Chapter 179: the night of reckoning

SIRIUS' POV

(THE NIGHT OF YONG'S DEATH)

The night was silent, the air thick with the weight of impending death. Snow drifted lazily from the sky, blanketing the village in a deceptive serenity, but inside me, there was nothing but chaos.  

I walked through the quiet paths, my footsteps muffled by the snow beneath my boots. My breath came in slow, measured puffs, curling in the cold air like smoke. My hands trembled at my sides, not from the cold but from something far more insidious, rage. It coiled within me, tightening around my ribs like a vice, squeezing the air from my lungs.  

Yong.  

Astra.  

A child.  

A child that was not mine.  

The revelation had settled in my bones like poison, seeping into every part of me, tainting my thoughts until there was nothing left but the overwhelming need to purge this betrayal from existence.  

I had spent years in mourning, drowning in grief for a wife I thought was dead, a son I never got to raise. And now, after all this time, after finally finding them again, I discovered that another man had taken my place.  

Yong had stolen from me.  

He had taken what was mine, my wife, my son’s loyalty, and sired a child with her, a child that now bore Astra’s love, a child that clung to my son as if they were a true family.  

It was unforgivable.  

I clenched my fists as I neared the training grounds where I knew he’d be. My dragon senses were sharp, and I could feel him—his presence, his heartbeat steady and strong, unaware of the fate that awaited him.  

I stepped into the clearing, and there he was.  

Yong stood in the center of the snow-dusted training yard, his back turned to me as he practiced his movements with a sword. He moved with precision, years of discipline evident in every motion. The man I had once trusted. The man I had once called a friend.  

The man who had betrayed me.  

His breath came out in even puffs, his posture relaxed—completely unaware that I was behind him, watching, waiting. I let the silence stretch between us, savoring the moment before I spoke.  

"You stole from me."  

Yong froze.  

Slowly, he turned, his sharp eyes locking onto mine. His expression remained calm, but I saw it—the flicker of realization, of understanding. He knew exactly what I meant.  

"Sirius," he said, lowering his sword. His voice was quiet, unreadable. "I know what this looks like, but you need to understand—"  

"Understand?" I let out a humorless laugh, my breath sharp as I took a step forward. "You dare to speak to me of understanding? After what you’ve done?"  

"I didn’t betray you," Yong said, his voice steady. "Astra was alone. She was broken. I took care of her because you weren’t there."  

My teeth clenched. "Because you took her away from me!"  

"You would have killed her!" he snapped, his calm composure cracking. "You were becoming your father, Sirius! She was afraid of you! And I protected her the way you should have."  

His words sliced into me like a blade, and for a moment, I faltered.  

Afraid?  

Astra had been afraid of me?  

The thought shook me, but the rage quickly overpowered the doubt.  

"You had no right," I growled.  

"Maybe not," Yong admitted, "but I don’t regret it. And if I had to do it again, I would."  

That was all I needed to hear.  

With a roar, I lunged at him, my fist colliding with his jaw. He staggered back, spitting blood onto the pristine snow, but he didn’t fall. He recovered quickly, raising his sword between us.  

"You don’t have to do this," he said, but his grip on the hilt tightened. He knew there was no stopping this.  

"I do," I murmured.  

I reached for my own weapon, drawing my sword in one fluid motion. We stood there, blades drawn, snow swirling around us as if the heavens themselves were holding their breath.  

And then we moved.  

The clash of steel rang through the night as we struck at each other, neither of us holding back. He was fast, but I was stronger. Every strike sent vibrations up my arms, every movement filled with years of resentment, of anger, of betrayal.  

He fought to defend.  

I fought to kill.  

Blow after blow, we circled each other like beasts, our breaths ragged in the cold. But he was tiring. I could see it in the way his movements slowed, in the slight tremble in his grip.  

"You were my brother," I said through gritted teeth as I swung my blade, knocking his sword aside.  

"And you were mine," he whispered, just before I drove my blade through his chest.  

He gasped, his body going rigid as blood bloomed from the wound, staining the snow beneath him.  

I twisted the sword, and he let out a strangled breath before falling to his knees.  

His eyes met mine, filled with something I couldn’t place—not fear, not regret, but acceptance.  

His lips parted, and with his last breath, he whispered,

"don't hurt them"

And then he was gone.  

I pulled my sword free, watching as he slumped forward, his blood pooling around him like ink spilled across parchment. The snow would bury him soon, but his death would linger in my mind forever.  

But I wasn’t done yet.  

I turned, my breath coming in heavy puffs, my heart still racing. There was one more loose end to tie up.  

Lira.  

I walked through the village, my mind blank as I made my way toward the small house where Yong had lived with her. The house was quiet, warm light flickering through the cracks of the wooden walls.  

I stepped inside, moving through the dimly lit space until I reached her bed.  

She was curled up beneath thick blankets, her silver hair spilling across the pillow, her little hands clutching a small wooden doll. She looked peaceful, untouched by the horrors of the world.  

She was innocent.  

And yet, she was his child.  

I crouched beside her, my breath steadying. For a long moment, I just watched her, my hands clenched into fists.  

She didn’t deserve to suffer.  

She didn’t deserve to grow up knowing what I had done.  

Carefully, I reached out, pressing my hand to her forehead. A soft warmth pulsed beneath my palm as I whispered the spell.  

Her breathing slowed.  

And then she was gone.  

A peaceful death. No pain, no fear, just sleep.  

I stood, staring down at her still form, my chest tight.  

She was Yong’s daughter, but she was still Astra’s child.  

And yet, I had killed her.  

I turned away, swallowing hard as I stepped out into the night once more. The weight of my actions settled over me, heavier than I expected.  

But there was no turning back now.  

I had done what needed to be done.  

I had erased Yong from Astra’s life.  

Now, I just had to see what remained of her love for me.  

With one last look at the house, I spread my wings and took to the skies, the cold wind biting at my face as I left the village behind.  

And for the first time in years, I felt my father’s shadow looming over me.  

Because I had become him.