Deviant: No Longer Human

"You wouldn't wanna move~"

The voice was sweet, too sweet, like honey with poison.

"!"

Hei Lian froze.

Swooshhhh... Her flames dimmed, instinctively recoiling as if they, too, felt the danger. Slowly, she turned her eyes, and what she saw made her blood run cold.

Behind her, a portal had opened silently, unnoticed amidst the chaos. A hand—no, not a hand, something wrong, something twisted and black as sin—emerged from the void. Mist-like cold fingers stretched toward her, brushing against her neck.

Her flames roared, trying to burn it away, but the hand didn't flinch. It ignored her fire entirely, as if it wasn't even playing by the same rules of existence.

Hei Lian's throat tightened. She couldn't move, couldn't think. Her eyes darted to the woman standing in front of her—Athene, her cold gaze—and to the glowing swords hovering like a storm, waiting to fall.

And then, behind her, that voice again, soft and mocking:

"Good girl. Stay still."

Hei Lian's lips tightened. "..." Her flames flickered once, twice, and then extinguished. She sighed, a sound of defeat and resignation, her shoulders slumping slightly as if surrendering.

The golden shield behind Aurora slowly dimmed, the brilliance fading into the cloud.

But down below, the world was anything but silent.

Images and videos of the battle had already flooded social media. Clips of shadows tearing through the Shura army, Aura's flames consuming everything in their path, and, most strikingly, the massive golden shield illuminating the skies.

It was chaos online.

The government, however, stayed silent—no statements, no coverage, nothing. It was like they were trying to smother the story before it could catch fire. But how could they? The image of the glowing shield had already gone viral, turning into a symbol of mystery and awe.

_____

At home, in Wang Xiao's quiet living room, chaos had a face.

"Hey, where's your dad?" Wang Xueying stood in front of Wenxi, her voice tense, her expression tight with worry.

Wenxi, curled up on the couch with a book, glanced up lazily. She shrugged. "How should I know?" Her tone was light yet sweet, almost dismissive.

Wang Xueying blinked. "..."

She clenched her jaw, pulling out her phone and shoving it in Wenxi's face. On the screen was the image of the golden shield glowing above the city, majestic and otherworldly.

"Above the city, these weird things were happening," she said, her voice rising with frustration. "I think it's related to Xiao. And he's not picking up his calls! Call your mom and ask her where he is—she should know."

Wenxi tilted her head, her gaze finally settling on the phone. Her eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Oh," she said, almost casually. "It's from Athene."

Wang Xueying's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell is Athene?"

For a second, Wenxi looked hesitant, her lips twitching as if holding back laughter. It was funny, watching her aunt spiral into worry over something she wasn't even remotely concerned about.

Wang Xueying's frustration deepened at Wenxi's reaction. Why weren't these girls ever worried? Did they even have hearts? Are these kids even filial?!

"You're all so useless..." she muttered under her breath, shaking her head as Wenxi smiled quietly to herself.

____

Meanwhile, the world's space research organizations were losing their collective minds.

Mars had been behaving… strangely for hours. First, seismic activity spiked, though it shouldn't have. Then came the dust storms—violent enough to cover the entire planet. Telescopes strained to catch any details, but every feed showed the same thing: destruction.

And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

What was left behind wasn't Mars anymore. Experience more on empire

The surface was obliterated—massive craters the size of entire countries, mountain ranges shattered into rubble, and deep, gaping wounds torn into the planet, exposing its core. It was a scene ripped from post apocalyptic movie.

The reports came in rapidly:

"Mars… it's—"

"It's not Mars anymore."

"We've never seen anything like this. It's—"

Confusion, theories—all pouring in at once. Scientists scrambled for answers, but nothing made sense. Whatever had happened, it had reshaped an entire planet, leaving behind destruction on a scale they could barely comprehend.

And amidst it all, one name whispered in the halls of power: 'Wang Xiao.'

____

November 23rd—Two Days Later

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Wang Xiao stirred in his massive, luxurious bed, the silky sheets barely rustling across his body as he groaned and stretched. It had been two grueling days of planning, cleaning house, and dealing with treachery, but he'd finally caught a moment to rest—or so he thought.

The sound of something heavy hitting the floor snapped him awake.

"??"

His sharp gaze locked onto the bundle rolling across the polished floor—heads. Severed heads wrapped in blood-soaked cloth.

He sat up, his cold expression softening slightly when he saw her. Ji Xuehong stood near the edge of the bed, her red hair glowing like a flame in the dark. Her eyes gleamed, but there was a faint smile at her lips.

"You killed them all?" he asked casually, though his voice carried a tone of approval.

"Mm." She nodded, wiping a speck of blood from her cheek with the back of her hand. "All five, except Maliketh...He's hiding well."

Wang Xiao's gaze flickered to the severed heads. These were the guardians who had dared to work against him in the shadows, sowing discord while he dealt with external enemies. He hadn't expected Ji Xuehong to find them so quickly, let alone kill them all without drawing attention.

He glanced back at her, noticing the faint pride in her posture. Waiting for praise, was she?

With a faint smile, he leaned forward, brushing his lips across her cheek. Ji Xuehong's eyes closed briefly, her expression softening. She didn't flinch, didn't react to the grisly remains lying just meters away.

The severed heads could wait—this was her moment.

Wang Xiao's thoughts, however, were already elsewhere. He didn't even glance toward Renji's lifeless head—why would he?

That relic of a guardian had already fulfilled his purpose.

Now, it was time to finish what Renji couldn't: removing the last remnants of disloyalty.

"These new guardians… They're become too bold," he muttered. "Too comfortable plotting against me."

Ji Xuehong said nothing, but the faint tilt of her head spoke—she agreed.

"Gather the remaining gods," Wang Xiao ordered, his tone sharper now. "I'll choose new guardians myself. No more weakness."

His words weren't directed at Ji Xuehong but at Eveline, who always in the shadows of the room. She had grown quiet recently, submissive in a way that felt almost unnatural.

Wang Xiao didn't know what Aurora had said to her during their private talk, but it had clearly worked.

Eveline had turned into obedience a little concubine.

Aurora's presence was a safety net—Eveline feared her for reasons Wang Xiao didn't fully understand, but he didn't need to.

As long as Aurora kept Eveline in check, she wasn't his problem.