Lin En nodded, holding Hana Ye in his arms. He looked at her face, took a deep breath, and said:
"Yes. She's always been searching for that answer. She wanted to know why her father was so cruel to her, why she could never earn his love even though she'd done nothing wrong... I could only tell her the truth. It might have been cruel, but at least she knows why now."
Firstborn said nothing, his gaze resting on the girl in Lin En's arms.
Only after a long while did he speak.
"Everyone has to grow up. You did nothing wrong. Some truths are far better learned early than after growing up. Cruel as they may be, these are things we all have to endure."
His hand tightened slightly.
"If she only learned about it after growing up, the pain she'd suffer then would be far worse than it is now."
He said nothing more. He walked over to Hana Ye and lightly touched a finger to the space between her brows.
In an instant.
A ripple like a wave of water spread out from her forehead.
Firstborn closed his eyes, sensing the fluctuations in her mind, and said:
"It's nothing serious. She just suffered an emotional shock. Replenishing some of her mental energy should..."
But before he could finish speaking.
Bzz-
In an instant, something changed.
Without any warning, a crimson curtain of light burst from her forehead, enveloping the entire room in a flash and wrapping around Lin En and Firstborn at the same time.
Lin En immediately felt the power of his true form surging wildly. Everything happened too fast. Tentacles erupted from his body in a rustling rush, and writhing limbs and eyeballs burst forth amid the suddenly unleashed, chaotic power.
And at that same