The room held its breath.
Vina stared at Daniel as that heavy pressure pressed against her chest again—the kind that made it hard to breathe, hard to think. That aura. That presence.
She’d felt it before.
The mont he walked into any space, it shifted. Like the walls bent inward, like the shadows watched with him. The air got colder. Thicker.
The presence of a Demon King.
Daniel stepped forward, slow, hands behind his back, voice smooth and sharp like silk over steel.
"You must be wondering why you’re here. And I can tell it wasn’t by your own free will."
He didn’t look at Teemah, but the flicker of annoyance in his voice landed on her anyway.
"But even unwilling action," he said, stopping just a few feet from Vina, "can be... useful."
His words had weight. Like they carried the will of sothing ancient.
Vina winced.
Daniel tilted his head. "Let’s not waste ti. I’m looking to erase two people from this world. And I believe you’ve made contact with them."
His red eyes locked onto hers.
"Nas."
Vina frowned, trying to hide her confusion. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t t anyone that would catch your attention."
Daniel gave a small smirk. He didn’t believe her—not for a second.
"If I didn’t know you so well, I’d say the great Vina was covering for soone," he said calmly. "But no... I can tell. You really don’t rember."
He walked a slow circle around her.
"Think harder. Demon blood runs through them. Not just any kind—royal. Like mine."
He leaned in, voice low, almost like a whisper.
"Red eyes. Red hair. One of them even touched you—I can sll it in your blood."
Vina’s thoughts scrambled. Her heart was pounding now. Images flashed. Pieces.
And then it clicked.
"...Lucifer?" she said, the na slipping from her lips like a spark from dry flint.
Daniel smiled. Not wide. Just enough. Like he’d been waiting to hear it.
"That’s one."
He stepped back, hands still clasped behind him.
"And the other?"
Vina narrowed her eyes. The second na floated up slower... hazier... but it ca.
"I think... I think his na was Ruka."
Daniel nodded, his expression unreadable.
Vina looked at him hard now. "Why are you hunting them?"
The smile vanished.
"They’re my brothers."
The silence that followed wasn’t just quiet—it was cold. Final.
Vina blinked. "...What?"
Daniel finally looked at her again. But his eyes weren’t smiling anymore.
"They shouldn’t exist. And yet, they do."
He turned slightly, red cloak dragging across the stone.
"And I intend to fix that mistake."
Then, without looking back—
He walked toward the door.
The room stayed heavy.
And Vina sat still, pulse racing, as the truth sank in.
She wasn’t caught in the middle of sothing.
She was already in it.
Elsewhere
Ruined Castle – Outer Grounds
The wind howled through the broken towers as Selene stepped over the cracked stones, Remu following close behind with arms folded and an annoyed look on her face.
"We’re here," Selene said, her voice as flat as ever.
Remu looked around, unimpressed. "You should’ve just left at my mom’s place. At least I had a bed there. This place looks like a graveyard."
Selene didn’t answer. She just kept walking.
Remu muttered under her breath but followed.
Inside – The Throne Hall
They pushed open the half-collapsed doors, and the air shifted. The hall was massive—cold and dead, with broken pillars and faded murals on the walls. Moonlight poured in through the shattered ceiling, casting long shadows.
And at the far end, on a jagged throne made from the bones of the ruined castle—
Sat Balgron.
He didn’t move when they entered. He didn’t need to.
The weight of his presence filled the room like smoke.
Remu’s steps slowed. She looked up, and for the first ti since escaping, she felt... small.
Her flas ant nothing here.
Balgron stared down at them, eyes burning through the shadows. First at Remu. Then at Selene.
His voice rumbled like thunder buried deep underground.
"This is the Dark Witch?"
Selene nodded once. "Yes."
Silence followed.
Only the sound of wind through broken stone and the distant creak of the shattered door.
Remu didn’t speak. She didn’t need to.
Whatever ca next—she could feel it—was going to change everything.
Balgron leaned forward on his throne, voice deep and sharp.
"Give her the spell. Guide her through the tethering. We don’t have ti to waste. They’re on to us now." He glanced at Selene. "No more slow talk. Just get it done."
Selene nodded and stepped toward Remu, her hand lifting to lead her out of the hall—
CRASH.
She was flung aside like a ragdoll, her body skidding across the stone floor with a harsh thud.
Balgron blinked, confused—then looked down.
Remu was walking toward him. Calm. Straight-backed. Eyes locked on his.
"I don’t like being pushed around," she said coldly. "And I really don’t like being left in the dark."
She stopped a few feet in front of him.
"So if you want to do sothing, then tell what it is. Otherwise, don’t expect anything from ."
The room held its breath.
Balgron stood slowly, towering over her. His presence filled the space like a stormcloud.
"You’re bold," he said, stepping down from the throne. "Most witches tremble at the sight of a Fomorian. But you—"
Boom.
An invisible force crashed into him mid-step, slamming him back into his throne so hard the stone beneath him cracked, forming a deep crater.
The whole castle shook.
Selene, still suspended in the air from the blow, stared wide-eyed.
Balgron grunted, staring up at the girl like she’d just flipped the entire food chain.
Remu stood over him, calm as ever. Her hair swayed lightly, sparks dancing off her fingertips.
"Thanks to my mother," she said, "I soaked up more mana than the average witch even dreams of. That place? The Bloom Mansion? It fed ."
She leaned forward slightly.
"With or without your help, I was getting out. So if you want to do sothing—" she smirked, "start talking."
Balgron looked up at her... and for the first ti, he smiled.
A real one.
"Well then," he rumbled, sitting up, "this might work out better than I thought."
User Comments
0 comments from readers