The moment Luca told the meaning of his name, a moment of silence descended upon the room.

And then the elves erupted.

Luna was the first to speak, her voice filled with admiration.

"Whoa! I didn’t expect your surname to have such a powerful title to it!"

She whispered under her breath. "The one who made the deal with the devil. It’s so intimidating!"

Lulu was practically jumping up and down, her hands waving excitedly.

"So cool! So cool! I want a surname like that as well!"

"Silverleaf looks so boring in comparison to Faust!" She rubbed her belly gently. "I feel jealous of my own children who are going to inherit that name!"

"I want that surname." Nyx’s eyes lit up, as she turned to her sister. "Can I take it, Leona!? Change mine to Faust?!"

"Absolutely not!" Leona scoffed. "A surname is a sacred thing, passed down through generations. You can’t just discard it on a whim."

Nyx pouted, looking genuinely disappointed.

She had always thought that a name with darker connotations would be much more befitting of someone with her own dark tendencies.

Faust had a certain...resonance to it.

But Leona, on the other hand, frowned slightly.

"It’s a nice name." She admitted. "But doesn’t it sound a little bit too dark and ominous?"

"The one who made the deal with the devil?...That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence."

But Lulu shook her head adamantly.

"What are you talking about, Mother? It’s so cool! And it’s definitely something that a Hero like Luca would possess!"

She looked at Luca with starry eyes. "He’s strong, he’s brave, he’s mysterious—of course he’d have a name like that!"

Luna also agreed, her voice firm with conviction.

"No matter how ominous or intimidating it sounds, it’s Luca’s name."

"And if it’s Luca’s name, then..."

She puffed out her chest in an indignant and proud manner.

"...it’s my name as well and my children’s name! I’m definitely not going to change that!"

All three women nodded in agreement, their expressions united in solidarity.

This was Luca’s name, and they would carry it with pride no matter what it meant or where it came from.

Leona was unable to say anything against such overwhelming agreement.

But she did have a question burning in her mind, and she couldn’t help but voice it.

"Luca." She asked, her voice soft but curious. "Who exactly gave you such a name? Is it a family name?"

All eyes were on Luca again.

This was dangerous territory—they’d tried to ask about his family before, about his past, and he’d always deflected.

But now, with the surname hanging between them like a promise or a threat, they were all leaning forward, waiting.

—

Luca was quiet for a long time. So long that Luna began to think he wouldn’t answer.

Then a strange light came into his eyes, a cold, distant light that sent a shiver down her spine.

"It’s in the name itself." He said, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.

"The one who gave me this name..."

He looked at each of them in turn, his gaze chilling.

"...was the devil herself when I formed a contract with her."

"A contract that bound my life to hers."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. A palpable coldness swept through the treehouse, making the hairs on Luna’s arms stand up.

Even Nyx, who feared nothing, felt a chill that had nothing to do with the night air.

For a moment that stretched into eternity, no one moved. No one breathed.

Then Luca laughed—a bright, clear sound that shattered the tension.

"I’m kidding! God, your faces! You should see yourselves!"

He shook his head, still chuckling.

"It’s just a surname. A boring, human surname that probably meant ’mighty’ or ’lucky’ or something equally mundane centuries ago."

"People attach dramatic meanings to things to make them sound more interesting."

The warmth returned to the room. The candles burned steadily again.

Luna let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

"Thank the spirits." She murmured. "You had me worried for a moment."

"Me too." Leona admitted, though she was frowning slightly, as if something still didn’t sit right.

Only Nyx remained silent, her eyes fixed on Luca with an unnerving intensity.

She saw it—the calculation in her gaze, the suspicion that hadn’t been entirely dispelled.

But before Nyx could voice them, Luca moved.

He grabbed Leona and Nyx, pulling them against him, then reached out and snagged Lulu and Luna too, drawing all four of them into a laughing, struggling knot.

"Enough serious talk!" He declared, his voice taking on a playful, devilish tone. "The baby-naming ceremony is over! Now it’s time for bed!"

"And since I’m feeling particularly...energetic tonight..."

He began stripping off his clothes.

"I think I might just put a second baby in each of you. What do you think?"

"One child per womb? Why not two?"

He growled, but there was laughter in his eyes.

"Who’s first?"

And then he pounced at them, his arms wrapping around all four women at once.

"Luca!"

"Hero!"

"I love you!"

"Come over here!"

And just like that, the darkness of the earlier conversation was forgotten, replaced by the warmth and passion of a night of lovemaking.

—

It was the next day.

Most of the villagers had already gone out with their own Lucas on little couple and family dates, enjoying their time together.

They had also brought along elders as well, ensuring that no one was left behind in the celebrations.

But while most of the village enjoyed their newfound happiness, a small group of elves moved against the flow, heading not toward the heart of the forest but toward its outermost edge.

Selma led the way, her steps confident despite the nervous glances her companions kept throwing over their shoulders.

Behind her followed Alia, Ivy, and three other young elves—Fara, Elara, and Kira.

They were all friends, all close in age, all sharing the same restless curiosity that had driven them to this forbidden journey.

"Selma." Fara whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "Are we sure about this? The elders always say we shouldn’t go near the village boundaries."

"What if...what if the monsters on the other side sense us?"

Selma scoffed. "That’s just old superstition. The barrier has held for centuries. It’s not going to fail just because we take a walk."

She glanced back at her friends, forcing a confident grin.

"Besides, even if something did happen, all we have to do is think about Luca. He’d be here in an instant. The Sacred Mark lets him teleport to us if we’re in danger."

The reminder visibly relaxed the group.

They had learned that if they were in any danger, all they had to do was think about Luca and he would arrive instantly.

He could teleport to them on the spot because of the sacred mark—another function of it that was extremely useful.

The knowledge that their husband could be with them in an instant made them feel safer than ever before.

But Alia looked around and sighed, her voice filled with hesitation.

"But still, Selma, I don’t think we should be going to where we’re going right now."

Ivy joined in, nodding in agreement.

"Luna already warned us not to go there. She told us that her mother strictly said no one was to go to that place."

Selma shook her head stubbornly, continuing her stride.

"Lady Leona only gave that strict order to her own daughters."

"She simply gave the rest of us a casual warning—it’s not a formal village law we’re breaking."

She slowed her pace, her voice dropping into a low, gossipy murmur.

"And let’s be honest, of course Lady Leona is going to keep her daughters away from here. That’s where their father is kept. Or...well, the thing that used to be their father."

"She obviously doesn’t want them seeing what’s left of him and getting completely traumatized."

"But we’re not his children. We’re just going to sneak a quick peek and leave. No big deal."

The others couldn’t help but look at each other, uncertainty written across their faces.

But Selma’s enthusiasm was infectious, and slowly, they began to follow her lead.

The place they were going was where Julius was kept.

After he was transported from Nyx’s shed, he had been moved to the edge of the village so that the miserable screams that came from his place could no longer be heard by the main village.

Everyone in the elf village knew that Julius was suffering miserably—that much was certain.

But they didn’t exactly know what was happening to him.

It had been a mystery for quite a while, and there were so many rumors going around.

Some said he was being slowly tortured to death.

Others claimed he was being kept alive for some darker purpose.

The stories grew more elaborate with each telling.

And finally, Selma couldn’t handle it anymore.

With her adventurous spirit and insatiable curiosity, she had dragged along her friends to find out for themselves.

"Alright." Alia said finally, though she didn’t look happy about it. "But just a peek. Then we leave."

"Just a peek."

With that intention in mind, they made their way further and further until finally they found the place they were looking for.

The place was deceptively beautiful, an ancient, massive tree with roots that rose from the earth like the walls of a natural fortress.

Between two of the largest roots gaped a dark opening, a burrow large enough to walk into without stooping.

A simple cloth sheet hung over the entrance, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

This was it. The place where Julius was kept.

Despite her bravado, Selma felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the burrow.

There was nothing overtly threatening about it. No ominous symbols, no sounds of agony from within it.

But something about it felt...wrong.

The air around it seemed heavier. The birdsong from elsewhere in the forest didn’t reach here.

Even the sunlight seemed reluctant to touch the entrance.

’It’s just my imagination.’ She told herself, swallowing hard. ’Nerves.’

She took a step forward, then another. Her friends clustered behind her, using her as a shield.

Steeling her resolve, Selma reached out a trembling hand, her fingers just brushing the coarse fabric of the sheet.

But before she could pull it aside, a smooth, melodic voice drifted out from the tree line behind them.

"Now then, young ladies...where exactly do you think you’re wandering off to?"

They jumped, spinning around as one.

Nyx stood leaning against a tree a few yards away, her arms crossed, a knowing smile on her face.

Every single elf, including Selma, felt a wave of intimidation wash over them.

Even though Nyx was very nice and extremely friendly to be with, she could also be extremely scary from time to time.

And right now, she looked like a warden looking at prisoners that were trying to escape.

The elves immediately started blabbering out excuses.

"Um, well, I—"

"Actually, we were just going to go to another tree over there—"

"The thing is, I, um—"

No one could speak properly. Their words tangled together in a mess of nervous stammering.

Seeing their reactions, Nyx just thought it was rather cute. She shook her head and let out a sigh before looking at them with a firm gaze.

"If you came over here to this part of the forest for some other matter like the twinberry bush over there, or the new garden with moonflowers a little over there—"

She said while pointing. "You can go ahead and I’m not stopping you."

But then she frowned suddenly.

"However, if you have any intention of going inside and checking out what is inside right now, I suggest you turn back."

"That’s not a place for young girls like you."

There was an intense, heavy gravity in her tone now, a rare flash of genuine solemnity that proved whatever lay within those roots was a matter of profound, unsettling horror.

Yet, despite the clear warning, Selma’s pride refused to let her retreat so easily.

"Why shouldn’t we look?" Selma demanded, her voice trembling but resolute. "We aren’t children anymore, Nyx. We’re grown women!"

"All of us are already carrying life inside our bellies!"

To emphasize her point, she placed a tender, protective hand over her slightly rounded stomach, a gesture her companions unconsciously mirrored.

"So why are you treating us like infants who need their eyes covered?"

"We belong to this village and we have a right to know what happens to its prisoners."

Nyx went silent for a moment, crossing her arms over her chest before letting out a soft, dark chuckle.

"You know...when you put it like that, you aren’t entirely wrong."

The girls blinked, utterly blindsided by the sudden concession.

"You are indeed adults." Nyx continued, her gaze turning incredibly cold, locking onto Selma’s eyes. "And there is no formal law prohibiting anyone from walking into that room."

"If you truly wish to exercise your rights as citizens of this forest, I technically have no legal authority to chain you to the path."

She leaned forward slightly, her smirk vanishing entirely.

"But I will give you one piece of neighborly advice, Selma. Go back."

"The things waiting for you in that darkness will permanently scar your psyche for the rest of your natural life."

A collective shudder ran through the line of elves, several of them taking a synchronized step backward.

But what terrified them the most were the words Nyx spoke next.

"Even I...." Nyx said quietly. "...couldn’t handle what was in there."