Deviant: No Longer Human-Chapter 678: The Banished Garden of the End!

The Banished Garden of the End...

Far beyond the reach of mortals, where even light was swallowed whole, a piece of reality alive stubbornly to existence.

An impossibly green garden, lush and fragrant, stretched like a defiant dream against the abyss, its flowers blooming as if they had never heard of death. At its edge, a palace of white marble stood tall, polished so perfectly that it might as well have been carved from the discarded bones of forgotten gods.

It sat there—silent, untouched, unbothered—as if the universe had tried to erase it but failed spectacularly.

Why was such a place sitting at the end of existence, exiled like an unfaithful lover?

No one could answer.

Or maybe, no one dared.

"Eirene, stop running around..."

The voice that rang out was smooth, sharp, and thoroughly unimpressed, like a woman watching someone try to eat soup with a fork.

She sat on a simple wooden stool, back straight but lazy, hands resting atop one another with a stillness that spoke of either immense patience… or murderous restraint. Her long lavender hair cascaded behind her, spilling over her back like an unrolled scroll of forgotten prophecy.

That hair alone should have been a warning—too unnatural, too divine, too perfect to belong to anything human.

And her hairstyle? A delicate contradiction. Half-tied, half-loose, flowing down in soft waves as if she had just walked out of a wedding between myths. Add a tiara, and she might as well have been a bride abandoned at the altar of Olympus itself.

But of course, her only company was a tiny little menace.

Eirene.

The little girl was hardly tall enough to reach her waist, dressed in a white gown that shimmered like woven sunlight as she darted, twirled, and pranced across the only patch of ground that still dared to hold light.

A creature of boundless energy—and zero grace.

And then, as if the cosmos itself had grown tired of her antics—

Thud.

Down she went.

The woman did not flinch.

She did not gasp, did not rush over, did not even offer the barest hint of a reaction befitting a concerned guardian.

She merely sighed, the sound soft but filled with the kind of resignation that could only come from dealing with the same stupidity on repeat for centuries.

"Eirene, what did I tell you again?"

Her voice was the kind that promised punishment. Not immediate, not loud, but the slow-burning kind—the one that sat on your soul like an unpaid debt, waiting to be collected.

And as those words left her lips, the very air around them shuddered ever so slightly, as if the world itself feared her disappointment.

"What are you crying for now?"

Selene's voice was like a blade honed by centuries of authority. She didn't even bother looking at the little girl sprawled on the ground, her tone carrying the dispassionate divine decree.

"Did I not say it last time? If any of you cry, I won't take out any more—"

She trailed off.

Eirene, who had been seconds away from a full-on dramatic meltdown, flinched mid-sob, her wide eyes darting toward the imposing white castle behind her.

Her tears?

Gone.

Not because her pain vanished.

But because living outside—in the open air, beneath the fleeting light that still touched this realm—was far better than being locked inside the abyss.

The shadows beyond the castle walls were not kind.

Eirene shivered.

"And what's wrong with her crying?"

A new voice rang out, smooth and composed.

This time, Eirene didn't just flinch—she froze.

Her head tilted slightly, her gaze flickering toward the figure that had suddenly appeared behind Selene.

The moment she saw him, her large doe-like eyes widened, her tiny face flushed in surprise, but then—

Like a terrified deer catching the scent of a wolf—

She bolted.

Straight back toward the castle, toward the very place where light was swallowed whole.

Wang Xiao's expression twitched.

'How the hell did I become the villain?!'

His face screamed injustice.

He wasn't that terrifying, was he?

He shifted his gaze to the woman in front of him.

Lavender hair, cascading like liquid silk, framed a face of ethereal beauty—one sculpted by gods with far too much time on their hands.

Selene had trned to face him, her straight, eyebrows hinting at an unyielding nature, her eyes deep and calm, carrying the quiet arrogance of someone who had never bent to anything lesser than herself.

The corners of her lips were soft, beautiful—but subtly firm.

She was a daughter raised with discipline.

"Crying is a sign of weakness," she said, "They should have thought about the consequences before acting. If the fear is too much, then they should have chosen differently."

Her words were cold, yet filled with an unshakable logic.

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And she wasn't alone in her judgment.

From the shadows beyond the castle, more and more heads peeked out, silent figures observing the man who had just arrived.

They didn't step into the light.

They dared not.

But their presence was felt—twelve pairs of blinking eyes, barely visible in the darkness, watching him with a mix of curiosity and hesitation.

Wang Xiao glanced at the little cluster of shadow-dwelling children, then back at Selene.

What a troublesome daughter.

She was his firstborn.

The first daughter he had with Eveline Whitehall.

A strictly raised eldest daughter, embodying strength and discipline.

And the rest?

The ones hiding behind her, watching with blinking, hesitant eyes?

They came after her.

All of them.

Excluding Ji Xuehong, who was outside, wandering about like a delinquent.

Twelve pairs of glowing eyes.

He counted them.

They were all here.

And yet—

The way they watched him—wide-eyed, wary, hesitant—it was as if they had just seen a beast crawl out of the abyss itself.

His own damn children.

Wang Xiao let out a laugh, shaking his head as he strode toward Selene.

"What are they so scared of?" he muttered.

Selene—who had been standing ever since he arrived—watched him approach, unfazed.

She knew this man all too well.

And sure enough—he sat down right in her place, motioning for her to sit on his lap.

Selene settled herself atop his legs, his arms instinctively wrapping around her waist.

A familiar position.

One she had grown accustomed to.

She shifted slightly, adjusting to the warmth of his presence, suppressing the odd sensation in her chest.

"Of you," she said plainly. "Didn't you tell them not to come out?"

Wang Xiao blinked.

Oh, right.

He had punished all of them a couple of years ago.

A punishment that clearly left a lasting impression.

But had he really meant for them to stay locked away like this?

Not exactly.

He had even created this small pocket of light for them, a safe haven in an otherwise eternal abyss.

And yet, he could already tell—Selene had weaponized it.

Smart girl.

People always said that having too many children would make life chaotic, unmanageable.

But in reality?

It was the opposite.

The more you had, the more the older ones took over.

They became the managers, the enforcers, the guides.

And before you knew it—your household wasn't a mess. It was a self-sustaining society.

Selene was the pillar of that system.

She wasn't just his daughter.

She was the one raising the rest of them.

Wang Xiao smiled, resting his chin against her shoulder.

"You let Fiona out?" he asked, his voice lazy as his fingers traced slow, casual patterns along her waist.

Selene remained still, her body firm, disciplined—but the faintest shift in her breathing betrayed the effect.

Her scent was subtle yet distinct—like fresh earth and the pleasing rain before storm, intoxicating.

Wang Xiao inhaled lightly.

Pleasing.

Very pleasing.

"She asked to leave," Selene said, keeping her tone neutral.

"And you let her?"

"I saw no reason not to."

Selene's voice was steady, but one could feel the faintest trace of uncertainty in her words.

And that alone was enough for her to explain herself.

"She had been inside, unlike the others. She never left. Never asked for anything. I thought she had repented enough," Selene murmured. But then, after a pause, her voice softened, as if she hesitated to say the next part.

"And Father… it wasn't their fault. Our mother… she—"

Her voice faded.

Her gaze lifted, drawn toward the top of the castle, where no light touched.

Where Eveline had once been imprisoned.

Where she had been kept with zero contact with anyone for years—until Wang Xiao had pulled her out.

In the end, everything led back to Eveline.

These girls—his daughters—had once believed that by killing his other daughters, they would earn his attention.

Not out of malice. Not out of cruelty.

They were misguided.

Because Eveline had raised them to believe that he was everything.

That they should listen to him above all else.

That their very existence was to serve, obey, and please him.

And Wang Xiao, for all his caution, had let his guard down.

He had never imagined that their attachment to him could be used against him.

And so—he had punished them.

But even then, he understood—

It was never just their fault.

It was his.

And it was Eveline's.

Selene was the only one among Eveline's fourteen daughters who had never participated in the bloodshed.

She had seen through the plan.

She had known it was their mother's doing.

And for that reason—Wang Xiao had placed her in charge of their punishment.

She was to keep them locked away.

She was to guard them.

To ensure they never stepped outside again.

He had never told her how long to keep them locked up.

And yet—when she let Ji Xuehong out, he had been genuinely surprised.

But now?

Hearing Selene's reasoning?

He understood.

Ji Xuehong had taken his punishment seriously.

She had never once left the castle.

Not even for a single day.

She had understood her mistake.

She had never even tried to escape.

She had been obedient.

And now, Wang Xiao had no reason to hold it against her.

But Eveline?

Ah…

Wang Xiao's eyes narrowed.

That woman…

He wanted to strangle her to death.