The demon holding Gina aloft by her arm wore a sardonic grin. “Let me absorb this soul,” he growled, “and then we’ll take care of those two as well.” His bright yellow eyes flicked toward Zack and Celia. Gina screamed in agony, her voice shrill and desperate.

  The other two demons stood ready to attack—but they were blinded by the growing sphere of light in Celia’s right hand. The light was impossibly pure, bright as the sun itself. It tore the darkness from the forest and released a tangible wave of energy that weakened the demons, forcing them to recoil.

  But before Celia could move—before anyone could react—Zack was suddenly standing in front of the demon holding Gina.

  It happened in a blink. An impossibly fast flash.

  Zack’s face was empty. His eyes had rolled back, showing only white. He was in a trance, far removed from consciousness.

  Celia’s mouth fell open. Her breath caught in her throat. This was the last thing she had expected.

  With cold, inhuman precision, Zack drove his bare hand straight through the demon’s chest. There was no resistance, no blood—only the crack of breaking ribs. He clenched the still-beating heart in his palm and crushed it. The demon gave no scream, no cry. It burst apart into a cloud of pitch-black smoke that vanished into the air. Gina hit the ground with a dull thud, but Zack didn’t even look at her. His gaze was unfocused, his body nothing more than a tool.

  “Zack! Watch out—there are two more!” Celia screamed, still holding the light sphere, which had grown even larger and brighter.

  The remaining two demons lunged at Zack. They were already heavily weakened and slowed by Celia’s overwhelming light, their movements sluggish and uncoordinated. But even so, they were utterly unprepared for what followed.

  In the blink of an eye, Zack was in front of them.

  The demons had victory within reach—but they could do nothing.

  Zack grabbed them both by the throat and lifted them into the air as if they weighed nothing.

  Then Zack screamed.

  It was a primal sound that echoed through the forest. His hands began to glow red. The glow spread rapidly, and his hands slid through the demons’ heads like a hot knife through butter, straight to their brains. He crushed them into pulp.

  With a sharp whoosh, the two demons vanished. They dissolved into smoke, drifting away and being swallowed by the darkness of the forest. Silence returned. The only sounds left were Zack’s heavy breathing and Celia’s ragged gasps.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Zack stood there, motionless.

  The glow in his hands faded. His eyes rolled back into place—and he collapsed to the ground like a lifeless body.

  The battle was over.

  As the black smoke dissipated, Celia ran to Zack. Adrenaline still rang in her ears. She dropped to her knees beside him, her hands trembling as she checked his pulse. It was weak—but steady.

  A deep sigh of relief escaped her lips.

  Okay… he’s alive.

  She stared at his peaceful face, confused. How is this possible? How can he wield power like this too?

  She had already thought it strange how easily he sensed demons. Are he and I… the same?

  Lost in thought, she let Zack’s head rest in her lap. The cool night air and the distant rustling of leaves surrounded her, yet she felt more alone than ever.

  “Hey… are you okay?” Zack asked softly.

  His voice sounded like that of a child waking from a deep sleep.

  Celia yelped, springing up as if burned. “W–wah!” She turned away instantly, her cheeks flushed, heart pounding with embarrassment at the sudden intimacy.

  Zack groaned and sat up. “Gina! Is she alive?” he asked urgently. He looked around at the destruction, the empty spaces where the demons had stood, the unnatural silence. “What happened? Where are the three demons? Did you kill them?” he asked, staring at Celia in awe.

  Celia’s heart tightened.

  She knew she was lying—but how could she tell him what she had seen? His power was different from hers. Deeper. More terrifying. And then she realised something else.

  He didn’t remember any of it.

  Pity and shock twisted inside her chest. She answered with a coldness she didn’t feel. “You helped a lot. But yes—I killed them. I couldn’t have done it without your distraction.”

  “Wow… you’re amazing,” Zack said, looking at her with open admiration.

  She couldn’t meet his eyes. Her cheeks burned.

  Together, they crawled toward Gina, who still lay motionless on the ground. Her chest rose and fell faintly. She looked shattered—her body twisted, soaked in blood. Zack watched her, hope flickering back to life.

  Then—a finger moved. Barely visible.

  “She’s alive!” Zack shouted, relief crashing over him.

  “But for how long?” Celia replied hoarsely. She looked out into the darkness surrounding the clearing. “The night isn’t over.”

  Exhaustion settled deep into her bones. She had tried to unleash her true power—but all that came was that useless, energy-draining sphere of light. She had nothing left.

  How are we supposed to survive the rest of the night? Despair crept in.

  And then—

  From the darkness beyond the trees, eyes began to appear.

  All around the clearing.

  Hundreds of small, glowing, bright red eyes.

  C-rank demons.

  Hundreds of them.

  The sound of claws scraping against the forest floor filled the air as the circle slowly closed.

  There was no escape.

  The night had only just begun—and the hunt was on.

  The countless red eyes stared at them like blood-soaked stars. Celia’s eyes widened in disbelief. Zack felt his body tremble with fear, muscles locked by adrenaline with nowhere to go. Hundreds of C-rank demons. He could barely stand. His arm burned. His courage faltered.

  How am I supposed to do this? he thought helplessly.

  He looked at the two people he cared about most.

  Gina, broken on the ground, her body a twisted mess of shattered bone. She needed help—fast—or she would die.

  And Celia.

  Her face, normally so sharp and confident, was now pale and desperate. If even she didn’t know what to do… then what hope was there?

  Panic washed over Zack like a wave of ice.

  Run? That wasn’t even physically possible—let alone with Gina’s broken body.

  A broken whisper slipped from his lips. “If only Eli were here…”

  Fear took over.

  “Run… leave me… please,” Gina whispered weakly.

  The words were barely audible—but their meaning was unmistakable.

  Tears streamed down Zack’s face as he knelt beside her. “No,” he said firmly, his voice raw with emotion. “Then we’ll die together.”

  The first demons began to emerge from the bushes, creeping toward the clearing. Their heavy footsteps sounded unnaturally loud in the deadly silence. Low, mocking laughter echoed around them—laughing at their hopelessness.

  Celia crawled closer to Zack, her entire body shaking. Fear was the only thing left visible on her face. She looked at him with pleading eyes, her voice broken and soft.

  “Will you… please hold me?”

  Zack didn’t answer.

  He couldn’t.

  He only nodded.

  He wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly. He closed his eyes and waited.

  For the inevitable.

  For pain. For darkness. For death.

  They had fought. They had won.

  But the night was the true victor.

  Fate was sealed.

  And the last thought in Zack’s mind was that he would never let her go.

  If you were there … what would you do?