Emotional Rewrite

There was no visible effect.

But Luna reached into their emotional cores with invisible hands, finding every thread of greed, every spark of resentment, every shadow of betrayal, and simply... changed them.

She didn’t just suppress the negative emotions. She tore them out by the roots and replaced them with something else entirely.

Her voice came out soft but absolute.

"Be loyal to Damian."

Devotion to Damian Valcor flooded into their cores, rewriting everything else.

"Be loyal to the Mafia."

Unwavering dedication to the organization followed.

Their emotions rewrote themselves at the fundamental level, changing not just how they felt but who they were.

It took only a few seconds to completely reprogram two dozen people.

The scarred man’s defensive posture relaxed, his eyes lost their calculating edge, replaced by something softer, clearer and devoted.

The woman who’d been embezzling felt her hands begin to shake, genuine shame and regret washing over her in waves she couldn’t explain.

One by one, something changed in their eyes.

And then, as if pulled by invisible strings, they all dropped to their knees.

THUD THUD THUD THUD

The sound of two dozen people kneeling in perfect unison echoed through the room.

Their heads bowed and their voices rang out together, synchronized and reverent.

"We will die for Master Damian and the Mafia!"

The words erupted from all of them at once, trembling with absolute devotion.

Then they raised their heads slightly.

"MISTRESS LUNA!"

Like they’d found religion and Luna was their goddess.

Sakura’s breath stopped in her throat.

’What– what just happened–’

She stared at the scene, her mind trying to process what she was seeing.

But underneath the fear, there was something telling her that everything was fine, that Luna was trustworthy, that she should believe whatever Luna said.

’Why am I– why do I feel like this is okay–’

The conflict made her dizzy.

Alessio’s expression hadn’t changed, but his hands had clenched into fists at his sides.

’Mistress has a skill... Something that changes people from the inside.’

He thought about his own loyalty to Damian, the way it had formed naturally over time.

’Could she do this to anyone? Could she do this to me? To Master?’

The thought should have terrified him.

Instead, he felt... awed.

’This is true power... The ability to change what people are at their core.’

Mike’s arms dropped to his sides, his jaw clenched and his breathing became shallow.

’She just– all of them–’

He’d watched her do nothing violent and show no threats. Just ask questions and stand there.

And they broke completely.

’She rewrote their loyalty...’

His hands began to shake.

’Damian is terrifying when he fights, when he kills, when he stares at you with those crimson eyes and decides your life is over...’

’But this...’

He looked at Luna standing calm and composed in the center of the kneeling crowd, her silver eyes reflecting nothing.

’This is worse... This is so much worse.’

’She... might be even scarier than Master Damian.’

The thought settled into his bones like ice.

Luna’s voice cut through the silence, calm and measured.

"You’re dismissed... Return to your duties and serve Damian and the Mafia faithfully."

They rose as one, their movements synchronized, their faces peaceful and devoted.

"Yes, Mistress."

They filed out quietly, leaving the room in perfect order.

The door closed behind the last one.

Just Luna, Alessio, Sakura, and Mike remained.

"..."

The silence was suffocating.

Luna turned toward Mike.

Her silver eyes locked onto his face, and she smiled.

It was a real smile, warm and gentle.

"No need to fear me, Uncle Mike." Her voice was soft, almost teasing. "I’m not that scary."

Mike’s throat went dry.

He tried to speak, but couldn’t.

That aura of calm and trustworthiness was washing over him too, making him want to believe her, want to trust that everything was fine.

But his hands were still shaking.

Luna’s smile widened fractionally, like she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Then she turned away, walking toward Sakura, who’d pressed herself against the wall.

Sakura’s breathing went shallow, her back was already against the wall and she had nowhere to go.

Luna stopped beside her and leaned in close.

Her breath warm against Sakura’s ear, her voice soft, almost gentle.

"Sakura... I know you have some feelings for Damian."

Sakura’s entire body went rigid.

’No no no she knows how does she know–’

Luna’s whisper continued, each word precise and clear.

"Kill them off... He’s mine." She paused. "I would hate to have to fix that problem myself."

’Like she fixed those people!’

’But she’s just giving advice... She’s trustworthy and wouldn’t actually–’

’Yes she would! She just did! I watched her do it!’

’But it’s fine... Everything’s fine... She’s safe. She–’

Sakura couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe and couldn’t do anything except stand there frozen while Luna straightened and walked away.

****

[Rooftop - Mafia Headquarters]

The night air was cool against Luna’s skin.

She stood at the edge of the rooftop, the crimson sky stretching endlessly above her.

Tranquil City spread out below, lights twinkling in the distance, people going about their lives completely unaware.

Luna’s arms came up, wrapping around herself, holding tight.

’Where are you, Damian?’

The thought echoed in her head, bouncing around in the empty spaces where certainty used to live.

’Why aren’t you coming back from wherever you are?’

Two months...

Sixty days of nothing with no word or sign. Just silence and speculation and rumors that got worse every day.

’Please come back.’

Her fingers dug into her arms, wrinkling the fabric beneath her grip until dark stains began spreading across her sleeves.

’There’s no news of mother and father either.’

Lyandra and Alaric had left for the northern frontlines weeks ago. There has been no news since then, it wasn’t unusual for military operations, but the timing made everything feel worse.

’I’m... alone.’

The admission hurt more than she thought.

Luna stood there, blood soaking her clothes under the crimson sky, holding herself together through sheer force of will while emotions magnified a hundred times over threatened to tear her apart from the inside.

And somewhere far away, in a forest she couldn’t see, Damian had no idea what his absence was doing to her.