The Eclipsed Bloom
Chapter 87: Childhood Trauma

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Childhood Trauma

Alleyway — Earth, USA

A violet vortex twisted open against the grimy brick wall of the alley, swirling with otherworldly light. From its glowing center stepped three figures — a silver-haired woman with piercing sky-blue eyes, flanked by two ethereal beauties.

Zara blinked as the portal faded behind them. The narrow alley was dark and cramped, with cracked pavement and tall, looming walls. She tilted her head, confused by the setting.

"BANG!"

"Ah!" Zara flinched, nearly jumping. Her eyes shot upward — an old woman was tossing black garbage bags from a balcony above.

She put hand on her chest muttering,

"w why is she throwing garbage from above,"

Lilith scrunched her nose, placing a hand over it. "Ugh... what is that stench?"

Grace followed suit, using her arm to block the odor. "It’s probably our heightened senses. Vampires don’t exactly do well with... human waste."

Zara nodded slowly, frowning. "Yeah... It’s strange though. This smell feels familiar, like..." She paused. "Haaah. I don’t know. Let’s just get out of here."

They began walking through the alley, sticking close. Suddenly, Zara stumbled. Her foot caught on something, and she pitched forward—barely stopped by Grace’s quick hands catching her waist.

"Careful, dear," Grace whispered.

Zara steadied herself, took a breath—then glanced down.

Her body froze.

Eyes wide.

Breath caught.

Her hands flew to her mouth as a silent scream escaped. She staggered backward, pupils shrinking in sheer horror.

"Z-Zara?" Lilith’s voice cracked in panic. She rushed forward, gently hugging her, one hand cradling the back of her head as she pressed Zara’s face to her shoulder. "What happened, love?"

Grace stepped closer, concern etched across her brow. "Wife...?"

Following their line of sight, Lilith turned her gaze to where Zara had stumbled—and stiffened.

There, beside a rusted trash bin, lay a rotting corpse. The man’s cloak was torn, barely hanging off his broken body. The church’s cross insignia had been ripped apart, stained in blood and filth.

"A church member..." Lilith muttered darkly.

Grace frowned and asked, "Isn’t it just a corpse? Could it be... she’s never seen one before?"

Lilith shook her head, eyes filled with worry. "She saw dead bodies before. When Thalia went on her killing spree in the cave. There were damphirs bodies everywhere."

"But damphirs are more demon than human. They don’t look... like this," Grace murmured, realization dawning. "This might be her first time seeing a real human corpse."

Before either could say more, Zara’s body began trembling.

Then—she collapsed.

"ZARA!" both shouted in unison, their faces draining of color.

Lilith caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her in panic. "Zara! Wife, wake up! Please!"

Grace knelt beside her, brushing hair from her pale face. "Why... why is she reacting this way?"

The air around them grew colder.

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[Dreamscape – Caelvaris Empire, Marquis Caesor Territory]—Twelve years ago—

A pale moon cast its silver glow over the sprawling Caesor estate. Crickets chirped in rhythm outside the grand mansion. Inside one of its lavish bedrooms, a small form lay nestled under soft blankets.

A six-year-old girl.

Her blonde hair spilled like sunlight over the pillow, and her petite hands clutched a plush rabbit against her chest. Zara slept peacefully, unaware of the danger creeping toward her.

Creak...

The window latch clicked. A breeze fluttered in—carrying with it shadows.

Whispers. Footsteps.

The child’s eyes twitched as the sound of shifting weight and hushed murmurs stirred her from slumber. Slowly, her eyelids lifted.

And she screamed.

"Aaaaahhh! S-Sob—AAAAA!!"

A man in dark robes stood near her bed, his face masked, eyes like death itself coldly staring the girl. In his hand gleamed a dagger, poised to strike anytime.

"Cry all you want, little girl," the man hissed. "But tonight, you will definitely die. Orders from above."

Tears streamed down Zara’s face as her scream turned into helpless sobs. Her tiny body trembled violently.

The assassin frowned. "Tch. Need to end this quickly. I don’t want the second-strongest to show up—"

But before the blade could descend—

SHUNK!

A blur of silver light flashed past the man.

His head rolled off his shoulders, hitting the floor with a thud.

Zara blinked through her tears, blood splattered across her blanket and face.

"F-Father...?"

Standing in the middle of the carnage, soaked in red, was a tall man with golden eyes and rage in his expression. The blade in his hand dripped crimson.

Leo Caesor.

Her father.

He turned toward her and tried to soften his furious face.

"Zara... It’s okay. Daddy’s here. Just close your eyes for one more minute, alright?"

Zara nodded shakily, still sobbing.

But even before she could shut her eyes, more shadows crept through the window running toward the girl.

Assassins.

Leo’s golden gaze sharpened like a blade. "So they dare send more..."

With a growl, he vanished from sight.

"SLASH!""KRAK!""URGH!!"

The room became a bloodbath.

Leo tore through the invaders like a beast unleashed. Blades shattered. Bones cracked. Blood sprayed across the silk curtains and marble floor whenever a assasin come near her her father kill them, her little eyes staring at broken necks.

Zara watched it all. Every kill. Every scream.

Every dying breath.

She didn’t look away.

Couldn’t.

Her small hands gripped the rabbit tighter, the warmth of urine soaking the sheets beneath her. But her eyes—once innocent—remained fixed on the growing pile of corpses at her father’s feet.

Leo roared, slicing the final assassin down with a brutal swing. His chest rose and fell as silence returned to the room.

Outside, the estate guards finally arrived.

Too late.

Inside, Leo stood drenched in blood.

Beside him... the floor was littered with mangled bodies, like a scene from hell.

the guards knelt in front of Leo,

"sorry for late arriving master outside assassins were attacking we were cleaning them"

And in the middle of it all...

Zara body was trembling.

Her eyes were blank staring at blood.

Her face was pale.

Her mind likely scarred.

That night, the nobles began whispering of a new title for Marquis Leo Caesor:

"The Brutal Demon"

But for one little girl...

That night would never fade.

It haunt her for years.

Again... and again...

Even in her dreams sometime.

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[Present Time – Earth, USA – Dim Alleyway]

Lilith held Zara close, her wife’s body trembling faintly in her arms. She gently cradled her, fingers softly brushing through silver hair damp with sweat. Each tremor from Zara pierced straight into her heart.

Grace knelt beside them, her expression filled with worry. She clutched Zara’s hand and muttered, "Sister... why is she this scared of a dead body? Even if it’s her first time seeing a human corpse... didn’t Mother Nyssa’s brutal training steel her mind?"

Lilith didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on Zara’s pale face, filled with concern and an almost Agape love.

Then—

Step. Step.

A man appeared in front of them, seemingly out of nowhere. Purple hair shimmered under the alley’s flickering lights. In his hand, a bloodstained blade gleamed ominously.

His black eyes scanned them coldly.

"Are you from the Church?" he asked, voice devoid of emotion.

Lilith narrowed her eyes, instantly shifting into a defensive stance. She noticed the tension in his body and the readiness in his hand.

She tilted her head toward Grace. "Hold our wife... just for a minute."

Grace nodded. Carefully, she guided Zara’s head onto her lap, stroking her cheek softly. "You’re safe now, my love," she whispered.

Lilith rose, her silver eyes like fire as she stepped forward.

"So," she said icily, "you’re the one who killed this man?"

The purple-haired man stared her down, unfazed. "Yes. I killed him. And I have no regrets."

Lilith’s hands clenched into fists, her fury rising.

"Because of you," she growled, "my wife collapsed in fear."

The man’s expression shifted slightly—just for a heartbeat—as if guilt flickered through. But it was gone in the next breath.

"I said I don’t regret it," he repeated coldly. "I’ll ask again... are you from the Church?"

That was the last straw.

Lilith’s eyes turned sharp as daggers, her voice low and dangerous.

"You clearly don’t understand what happens when you offend a Progenitor House... especially a royal."

Crimson liquid dripped from her hand—blood. It twirled and hardened mid-air, forming a wicked blade. The alley dimmed as the pressure in the air thickened.

Just then, a demonic voice echoed in the purple-haired man’s ear:

"Knight! Retreat immediately! She’s not from the Church! Get out now—Damn it—!"

But it was too late.

Lilith vanished—then reappeared behind him in a blink.

SHINK!

Her blood blade pierced into his shoulder. Black smoke hissed from the wound.

"ARGHHH!!" the man cried out, staggering forward.

But to Lilith’s surprise, he didn’t fight back.

Instead, he leapt backward—his boots skidding across the concrete—and ran, clutching his smoking shoulder.

’Demonic mana’

Lilith watched him go, her blade still glowing with blood.

"...If it weren’t for my wife is unconscious," she whispered coldly, "I would’ve hunted you down and cut you into pieces."

She turned around and walked back to where Grace sat, still holding their unconscious wife protectively.

she lean down and hold Zara from floor into princess carry and said,

"grace lets go, find some safe place to rest"

grace nodded and stand up and said,

"sis is that man was demon right"

Lilith shook her head and said,

"no the mana was not fully dark, it was not demon but slave of demon control by demonic dark magic,"

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