Clank!

Damian’s room door swung open sharply, revealing his wives standing outside, their expressions tense with unease. That tension shattered instantly, replaced by stunned silence the moment their eyes landed on what stood before them.

Two Damians.

One stood composed in his work attire, suit crisp, briefcase in hand, every inch the polished professional. The other leaned more casually, dressed in a grey long-sleeve shirt, sweatpants, and a pair of gray bunny crocs, his posture relaxed, almost lazy.

"Doppelganger..." Racheal whispered, her voice filled with shock.

"He is close to becoming a demon elite," Ruby murmured under her breath.

Hazel’s gaze flickered between the two identical faces, her eyes trembling as realization set in. They were missing too much. Too many stages of his growth had slipped past them unnoticed.

He was evolving rapidly and he was doing it without them. Perhaps he no longer needed them at all.

"Good morning, ladies..." the casually dressed Damian greeted with an easy smile.

"Please step aside," the suited Damian finished seamlessly.

Almost instinctively, the three women moved aside, their bodies responding before their minds could catch up. They watched in silence as both men walked past them, their presence filling the hallway with an unnatural weight.

They followed quietly, trailing behind until the two stopped in front of the SUV outside.

The two Damians stood facing each other, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You will be handling my job from now on. Sorry, bro," Damian said, dusting off his shoulders with a mock sympathetic smile.

His clone rolled his eyes and let out a short laugh.

"I am not the one stuck dealing with wives who refuse to listen. I am the one on vacation here," he shot back, slapping Damian’s hand away.

Damian’s expression darkened instantly as he reached for him, but the clone stepped back effortlessly, slipping out of his grasp.

"Let’s switch places," Damian said, his tone sharp.

"Too late. No take-backs!" the clone shouted, already moving.

In the next moment, he slipped into the SUV.

Damian froze, disbelief flashing across his face.

Can a clone... refuse its creator?

"Son of a bitch..." he muttered under his breath.

The SUV’s headlights flared to life as the engine roared awake. From the back seat, the clone leaned out of the window, a mischievous grin stretching across his face.

"Oh... I almost forgot," he called out. "I will be spending the night with Clara too. Do not wait up for me."

"Mother fucker!" Damian snapped, his fist clenching tight.

But it was already too late.

The SUV reversed smoothly out of the driveway, leaving him standing there, staring after it.

Puff!

Rin appeared atop his head in a swirl of purple smoke, settling comfortably as always.

"Bested by your own clone. You should be ashamed," it remarked dryly.

"Fuck you too."

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Damian turned and walked back into the house without another word.

He passed by his wives, who stood frozen, their eyes filled with conflicted emotions, and continued straight into the kitchen.

They followed him in silence, stopping at the doorway as he moved. He brewed a cup of black coffee and poured it out.

Without hesitation, despite the rising steam, he drank it in a single gulp.

He rinsed the cup, set it aside, then opened the refrigerator, retrieving a bottle of water. He took a slow sip before finally turning to face them.

Rin’s words from the night before echoed in his mind.

Devotee was a measure of absolute belief and loyalty that could never waver. The fact that he had only just unlocked it meant something unsettling.

Everyone he had met until now... could betray him.

His wives and Clara included.

All of them.

He pushed the thought down, refusing to let it linger, yet it did not fully leave him.

"Alright. Let’s go see our new home," Damian said at last, breaking the silence.

The three women stiffened, exchanging startled glances. They had expected anger.

"I thought you didn’t like it..." Hazel began softly, her voice trailing off.

Damian’s gaze shifted toward her, dull and unreadable.

"It does not matter whether I like it or not. You already bought it. I might as well make the best of it," he replied with a shrug as he walked past them.

They stepped aside once more, watching him move toward the living room.

"Call your demon to drive us. I am free until evening," he added, addressing Racheal without turning back.

"About that..." Ruby spoke quickly, her tone laced with nervousness.

Damian’s brows drew together.

Did they spend more?

"We do not need to be driven there," Racheal said, stepping forward before the tension could build further. "You can access it from here."

"Oh?"

The irritation in Damian’s expression faded, replaced by curiosity.

Racheal’s lips curved into a small smile, encouraged by the shift. She opened her mouth, ready to explain, eager to bridge the growing distance between them.

But she never got the chance.

"Once you reach the demigod realm, you gain access to spatial abilities. They likely connected two spatial doors between both locations, allowing direct travel," Rin cut in calmly, explaining it before she could speak. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Racheal froze. Not just at the interruption but at the faint, unmistakable snort that followed from the small fox.

There was no mistaking it. It was hostility.

Rin had not spoken by accident.

It truly believed Damian’s life would be better without them.

They were wild, untamed, creatures of chaos. Demons whom Lin Qui had refused to discipline, allowing them to roam freely, unchecked. That freedom had once turned the underworld into turmoil, drawing enemies from every corner.

Only Lin Qui’s overwhelming strength had kept it all from collapsing.

Now, that same chaos stood here again.

The support they brought with their presence was not worth the chaos that followed in their wake.

Their clans still answered to the Dukes. That bond had never been severed. The only reason they stood outside that chain of command was because they had become the wives of a prince.

But Damian’s path was not one that could coexist with such ties. His ambition was not to fit within the system. It was to break it, to tear it apart at its roots and rebuild something greater in its place.

And in that future, they had no role.

They offered no true advantage to his ascent. Worse, they stood as potential obstacles, remnants of a structure he intended to dismantle.

They did not belong in his life anymore.

For that to change, Damian needed to reach that conclusion himself. He needed to grow tired of their antics and become fed up.

Only then would the bond break.

The backlash of severing a Faustian bargain would be severe, no doubt. It would wound him, perhaps more deeply than he expected.

But even that pain was insignificant compared to the slow erosion of his future if he chose to keep them by his side.