Arriving near his shop, Noah sighed loudly as the day’s events pressed heavily on his shoulders.
The funeral had left him contemplating mortality in ways he’d never expected in this world.
Surprisingly, once the sun set, the weather beca very cold.
Sin City’s nights carried a chill that seed to penetrate bone, making Noah grateful for his shop’s warmth.
Clink.
His shop door closed behind him with its familiar sound, sealing out the cold air and wrapping him in the gentle glow of Moon, and the twin stars.
The Demonica Moonburghs pulsed with their usual bioluminescence, creating an atmosphere of comfort.
It’s to head back to Earth. Check on the new house, maybe grab so groceries too.
As he prepared to step through the portal, sharp knocking echoed through the shop.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Noah’s eyes turned toward the door with curiosity rather than fear.
He was no longer the scared man that didn’t dare step out of his store. After experiencing his power as a storekeeper against Lola, he knew that he was truly immortal in the store.
Who would knock on my store at this ti? Most demons know I close after sunset by now.
He walked toward the entrance with confident steps, no longer the nervous shopkeeper who jumped at unexpected sounds. Whatever waited outside, he would handle it.
The door opened to reveal a sight that made his blood freeze.
Lola collapsed on his doorstep, completely bathed in blood.
Shit!
Her face was streaked with crimson that had dried into dark stains. Her arms bore wounds that looked like claw marks.
Blood covered her entire body, which suggested that she was in combat with multiple enemies, rather than one.
A Master-level mage reduced to this. What the hell happened?
But the blood had dried, creating a crusty coating that didn’t drip or stain the floor outside his shop.
Whatever had happened to her, it wasn’t recent—she’d been bleeding for hours.
Noah didn’t hesitate. He imdiately brought her inside without wasting a second, his strength making her unconscious body feel lighter than expected.
I need to get her inside first. Questions can be asked later.
The door closed behind them with urgency, sealing out whatever threats might still be pursuing her.
Noah’s mind raced through possibilities, none of them comforting.
There aren’t many beings who could reduce Lola to this state. Master-level succubi don’t fall easily.
Could it be the extremists?
That was thiught was imdiately rejected as spotted the item in her hand.
In Lola’s clenched hand was a black mask, its surface unmarked by the blood that covered everything else about her. The material looked expensive, crafted from fabric that seed to absorb darkness itself.
Did she take this off when she ca near my shop so I could recognise her? Was she wearing it during whatever fight left her like this?
Speculation ran wild through Noah’s mind like a racing cart.
The mask suggested that Lola was trying to conceal her identity.
Activities that required hiding one’s identity weren’t many.
Had Lola been conducting espionage? Assassination? Investigating sothing dangerous enough to nearly kill her?
Or maybe she took it from whoever did this to her.
Noah knelt beside her unconscious body, checking for signs of life beyond the obvious breathing.
Her pulse was weak but steady, suggesting exhaustion rather than a critical injury. The dried blood made his damage assessnt difficult, but she didn’t appear to be actively dying.
She ca here instead of seeking dical attention elsewhere. That ans sothing.
Was it trust? Or maybe his shop represented the only safe haven she could reach before collapsing. Either way, Lola had chosen his shop as her sanctuary.
This is way above my pay grade. Master-level mages have enemies I don’t want to know about.
Noah cried without tears. He knew that by taking Lola in, he was potentially getting himself into sothing that he couldn’t handle.
But leaving her unconscious and bloodied wasn’t an option. Whatever had happened, whoever had done this to her, Lola needed his imdiate help.
Noah retrieved one of his healing loaves from the shelf, handling it with attention. The golden bread would accelerate her natural recovery, but feeding unconscious people required caution.
Small pieces. Don’t want her choking on magical healing bread.
He broke off tiny portions, placing them between her lips and watching for swallowing responses.
Her body’s survival instincts kicked in, accepting the healing nourishnt without conscious cooperation.
The bread’s working. I can see so color returning to her face.
The Demonica Moonburghs seed to respond to the dical ergency, their pulsing intensifying as if trying to contribute additional healing energy. The enhanced mana environnt would help, but major injuries required more than ambient magical enhancent.
Who could do this to her? Extremists? So rivals? Soone from her mysterious past?
The black mask lay beside her like evidence from a cri scene. Whatever secrets it represented, they’d nearly cost Lola her life.
And now those secrets are in my shop.
The implications sent chills down his spine. Enemies capable of reducing Master-level mages to unconsciousness represented threats far beyond his current capabilities. If they tracked her here...
But conscious or not, Lola had trusted him with her vulnerable state. Whatever ca next, abandoning her wasn’t an option.
...
Noah settled beside Lola’s unconscious body, checking her pulse every few minutes to ensure the healing bread was working properly. Colour had returned to her face, and her breathing had stabilised into a normal rhythm rather than the shallow gasps that had terrified him earlier.
She’s going to be fine. Just needs ti to recover.
The shop’s atmosphere felt different with an unconscious Master-level mage occupying his floor. The Demonica Moonburghs pulsed with gentle energy.
Noah couldn’t leave the store and head back to Earth.
By doing that, he was signing off on Lola’s death without a doubt. Once he left, the store would automatically remove Lola from the building, casting her to the street in her unconscious state.
Minutes stretched into an hour.
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