As the night crept on, moonless and abysmal, Kiro could not have been more buoyant. Nowhere in sight was there a hint of the return of the Moon, or the Sun, and with them, the magic that would change his body, transform him into the monster he abhorred. If only Kiro could look into a mirror and see a reflection of his soul - he would see the ugly, foul beast that he hated staring back at him, even with his youthful, healthy skin upon him. But he was blissfully ignorant to his own faults, yet critically aware of them in all other people. In saying that, he overlooked the surprise that coloured Lena's features, merely taking it as a pleasant recognition she expressed in the simple, vague way he figured all young females dazzled by his presence must react.

"Then perhaps this is one of those rare occasions." He spoke in jest, though the tone he used probably spewed forth in more of a domineering, mocking manner. He was uneducated in the way of playful banter, having mostly dealt with slaves in his court, slaves or lesser beings, and even though he held some small shred of respect for this mare (evidenced by the sheer fact that he was at least attempting to be civil), the mockery was impossible for him to train out of the tonal modulation of his words. Now, his attention drifted to the others present, his ever expanding pupils taking in the dark shapes, his ears tilting as more words were exchanged - the abrupt departure of the winged fae, the shifting steps of the fellow unicorn, all led Kiro to be essentially disinterested in them - if they paid him no attention, he was not about to pay them any.

Lena apologised then, to the remaining unicorn steed, Fawkes, taking blame for scaring away the shadowy pegasus. The silver steed shrugged, a roll of his shoulder, as he truly did not care that the other had left - why should he? Those adorned without a horn were not usually treated any differently to him, he let them live so long as they let him live his life, but he never sought their company out. "Lena, stop apologising." He grunted the command with all the air of a prince taking a fair maiden under his protection - being royalty meant one never had to apologise, at least, where he came from. And he was royalty. He smiled a debonair grin, tilting his crown as he considered her pretty face, completely oblivious to the confusion he might have caused her - confusion that he might still be causing her. He motioned to reach out, to extend his muzzle to her dark shoulder - an act of comfort, of welcome…

And then the Moon rose.

It was subtle, at first ,the reappearance of the stars in the sky. He did not notice it, the way the night became easier to see, the way the mahogany hide of the belle beside him became richer, the way the moon in the sky lit up his hide like liquid quicksilver. It was in the reflection of Lena's very cocoa eyes that he saw the shape, the great orb that defined him, gave him his true form. He hated her, the Lady of the Moon, but not as much as he hated the Lord of the Sun.

For if the Moon had risen, the Sun would surely follow.

The hatred was evident in his façade as he stared into Lena's eyes, the piercing violet gaze grasping onto that orb's reflection - there was a sadness there too, one that hoped to deny the Moon's existence - surely it was only an illusion, a trick, it could not be real. And then, he looked up, tearing his gaze away from her with all the violence of ripping off a bandaid from a bleeding wound, and he beheld the magnificent celestial body in the sky. It was all he could do to stop from weeping, as he felt the tingling in his skin, the curse reawakened. He staggered backwards now, his thick, muscly body acting as if it had been hit by the force of a freight train in the chest. He regained his balance soon enough, but not until he was several paces away from the remaining unicorns. His breathing had increased, his heart rate was racing, sweat began trickling down behind his ears. "No…" Was all he could say, crippled in his grief.