thoughtful hum. "Oh... hmm."

Though she didn’t say anything more, her sharp eyes stayed fixed on Valra with a curious, unreadable glint.

Thud.

The door creaked open, and Leo stepped out.

Both girls turned instinctively. Their eyes widened, not because of the person—but because of how he looked.

"You look... tall," Valra muttered, blinking in surprise. She had to slightly tilt her head now to meet his gaze.

"What, did you hit a growth spurt or something?" Ophis joked dryly.

But even she couldn’t deny it—Leo had grown. Not just taller, but his body had filled out a bit. His build was lean, subtly muscular, and his darkened hair and red eyes added to a sharp, almost mysterious look.

Leo gave an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... don’t know. Ahaha..." His smile was sheepish, confused.

He looked down at his arms and flexed slightly—his forearms and thighs did look tighter now, his clothes fitting differently.

Valra and Ophis glanced at each other, both puzzled, but they shrugged it off. The three of them began walking together, making their way out of the old temple.

Before they exited, their eyes caught something floating above—the circular stone still suspended in the centre of the temple, glowing faintly.

The very same stone that started this entire mess.

"Is that thing supposed to float there forever?" Leo asked, squinting up at it.

Valra sighed and shrugged, "I have no idea..."

Ophis also shrugged.

As they stepped out of the temple, a blinding morning light met their eyes. The warmth of the sun spilled over their faces, the golden rays tingling against their skin, wrapping them in a soft, gentle heat. They each let out a faint breath, the breeze brushing past them as if the world was trying to comfort them after everything.

Leo could see the distance the sparrow was flying round... it was cute.

Leo turned quickly toward Ophis. "Are you okay?"

After all... she was a vampire. And vampires didn’t get along with sunlight. He remembered her being hurt by UV rays before, so he worried.

Ophis gave a confident smirk, flicking her hair over her shoulder with flair.

"I’m not some lowly vampire, you know. I carry the blood of the Dracul—"

"Oi! At least let me finish!!"

Ophis scowled, pouting as Leo and Valra started walking ahead of her, ignoring her dramatic speech. She stomped after them, cheeks puffed in annoyance.

Valra, her voice quiet, spoke as she walked beside Leo. "So... it’s really over for us. The war."

Leo gave a soft hum. "Yeah..."

Neither of them said it with confidence. Their voices felt distant—exhausted.

Even though it was early morning, very few people walked the streets, and those who did gave the trio strange looks. Their clothes were tattered, stained, and torn. Their faces looked worn down, haunted, like soldiers walking home from a battlefield.

But they ignored the stares.

They walked until they reached a small junction, the path splitting in three different directions. The moment of separation stood before them.

"Let’s take a rest..." Leo said quietly, glancing at Valra with a shadowed expression and a small, hollow smile.

Valra bit her lip. She nodded.

They all needed it—a proper rest. Not just to recover their bodies, but to gather their broken pieces and face what came next.

"I’ll see you later," Valra said gently before turning away, her steps soft but slow.

Leo stood silently, watching her silhouette slowly fade down the street.

He bit his lower lip hard.

He knew.

He knew he was responsible for everything.

She had told him to stop. She warned him not to go. But he didn’t listen.

He was greedy. He thought he could handle it.

And still... she didn’t blame him.

She never shouted. Never accused him.

That silence...

That silence was worse than any scream.

If she had yelled at him—punched him, cried, slapped him—he would’ve been relieved.

But her quietness... it dug deeper. It made his own thoughts turn against him.

He clenched his trembling fists, swallowing back everything as he turned and saw Ophis still standing nearby. She hadn’t left. She was just standing there, watching him, her pink eyes sharp with curiosity.

"Come on... let’s go home."

Leo’s voice came out soft, with a forced smile tugging at his lips. He tried to sound cheerful.

Ophis blinked, caught off guard. "Home?" she repeated, genuinely surprised by what he said.

Leo gave a more sincere smile this time, "Didn’t you say your father would kill you if you returned empty-handed?"

Ophis froze for a moment, her face turning slightly awkward. "W-Well... I did say that, but..."

Before she could say anything else, Leo reached out and patted her head lightly.

"Then come with me," he said, his voice warm. "I’ve got a lot of empty rooms. You won’t be in the way."

Ophis stared up at him with a strange expression, a mixture of disbelief and something softer hiding behind her usual pride. Her cheeks slowly turned red as she nodded... though she quickly shifted her expression into her signature haughty smirk.

"Hmph! Since you’re begging me like a dog, I shall be generous and—OI! Wait for me!! Little boy!!"

She shouted as Leo turned and walked away, clearly ignoring her dramatic flair.

By the time they reached Leo’s house, both of them stood in silence, gazing at the house.

Leo sighed and gestured toward the door. "Well... this is my place. Come on in."

He placed a hand on the door handle and gave it a light push. The door opened without a sound, creaking slightly as the hinges gave way to the quiet morning air. Leo stepped inside, glancing up at the staircase that led to the second floor.

The lights were still off. Looked like Raphael was still sleeping.

With a faint sigh, Leo led the way to his room.

Ophis followed close behind, her steps tentative. Her face flushed slightly as she crossed the line of a boy’s room for the very first time in her life.

The scent in the air—something like faint soap, fabric, and Leo himself—tingled in her nose, making her feel just a little dizzy.

She looked around, her eyes scanning everything. The walls. The bed. The shelves. It was just a room, and yet... everything about it felt oddly intimate.

Leo pulled a chair out and offered it to her. "Make yourself at home."

Ophis nodded meekly, her usual sharp edge dulling as she sat down, looking almost... nervous. Inside her head, thoughts raced wildly.

’If he tries anything weird... I swear I’ll slit his throat!’ she thought, her face red, hands curled into small fists in her lap.

Leo noticed how tense she looked. Her nervousness was obvious—palms stiff, knees close together, face beet red.

"Is this your first time?" he asked casually, raising an eyebrow.

"H-huh?!" Ophis squeaked.

Leo chuckled softly, watching her entire face light up with embarrassment. "Never mind," he said with a small shake of his head. He didn’t want to tease her too much.

Walking over to the cupboard, he pulled out a towel and a fresh set of clothes, handing her another for later.

"Anyway, you better not make any sound and do as I say...

Let’s get cleaned up before my aunt wakes up. I’ll go first, then you, okay?" he said simply, making his way toward the bathroom without waiting for a response.

Ophis blinked several times as she processed what he’d just said... And then it hit her.

"P-Pervert!!"

She hissed, face burning a deeper red as she hugged herself and looked around the room.

Meanwhile...

Leo had entered the bathroom, sighing with relief when he saw that the lock had been replaced by his aunt.

He locked the door, tossing his broken clothes into the hamper and stepping under the cold stream of water, now completely bare.

As the icy water rushed over his skin, he flinched—his muscles jolting from the chill—but he didn’t pull away. He just stood there, letting it pour over him.

Then...

Drip...

Tears began to fall.

They rolled silently down his cheeks, blending with the water, invisible but real. His chest heaved softly, his eyes red,

"P-Pride... I-I’m so sorry..."

He whispered the words, voice cracking. He gritted his teeth, choking on his own breath as he clenched a fist against the tiled wall.

Her face—Pride’s—still flickered in his mind, the image of her last moment burned into his memory like a scar that would never heal.

She was gone.

Another person he couldn’t protect.

He held back a scream, a sound of frustration and guilt that clawed at his throat, refusing to come out.

He had lost people before, but no matter how many times it happened, the pain never dulled.

’I... I’m so messed up. Please... someone yell at me. Blame me... curse me... anything...’

If only he listened to them... If only his greed didn’t cost Pride...

His fist trembled as he smashed it lightly against the cold tile.

A voice broke through the silence.

"L-Little boy, you better not be doing anything weird, o-okay?!"

"...."

A shiver far colder than the water ran down Leo’s spine.

He froze.