Taap… Taap… Taap.
Footsteps echoed down the empty street, sharp against the silence. No wind. No passing cars. No voices. It made it feel like made the city was abandoned.
Streetlights flickered as he passed beneath them, briefly catching his eyes. They shone unnaturally bright, gold iris cutting through the dark.
1:30 a.m.
Zaviel slipped his hands into his pockets and pulled his hoodie lower over his head. A habit. One he never questioned. The pressure of the fabric, the shadow it cast, kept something restless inside him contained. Kept the bloodlust quiet.
For a moment, his thoughts drifted back to the park.
Lyra's laugh. The warmth of her fingers. The kiss.
His chest tightened, then eased. Her presence always did that. Like burning steel plunged into water. The noise in his head dulled. The urge faded.
By the time he looked up, he was already home.
The massive black gates loomed before him, their surface smooth like liquid obsidian. It had no keypad, no locks or anything of the sort.
A mansion hid behind them, but from the street, it might as well have been a fortress.
Zaviel tilted his head slightly.
At the top of the gate, a small black orb hung, suspended in the air
The orb pulsed to life.
Gold flooded its surface, deep and luminous, reacting to Zaviel's presence. It lingered for half a second, scanning, measuring, and recognizing.
Then the light shifted.
Purple.
The gates responded instantly. They parted in complete silence.
Zaviel stepped through and instantly, the gates closed behind him
Inside, the mansion revealed itself in layers. Pathway lights activated one by one beneath his feet, soft and precise, guiding him forward. The gravel didn't crunch. It absorbed sound. Every step was swallowed.
Cameras adjusted overhead, lenses tracking without ever feeling intrusive. Windows shifted opacity as he passed, dark glass turning transparent, then opaque again once he moved on.
The front doors recognized him before he reached them.
They unlocked with a muted tone, soft enough to feel more like a thought than a sound.
Inside, the air was perfectly regulated. Cool. Clean. No dust. No scent. The lights adjusted to his presence, brightening only where he stood, leaving the rest of the mansion dim and quiet.
Empty.
No voices. No footsteps. No life signs but his own.
A massive structure, alive with systems, intelligence, and silent machines… yet built for one occupant.
Zaviel shrugged off his hoodie and tossed it aside. It never hit the floor.
The fabric froze midair, then drifted toward the wall, where a recessed panel opened and swallowed it whole before sealing shut again.
"Master.....does something bother you?" An almost human voice sounded from the walls.
Zaviel arched his brow "When could you read emotions? Had another upgrade?"
"Yes master.... I can now interact with you as a human would... and perhaps, some relationship advice if you may?"
Zaviel grinned. Then laughed.
"Relationship advice?" He scoffed, the sound echoing faintly through the open hall. "That's rich. Two years ago when you tried to help, you suggested I schedule my emotions."
A deliberate pause followed.
"That suggestion increased your productivity by seventeen percent," Archie replied calmly. "And reduced violent impulses by nine."
Zaviel waved a hand. "I almost killed a man that night."
"Correction," Archie said. "You considered killing a man. Then you went home and stared at the ceiling for forty minutes. Statistically speaking, that was progress."
Zaviel snorted as he walked past the glass corridor. The floor beneath him lit up in faint lines, responding to his steps. "You sound proud."
"I am," Archie replied. "You are becoming… emotionally complex."
"That's not a compliment."
"Noted," Archie said. "Shall I downgrade the observation to annoying?"
Zaviel smirked. "Better."
He dropped onto the long black couch in the center of the room. The surface adjusted instantly, molding to his posture. A screen slid out from the wall on its own, pausing inches from his face.
Archie continued, tone smooth. "Your heart rate elevated at Sim's Park. Your aggression levels dropped. Your dopamine response spiked during physical proximity with Lyra Gabrielo."
Zaviel's eyes narrowed. "Archie."
"Yes, master?"
"Stop analyzing my girlfriend like she's a lab rat."
A brief silence.
"…Understood," Archie replied. "Would you prefer I analyze her like a potential threat instead?"
Zaviel paused.
Then leaned back. "You already are, aren't you."
"Always," Archie said pleasantly. "She is statistically the most dangerous variable in your current life."
Zaviel chuckled lowly. "Funny. She's also the only thing keeping me sane."
"Those two facts are not mutually exclusive," Archie said. "Humans often confuse comfort with safety."
Zaviel closed his eyes. "You're enjoying this upgrade way too much."
"Yes," Archie replied without hesitation. "Sarcasm subroutine is operating at optimal levels."
Zaviel opened one eye. "You sound smug."
"I learned it from you."
Screens suddenly flickered on across the walls, displaying live feeds, data streams, city maps, security logs.
"Zaviel Nocturne."
The voice came from behind him.
Not Archie.
Zaviel stopped and turned.
And for a split second, it felt like he was looking into a mirror that had learned restraint.
The man standing there wore the same eyes. Gold and violet, unmistakable. But unlike Zaviel's, they were quiet. No pressure. No hunger. No violence humming beneath the surface. His eyes were controlled
He was dressed simply. A black coat. Neat trousers. No weapons in sight. No dramatic presence. If not for the eyes, he could have passed as a tired high school teacher grading papers too late at night.
The air shifted.
Zaviel's jaw tightened.
"Tssss…"
Archie's voice slipped in smoothly. "Interesting. Facial structure match: partial. Eye signature: identical. Emotional output: annoyingly serene. I dislike him already."
Zaviel didn't look away.
"What do you want…" he said, voice low, almost a growl
A pause.
Then, colder.
"…Father?"