Chapter 532: Confession II

"Dam–"

Luna tried to interrupt, but Damian kept going.

"I became so occupied in my own world, so focused on my plans, chasing power and preparing for threats I could see coming."

His voice toughened around the edges.

"I never stopped to see how you were doing, never asked what you were going through, never made time to just... be there."

His jaw clenched.

"You were always there when I needed you, but I didn’t return that care. I didn’t give you the same attention and support you kept giving me without question."

The words came faster now, harder.

"I took you for granted. I took your care, your concern, your presence for granted like it would always be there no matter how much I neglected it."

He swallowed hard.

"And for that, I’m really sorry."

Silence filled the room, heavy and absolute.

Damian’s breathing came shallow, his heart pounding.

"In the past few days, so much has happened around me."

His voice dropped to barely above a whisper.

"And I’ve realized some things that weren’t clear to me before, things I was deliberately avoiding seeing."

He paused, gathering courage.

"I always kept running from you. From conversations like this, from moments where I’d have to actually face what I was feeling."

His hands shook slightly.

"Even now my instincts are screaming at me to stop talking, to deflect and change the subject and put the walls back up."

Another pause, longer this time.

"And the reason for that is... I’m scared."

The admission came out raw and honest.

Thump

His heart slammed against his ribs, the sound loud in his ears.

"I’m scared that if I give in, if I let myself be loved by the people I care about, the universe will find a way to rip them away from me."

Thump Thump

The beats came faster now, his pulse racing.

"Every time I’ve let myself get close to someone, every time I’ve allowed myself to depend on another person or trust that they’d stay..."

He couldn’t finish the sentence, the words catching in his throat.

Thump Thump Thump

"I’ve lost too much, Luna."

His fingers dug into his knees, knuckles going white.

"And something inside of me has broken. Some part that used to believe things could work out... that good things were possible."

His eyes burned, hot pressure building behind them.

"I– I don’t think anything good can ever happen to me anymore. I don’t believe there’s some h-happy ending waiting at the end of whatever path I’m walking."

Thump Thump Thump

His heartbeat hammered relentlessly, making it hard to breathe properly.

"The best I can hope for is surviving long enough to finish what needs to be done, to make sure the people I care about stay safe even if I– even if I don’t make it through myself."

His voice dropped to almost nothing.

"But..."

The word came out hesitant, fragile in a way he wasn’t used to being.

Thump Thump Thump

"Despite everything... despite all the fear and broken pieces a-and certainty that this will end badly..."

He took a shaky breath, his hand trembling around the device.

"I– I still want to try."

The admission cost him something, his voice cracking slightly.

"I– I don’t want to keep running anymore. Don’t want to spend wh-whatever time I have left pushing away the one person who keeps trying to reach me."

His eyes closed, his free hand pressing hard against his chest.

Thump Thump Thump

"S-So Luna..."

His voice wavered, breaking on her name.

"Once the war is over, will you teach me–"

WHOOSH

Reality tore apart as an invisible force grabbed Damian’s entire body.

His sentence cut off mid-word as he was yanked backward with violence that made his vision white out.

The communicator tumbled from his hand, hitting the floor with a sharp crack.

CLATTER

"–D-Damian?"

Luna’s voice emerged from the fallen device, shaky and confused.

"Damian, what happened?! Are you there?!"

Her voice rose, gaining panic.

"GIA!"

The shout carried desperation.

"What just happened?! Where did he go?!"

But the device lay alone on the medical room floor, broadcasting her increasingly frantic questions to empty air.

****

BOOM

Damian’s body materialized outside the Military Police headquarters, his knees slamming into frozen ground hard enough to crack ice.

Pressure crashed down on him immediately, crushing weight that made his recently healed wounds tear open.

’What–’

His thoughts scattered as agony lanced through his nervous system.

’What’s happening?!’

His vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges as he struggled to lift his head.

And froze completely.

Four men stood in a semicircle before him, their ancient robes moving in wind that didn’t exist.

The first had orange hair and orange eyes that seemed to burn with inner fire, his presence radiating authority that made the air itself heavy.

’Patriarch Royce.’

Recognition hit like ice water.

The same man who’d appeared months ago and threatened him with casual certainty.

’If he’s here, then these others...’

His gaze tracked across the remaining three.

Brown hair and brown eyes, face weathered like ancient stone.

’Cross Patriarch.’

Blonde hair and blue eyes, features carrying aristocratic perfection.

’Kinsley Patriarch.’

Grey hair and grey eyes, expression unreadable and cold.

’Ashford Patriarch.’

All four of them, standing together, their combined presence making reality feel thin and fragile.

"Hey, isn’t that–"

A voice cut through the silence, coming from the gathering crowd.

"Damian Valcor!"

"What’s he doing on his knees?"

More people arrived, drawn by the disturbance.

Squad Ten pushed through the forming crowd, Helena’s face going pale as she took in the scene.

Other prospective Inquisitors followed, their expressions shifting from curiosity to shock.

Military personnel stationed at the headquarters emerged, weapons half-raised before they froze at the sight of the four robed figures.

"Wait, those robes..."

Someone’s whisper carried clearly in the stunned quiet.

"That can’t be..."

"The orange hair and eyes..."

Recognition spread through the crowd like wildfire.

"Patriarch Royce?!"

"And the others..."

"Four of them?!"

"Why are the Imperial Patriarchs here?!"

"What’s going on?!"

Damian knelt in the center of it all, blood pooling beneath him, his wounds screaming, the pressure bearing down with crushing intensity.

And four of the most powerful beings in the Federation stood over him in absolute silence, their eyes tracking his broken form with expressions that promised nothing good.