They arrived seconds too late.
Elias's shadow flickered on the edge of the building. He jumped, gliding down the ruined tower with unnatural agility, his form shrinking with every heartbeat. Dan lunged forward, arm outstretched, but Naomi clamped a firm hand on his shoulder, holding him back.
"He's gone, Dan," she murmured, her voice laced with hollow tension.
Dan's face twisted in frustration, but he stayed put, staring after Elias until he disappeared into the mist. "Damn, he's fast." The eerie quiet that followed felt stifling, almost unnatural, as if even the forest were unsettled by what they'd just witnessed.
A low, mocking voice rippled through the silence. "So tragic, isn't it? Little Elias, all alone… running into nothing."
Dan and Naomi spun around, their faces hardening as they faced the demon standing in the clearing. Azazel, draped in the guise of Elias's brother Markus, wore an almost playful expression, lips curled into a cruel smile. His gaze shifted from Naomi to Dan before finally landing on Ava, who stood just behind them.
Without breaking eye contact, Azazel extended a hand toward the blood-streaked blade lying on the ground—the sword Elias's master had wielded until the end. "The things I could do with this…" he murmured, a gleam of hunger flashing in his eyes.
Ava stepped forward, her stance steady and sharp, like a drawn blade. The faint green glow of the ring on her finger pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. The air between her and Azazel grew tense, charged.
Azazel's hand froze mid-reach. His eyes flickered to the ring, his amusement darkening into something sharper. Recognition. Slowly, his gaze traveled back up to Ava's face, studying her as if he were peering through layers of time.
"First, the sword," he said with a twisted smile, "and now you're here." His voice dropped, letting the words hang in the air. "It's interesting how this world seems filled with the ghosts of the past… Must be that man's doing."
Dan's fists clenched, jaw tight. "Don't act like you know us, Azazel. You're just a parasite wearing another person's skin."
Azazel's eyes danced with mockery. "Oh, but isn't that what you humans do too? Wear each other's legacies, histories, all those pretty little dreams. You're all possessed in your own way." His gaze lingered on the sword one last time before he straightened, letting his hand fall to his side.
"Take it," he said, gesturing dismissively at the weapon as if it were a trinket. "A token from me to you. A gift for the dead."
The dismissal stung, his indifference cutting through the air like a blade. Azazel's form wavered, his smile fading into the shadows as he turned and melted into the darkness beyond.
For a long moment, no one moved.
Naomi stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the sword lying beside Victor's lifeless body. Blood and ash smeared its blade, and her hand shook slightly as she knelt, wrapping her fingers around the worn hilt. She lifted it carefully, almost reverently, the weight heavy and cold in her grip.
The chill hit instantly, like plunging into icy water.
A flicker—images not her own—flashed across her mind. Blood on snow. The heat of anger and desperation. Kairo's fury burned like wildfire in her veins.
Naomi sucked in a sharp breath, forcing the memories back. The sword resisted, pulsing against her grip, but she held on, pressing down until the hum dulled and the icy pressure ebbed, just enough to breathe again.
Dan gave her a concerned look. "You okay there? Looked like you almost passed out."
Naomi shot him a sharp glance. "I'm fine." She wasn't, but now wasn't the time to admit it. "We can't leave this behind. After that fight, the whole world knows this sword is the only weapon against the Devourers. The government…" She trailed off. The implications didn't need saying.
Dan snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure the feds will only use it for 'useful purposes.'"
They glanced at Victor, his face serene.
"What do we do with him?" Naomi asked softly.
Dan sighed, regret thick in his tone. "It's too bad, but we can't carry him down with us."
"I agree," Ava added, her voice solemn. "When this is all over, we'll come back for him."
After offering silent prayers, they descended the tower and climbed into Dan's car, Naomi settling into the passenger seat with Ava in the back. The sword rested in the trunk, its faint hum like static just beneath hearing, adding to the heavy silence. Ava sat in the back, her eyes fixed on the ring, feeling its pulse sync with the sword's.
"So... what's the plan?" Dan asked as he started the engine.
Naomi leaned her head against the window, exhaustion weighing down on her. "We need to find Elias. We may have a car, but without knowing where he went, it doesn't mean much."
Ava's voice drifted from the back seat. "Where do we even start? He could be anywhere."
Dan flashed a wry grin. "Not only that, but we've got another problem brewing." He held up his phone, tapping the screen. "Managed to grab some footage from this disaster. You're gonna love this."
Naomi leaned closer as a shaky video played. Elias filled the frame—wild, reckless, the sword a blur of dark energy in his hands. For a few brief moments, he tore through the lesser Devourers like a force of nature.
Then Victor appeared.
The camera zoomed in shakily, capturing the older man's final moments—his deliberate movements, the precise swing of the corrupted blade, the Devourer crumbling to ash.
The sound of Victor's collapse hit Naomi like a punch to the gut, even through the grainy footage. His body lay still, the sword humming faintly beside him—until Elias ran away.
The video cut out, replaced by another clip: government agents holding a press conference. Tactical gear, black SUVs, containment squads—the whole show. The words that came next made their skin crawl.
"This man is highly dangerous and clearly tied to the strange phenomena we've been experiencing," the captain said. "He is a Class A threat. If you see him, do not engage. Contact us immediately."
"'Class A threat' my ass," Dan muttered, scrolling through the news feed. "Government dogs."
Naomi swore under her breath. With this news, Elias was running on borrowed time, and they were already too far behind.
Ava's voice cut through the tension. "We need Lucius," she said. "Even if we find Elias, we don't know what to do with that sword."
Naomi hesitated. "He replied when we reached out using Elias's phone."
Dan groaned. "And I've gotta say, I never met the guy, but he's coming across as cryptic as hell."
"He's more than that," Naomi replied quietly. "He might not hand us answers, but if anyone knows what to do with the sword, it's him."
Dan shook his head but didn't argue. "Man, I can't wait to meet this guy."
The car rumbled over a pothole, jostling the sword in the trunk. Its hum deepened, low and ominous, like the calm before a storm. Naomi's grip tightened. Time was running out.