CHAPTER 20: EXILE!

[ The Mortal World— ]

"You’re not going!"

Aunt Grace’s voice snapped through the thin walls like a whip, loud and angry. This is the mayhem’s neighborhood, a hood where people who usually, are not sorry for any of their actions base in.

Ava is a teenager who only wanted nothing but freedom. Little did she know that freedom comes with a price.

"Urgh...Right" Ava hummed, she didn’t flinch. She was used to it— used to the controlling tone, the disapproving stare, the never-ending reminders that Grace had "saved" her.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Short black crop top. Check.

Mini skirt that barely obeyed gravity. Double check.

The look said "grown and dangerous," even though deep down she still felt like a girl playing dress-up in pain.

"Ava, did you hear me?" Grace called again.

Ava sighed, applying a final stroke of eyeliner. "Yes, Grace. And I don’t care."

"It’s not safe. You don’t even know who’ll be there. You’re not even supposed to be drinking."

Ava grabbed her purse, swiped on cherry lip gloss, and strutted out of her room like the decision was already made. Because it was.

"I’m not a child," she muttered, brushing past her aunt in the hallway. "You’re not my mom."

Grace’s face tightened. That always hit harder than Ava wanted it to. But she didn’t stop.

"You keep pushing boundaries you don’t even understand," Grace hissed. "This world doesn’t forgive girls like you."

"Good thing I’m not looking for forgiveness." Ava hissed before she slammed the front door behind her, on her way out.

"Ava....? Come back here right now!" Grace commanded but Ava was long gone.

’Freedom’. she wanted to attend this party at a friend’s house. An all night party where they’ll be wasted and all that. But Aunt Grace wouldn’t let her, so she commanded it instead, Since she’s not her birth mother after all.

This gave room for Venom to capitalize on the emotion, and grab his next victim.

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[ The Underground —]

Venom sat upon his throne carved from real human skull, with a cruel smile stretching across his face as he drummed his fingers against the armrest. The faint red glow of his cloak pooled around him like liquid fire, his red eyes piercing the darkness like an owl.

At last, footsteps echoed. His ally arrived.

"Master," the voice came quietly, laced with reverence and a hint of caution. The hooded figure stepped into the faint torchlight, lowering his head before speaking. "I bring you... news."

Venom tilted his head, amused. News from the surface? He had grown accustomed to the rhythm of this game— his spies weaving through the Academy halls, bringing whispers of plans and politics that the council believed were secret.

"Well," Venom said, his voice a low purr, sharp as blades hidden beneath silk. "Don’t waste my time. Speak."

The ally clasped their hands together. "The council has met. They’ve voted. The angels and devils will be sent into the mortal realm to combat your forces. Darren was the one who pushed hardest, and Camila, though reluctant, gave in to side with him."

Venom leaned back into his throne, his grin widening. The red glow of his cloak flickered as though the very shadows bowed before his satisfaction.

"Ah," he whispered. "So, they’ve taken the bait. Good... very good. Let them send their children into the flames. We’ll see how long they last before they burn."

The ally swallowed, their voice dropping lower. "They also spoke... of... Valkyrie."

At that, Venom’s expression sharpened. He didn’t move, but the tension in the air thickened, pressing on the chamber like a storm about to break.

The ally continued carefully. "It seems her powers are... unusual. Even the teachers admitted they’ve never seen anything like it. Some suspect she may be more powerful than the others combined."

Venom tapped a finger against the armrest, each knock echoing through the cavern. He already knew this, of course. He had known the moment her blood sang into existence twenty-one years ago. Valkyrie was no ordinary angel. She was the key— his key. Half angel, half devil. The rarest kind of hybrid. The very bloodline he needed to break free of Camila’s chains forever.

But his ally didn’t know that. And Venom had no intention of letting them learn.

Instead, he laughed— a sound that rattled the torches in their brackets. "Powerful, you say? Perhaps. But power without control is as useful as a sword without a wielder. She’s young. Naïve. She has no idea what she truly is."

The ally nodded. "Then... how do we proceed?"

Venom’s red eyes gleamed. "Through her friends."

The ally blinked, uncertain. "Her friends?"

"Yes." Venom leaned forward, with his usual cruel smirk. "The girl surrounds herself with loyalty— Soda, Jasmine, Rain, and the rest of those little angels. They’re the weak links. Of fragile hearts. If we break them, if we turn them against her... she will crumble."

His voice darkened, reverberating against the stone walls. "Friendship is the greatest weapon they believe they have. So we’ll use it as their undoing."

The ally hesitated, then whispered, "But the guardians... they will not let her out of their sight. And the Academy... it is well protected."

Venom waved a hand dismissively, the red fabric of his cloak rippling like liquid fire. "Let them watch. They cannot guard against everything. Shadows slip where light dares not look. That is where we strike."

The ally took a step closer, speaking lower. "And the council... they are cautious. They said strange energies have begun to ripple in the mortal realm. They believe it is you, though they cannot yet prove it."

Venom chuckled, leaning back again. His laughter was cold, cruel and dripping with venomous certainty. "Of course they suspect me. Who else could it be? And yet they are fools. They think the prison chains still bind me." He tugged his wrist slightly—the faint angelic markings glowing on the manacles locked to his arms— but he no longer flinched at their sting. "Camila believes her chains hold me. But they only delay me."

The ally kept mute for some minutes, contemplating whether to speak forward or not. ..."And for me? What do I... take away once the world reshapes. Master?"

Venom’s face tilted up, and for a heartbeat his gaze was almost tender. "Whatever you desire most," he said— he was not boastful, but certain. "Some want titles, some want vengeance, some want the thrill of supremacy. I will hand you those tastes. I can gift memory-crumbs of lost power, return what you mourned, or give you the means to break the bonds you fear. But there is a price: loyalty, and the willingness to become cruel enough to keep it."

He closed the distance until the ally could feel the cold of his intent. "Ask well, then. I do not give to the timid."

The ally stayed quiet, smiling like a menace.

Venom’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the shadows beyond the torchlight. He could already feel her. Valkyrie. Her energy radiated like a sun waiting to rise. It was too bright.

She didn’t yet know the darkness in her veins. But he did. He knew every secret of her bloodline, every whisper of the prophecy that had once been spoken about a hybrid child who could either save the multiverse—or break it.

And Venom intended to ensure it was the latter.

Finally, he rose from his throne, his cloak cascading behind him like molten fire. His voice thundered through the chamber.

"If the council wishes for a war..." He raised a hand, and the ground began to tremble. "...then a war they shall have."

The ally stiffened as a crack split the cavern floor. From the depths came a guttural rumble, followed by the sound of countless wings and screeches. The shadows themselves began to crawl upward, spilling into forms both hideous and terrifying.

Venom’s grin widened, his teeth glinting in the torchlight. "Rise, my Hive."

From the crack surged creatures shaped of smoke and bone, their eyes glowing with crimson hunger. They screeched in unison, filling the cavern with a chorus of despair. The Hive— his second wave of soldiers. Not strong enough to storm the Academy... not yet. But perfect for sowing chaos in the mortal realm.

Venom extended his arm, the creatures bowing before him as though recognizing their king. His cloak burned brighter, and his voice rang cold and merciless:

"Go forth. Bring ruin to the humans. Spread fear until their hearts bleed. Let the angels and devils chase shadows while I prepare the true storm."

The ally shivered, both in awe and fear, as the Hive slithered into the tunnels, vanishing into darkness on their path toward the mortal world.

Venom lowered his arm, his golden eyes narrowing to slits.

"Let them play their little games," he whispered, his voice echoing like a curse. "But remember this— Valkyrie’s is mine. And when the time comes... not even Camila or anybody else will hold me."

The torches flickered and died, leaving only his cruel laughter resonating in the blackness.