The Sterling estate had always been a symbol of power—an empire built on wealth, influence, and unshakable security. But on this night, none of that mattered.
Alex Sterling awoke to the sound of screams. The air was thick with the scent of blood and smoke, the once-pristine halls of his home now painted in crimson. His heart pounded as he stumbled out of bed, his bare feet slipping on something warm and wet. His mind refused to accept what his eyes saw—his father's most trusted bodyguard, his throat ripped open, lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling.
A shadow moved in the doorway.
Alex froze. His breath caught in his throat as the creature stepped into the dim moonlight filtering through the shattered windows. It was unlike anything he had ever seen—twisted, humanoid, but wrong in every way. Its limbs were too long, its fingers ending in razor-sharp claws, and its glowing red eyes locked onto him with unnatural hunger.
A demon.
His body screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to move. The demon tilted its head, as if savoring his fear. Then, in a blur of motion, it lunged.
A deafening explosion shook the mansion. A golden barrier erupted from the floor, stopping the demon in its tracks. Alex barely had time to process what was happening before the walls around him collapsed. A second demon, larger and more grotesque, tore through the ceiling.
"Fascinating," it rasped, its voice like shattered glass. "The last heir of the Sterling bloodline… untouched."
Alex's mind raced. The last heir? His father, his mother, his sister—where were they? He turned, forcing his legs to move, dashing through the corridors of his once-grand home. Flames licked the walls, casting twisted shadows as more bodies littered the floors—servants, guards, people he had known since childhood.
He reached the main hall. His heart stopped.
His father, William Sterling—the third-richest man in the world—was on his knees, bloodied and broken. His mother lay motionless beside him, and his younger sister, barely ten years old, clutched at their mother's lifeless form.
A demon stood over them, its form wreathed in darkness, power radiating from it like a storm.
"Alex…" His father's voice was barely a whisper. "Run."
The demon's claws flashed.
Blood sprayed across the marble floor.
A scream tore from Alex's throat as he stumbled backward, his mind blank with horror. His family—his entire world—was gone in an instant.
The demon turned its gaze to him.
"You're different," it mused. "Your blood… is special."
Then, the pain hit. Agony like fire exploded through Alex's body. His vision blurred as his legs gave out, his body crumpling to the ground. The last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed him was the demon's grin—one filled with cruel amusement.
Then, everything went black.