Siren's Kiss

79: No Laws But Our Own

Though expected, Ciel still felt a surge of shock as she emerged from the darkness, stepping into the light. Her smile—calm, assured—confirmed what he already knew: she was the other god's champion.

"I should've known..." she began, her steps slow and deliberate. There was a regal aura about her, one that overshadowed even his father's presence. Her confidence was overwhelming, rendering everyone around her insignificant. "I should've trusted my instincts and locked you away instead of letting you follow your god's whims."

"But you didn't," Ciel replied, his eyes fixed on hers. "You couldn't."

Lady Maris's smile deepened, her gaze untiring as it rested on her grandson. Ciel's thoughts churned. Was this the same woman who used to visit his and Coraline's room to read them bedtime stories? The same grandmother who vowed to protect him and his sister from the land dwellers? The one who stood against his father's plans for arranged alpha suitors, insisting Ciel should find love on his own terms?

Yet, a question gnawed at him—a truth he could no longer ignore. "You knew I was the Phoenix God's champion. You knew I could transform into the Azure Kraken... but you did nothing to stop me. You waited for this moment, for your true intentions to be revealed."

Her laughter filled the air, a sound that once comforted him. As a child, that laugh had calmed his fears and silenced his doubts. An omega in a world that demanded alphas, Ciel had often felt incomplete, as though his worth depended on another's validation. But Lady Maris would laugh at such notions, brushing off his father's ideals. She'd believed in him, in his ability to stand strong without an alpha by his side.

That laugh had been his anchor, his solace.

Now, it felt like mockery. A cruel reminder that everything she'd done for him and Coraline—all the love, the protection—had been a carefully orchestrated lie.

"You're forgetting something important, my dear grandson," Lady Maris said, her voice calm but laced with authority. "Immortals cannot directly intervene in the mortal realm. They must spread their influence first. Even Nerevarus knew this—that's why he was punished by the other gods. He created a realm and lost control. Or rather, he released control, letting the world thrive on its own."

"Because he's a true god," Ciel countered, his tone sharp with defiance. "He loved this world—"

"He's a fool!" Lady Maris snapped, her voice cutting through his words like a blade. Her expression darkened, regal composure giving way to something fiercer. "Without control, his power and influence weakened. He and his brother were primordial beings, strong enough to rival even the Phoenix and Dragon Gods, yet look at what he did!"

Ciel froze, her words echoing in his mind. Was this truly his grandmother speaking? Her tone, her reasoning—it sounded less like her and more like Lexios himself. The brother who felt betrayed by his twin. The one abandoned by dreams of claiming the higher heavens for himself.

"If he truly wanted to win," Ciel said, his voice quiet but steady, "he could've stopped my mother from making a deal with Nerevarus' spirit. He could've prevented me from being born."

"That was a clever trick Lord Lexios missed," Lady Maris confided, her tone almost conversational, though her words cut like daggers. "You seem to forget that your mother's faith in the Phoenix God is as strong as her faith in Nerevarus. Who could've predicted that woman would sacrifice her own child to please her husband? Love—it makes mortals weak, vulnerable, and utterly foolish. Do you honestly think your mother loves you as much as she loves my son, your father? She knew you'd be born an omega because of her affliction. That's why I chose her for my son."

"So, you could control her too..."

"I admit, I underestimated her," Lady Maris said with a slight shrug. "Never thought she'd have the nerve to travel the depths of the Seven Seas and face the last remnants of Nerevarus in this world. Ah yes, the Phoenix God left a fragment of himself here and placed it in you. By the time I discovered it, it was already too late. You can imagine how furious Lexios was. Even before you transformed into the Azure Kraken as a child, I knew something was wrong with you. Those tears made of pearls..."