Angelic Predator:Trust Me, I'm Sane

Elarion slowly opened his eyes, blinking to clear his sight.

It was a peaceful morning. The soft chirping of birds filtered in from the garden, and golden sunlight spilled through the curtains, bathing the room in a warm, gentle glow.

To anyone else, this might seem like a regular morning—unremarkable.

But to Elarion, this was luxury.

After spending decades in hell, this morning was more beautiful and luxurious to him than anything

He had lived for more than a decade in a place where silence was a myth. Where screaming was as common as breathing. A peaceful morning like this?

Unthinkable. Almost suspicious.

But welcome.

His eyes—once hollowed out by time and torment—still held a quiet expressiveness. You just had to look close enough.

He had no interest in wasting this second life being cold to the world itself. To people, maybe yes, But to the beauty of nature- A sin , a big sin.

The soft light or sweet food or fleeting peace.…

he would savor every piece of it.

---

Creak...

The door to his room opened just slightly.

Two familiar shadows crept in like guilty thieves—his older brothers, Sirus and Rior.

Despite having different mothers, they shared the same father, and more importantly, the same blood.

Unlike others in the manor, these two never treated Elarion as lesser. They never met only rarely yet it was enough to tell,how much they wanted to protect him but couldn't.....

Sirus, ever composed at 13, led the way. Rior, more impulsive and loud, trailed behind with wide eyes and wilder energy.

"How cuteee!" Rior whispered. "My baby bro is the cutest creature in the whole world. Please, please, let me pinch his cheeks just once—Sirus, please!"

Sirus sighed, crossing his arms. "Stop being clingy. What if he cries? We're already skipping class."

Even as he scolded Rior, Sirus's eyes lingered on Elarion's sleeping form—watchful and soft.

They both leaned over his cradle, unaware that Elarion was already awake.

---

Elarion remembered, In his past life, he had barely met them only see each other coincidentally or though he think.

The war had kept them apart. And when he did see them, they wore the faces of men who had long since given up on being happy. Empty stares. Hollow smiles.

He remembered hearing the news on his 30th birthday:

Sirus, dead in battle.

Rior, suicide days later.

It had shaken him. Even without deep bonds, it hurt in a place he'd forgotten existed.

But he never had the luxury to grieve back then.

Now, looking at their young faces—still free from blood and sorrow—he felt a strange warmth rise in his chest.

So when Rior touched his cheek, Elarion finally opened his eyes.

---

"LOOK, Sirus! He's awake! He's looking at us!" Rior gasped.

"You woke him up, idiot," Sirus muttered, but he was smiling.

"He's like a jewel!" Rior beamed. "So shiny and precious. Sirus, look at his eyes, even more precious than jewel.

I'm calling him Jewel from now on."

Elarion blinked. He wasn't sure how to respond.

"It suits him," Sirus added after a pause, nodding in approval.

Elarion scowled faintly at their terrible naming sense. But… he didn't hate it.

Sparkling things had always fascinated him. Jewels. Stars. Fireflies.

So maybe the name wasn't so bad after all.

---

"But Sirus…" Rior's voice shifted—quieter now. "What if other people look at him with malice? What if they try to hurt him?"

Sirus's expression hardened.

"Then we protect him," he said, like it was a law of nature.

Elarion chuckled softly at their intensity.

Both looked towards the small cute smile of their brothers.

But then the mood shifted again.

"...We can't, can we?" Rior asked, eyes lowering. "We won't be able to stop it."

Sirus didn't answer.

"Can't we persuade Father not to send him to the Dark Valley or let him take that cruel trial?" Rior whispered, almost begging

"He's just a kid, is it even necessary." His voice cracking and his gaze darkening, remembering that horrendous abuse in name of training, which stripped them off their all emotions.

The only person they could show it in front was each other and now, their little brother.

Silence.

Even Sirus couldn't say it. Couldn't lie. Couldn't pretend their father would ever change tradition.

Elarion knew what they were talking about. He remembered too well.

---

The Bloodgate trial

Stripp you off emotions, make you ready for what is to come.

The Dark Valley.

A ritual training ground for all Crimsonveil children. At age ten, they were sent there to survive—alone.

It was meant to build strength, sharpen instincts, forge weapons out of children.

Killing was not forbidden.

Only the strong returned.

Food was rationed just enough to survive, not enough to thrive.

But for Elarion, that year… something changed. Something unnatural.

It wasn't just brutal. It was evil.

Something had broken inside him there. Something had nearly pushed him to the edge.

A boy he once was, nearly became a cannibal.

The memory made his stomach twist. The stench of rot, the hunger that gnawed the soul, the faces that blurred into prey—he could still smell it.

---

But this time… it would be different.

This time, he would not let fate swallow him whole.

He would not crawl out broken.

He would walk in with his eyes open, his head high.

He would change his fate—and maybe others'.

Because this time, he wouldn't just survive.

He'd win.

And perhaps… in that same place of blood and horror, he'd meet that person again.

The one soul who gave him a reason not to hate that place completely.

That stubborn guy.

'Should I be the one who save you this time??, let's see '

A small smile touched his lips at the thought.

"Things are just getting intriguing and it will only become more soon."