The Extra Wants Control

"I know," he continued, his voice low but firm. "You had your circumstances… I understand that."

Verona, ever the observer, watched the exchange her face neutral and cold.

"But understanding doesn\'t erase the pain," Neveah added, his voice cracking slightly. "It\'s hard. Impossibly ev to reconcile with you... It\'s hard to accept."

A heavy silce descded upon the room. Valeriana squeezed her eyes shut, the weight of his words pressing down on her. Shame and regret were etched onto her features, a stark contrast to the powerful aura she usually exuded. She didn\'t look anything like the powerful badass Empress she was. Right now tears were constantly flowing from her face.

"Still," Neveah surprised them both by continuing, his voice regaining its composure, "I\'m… somewhat grateful, in a strange sse."

Valeriana\'s eyes snapped op, a flicker of confusion battling with disbelief in their depths.

"Grateful?" she asked, her voice a forced whisper.

Neveah offered a curt nod. "All that hardship, the abandonmt... it led me to Verona... My mother."

Valeriana\'s breath hitched. She clched her fists and bit her lip so hard blood came out. The way Neveah called another woman mother hurt her so bad.

"But…" Neveah continued, his voice taking on a determined edge, "the past won\'t change. However," he paused, meeting her gaze directly, "I\'d like to try. To have a relationship with you. I can\'t make any promises," he warned, "but…"

Before he could finish, Valeriana\'s dam of emotions broke. She surged forward, grabbing his cold hands in her hot ones. Relief and a grateful smile, tinged with a touch of desperation, flooded her face.

"Thank you," she choked out, her voice thick with emotion. "That\'s all I ask for. A chance."

Neveah stared at her, his expression unreadable.

" Okay... I did it... I\'m not sure if this is the right decision... If only You could answer me Rav... Are you okay with this?" Thought Neveah.

Yes he was the mix of Rei and Rav and the decision he made was a selfish one to befit himself in this situation... He isn\'t sure whether this was the right call for Rav. But he believes the gtle Rav would have forgiv Valeriana ev if he somehow died while living alone he would have never bore any restmt towards Valeriana.

That\'s the kind of person little Rav was...too kind for his own good.

He remembers how sometimes Rav would give away his food to others so that they can eat while he remained hungry... Rav was pure and despite the harsh world he didn\'t loose that purity. Rei also was vious because of that, he had to lose his naivety or \'purity\' as in Rav\'s case to survive they were differt people but with strangely same circumstances.

Neveah is just the product of the two... Instead of being neutral he became selfish for his sake and for his loved ones. He understands what kind of world they live in.

" I really don\'t care for this woman, but I don\'t want to strgth a possible emy. This is a forced and selfish choice... Rav if you perhaps don\'t like this decision wherever you are th... Don\'t Forgive Me! I am not You nor Rei... I\'m Neveah Isolde Nox!...

And this is my choice!"

**************

Verona\'s sharp clap echoed in the chamber, startling Valeriana from her momt of connection with Neveah. With a reluctant sigh, she released his hand and retreated back to her ice chair.

"Alright, let\'s get this show back on the road," Verona declared, her voice laced with a hint of impatice. "The main evt – Neveah and his chaotic power set."

Neveah, however, had a differt agda brewing in his mind. "Wait, Mother," he interjected, the term catching both Verona and Valeriana off guard. The human Empress flinched at the title giv to Verona she clched her fist.

"You should, uh," Neveah fumbled slightly, searching for the right words. "You should do that… memory thing again. See what happed to me. And maybe share it with…" He trailed off, unsure how to address Valeriana in this new, fragile dynamic.

Valeriana offered a curt nod, and a defeated smile. "Just Valeriana will do," she stated, though the informality clearly rankled her.

"Right, Valeriana," Neveah corrected himself awkwardly. "Share it with Valeriana."

A thoughtful hum escaped Verona\'s lips. "Hmm… alright, kiddo," she said, using a more casual term for Neveah. "But are you absolutely positive about this, baby?"

The dearmt hung in the air, causing Valeriana to wince at their closess. Valeriana was jealous.

Neveah met their gazes head-on, a steely resolve harding his features. "Sure," he said firmly.

"I need to show her great trust," he thought, "It\'s the only way she\'ll feel accepted, the only way she\'ll continue wanting to stay by my side."

One could argue he was manipulating Verona, tugging at her maternal heartstrings. After all, an hour ago, Valeriana had be a complete stranger to him. Was he wrong, th? Yup, 0%. But morality was a murky grey area, one thing was undiable – Valeriana was not a helpless woman. She had undoubtedly lived a long, tough life, and she wasn\'t naïve to the subtle game Neveah was playing.

Maybe she saw it, understood it, and simply didn\'t care. For now, the chance to be close to her son, however precarious it may be, seemed to be ough. And she would play along with whatever Neveah dished.

She wasn\'t the only one... Verona also saw it and just chose to remain silt.

A tse silce descded upon the room as Verona complied with Neveah\'s request. With a flick of her crimson wrist, she drew forth a shimmering orb, pulsating with the media of Neveah\'s memories.

As the orb hovered in mid-air, Verona\'s gaze locked onto a specific sce within the swirling vortex void. It was – the figure of a black-haired man red eyed man, his features clear.

Verona held breath . A wave of emotion, a complex mix of grief and longing, washed over her face for a brief momt. Th, as quickly as it appeared, the emotion vanished, replaced by a nonchalant shrug and a forced cough.

"Huh," she muttered and sighed, dismissing the memory fragmt.

With a wave of her hand, she redirected the orb towards Valeriana. The Empress, her expression a mixture of curiosity and awe reached out to grasp it.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she was flooded with a torrt of Neveah\'s memories. The sces – the excruciating loss of Neveah\'s power as the Goddesses drained him, the desperation in his eyes as he desperately tried to fight back, a secret hidd from everyone by Verona\'s intervtion by hiding him.

Th came the revelation – the letter and journal, not just mere rewards, but powerful toks bestowed upon Neveah by two of history\'s most formidable figures: the human Emperor, her own ancestor, and the Vampire King. The instructions Neveah was giv, the locations and most importantly the WARNING to not trust the gods!?