"What was that?" Matt asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.
"I don't know," Wyatt replied, his expression tense. "But we need to check it out. Ana did you close the safe door behind you when coming to meet us on the Pier?"
"No, sorry Dad, I didn't."
With a sense of urgency, Wyatt, Billy and Bastian went to the basement and to Wyatt's annoyance, everyone else followed, their footsteps echoing in on the basement stairs. As they approached the dojo through the weapons room, the flickering lights intensified and casted spooky shadows on the walls.
Rose wasn't with them. She had stormed off outside, seething from the discovery about Billy being an angel, leaving the rest of the group to confront whatever awaited them in the basement.
When they reached the dojo's entrance, Wyatt hesitated for a moment before entering the dojo. The scene before them was nothing short of chaos. The room, usually orderly and serene, was now a whirlwind of broken equipment and scattered papers. The pictures of the Goodwin family now hung in different angles, some of them even shattered.
"What happened here?" Anastasia's said with a voice filled with a mix of fear and anger.
"I am not sure, but it looks like someone or something has been here which is impossible because no one knows about this place accept everyone in this house," Wyatt responded while his eyes scanned the room.
As he moved further into the room, his eyes fell upon a large, dark stain on the floor, surrounded by a scattering of strange symbols and runes which glowed faintly, pulsing with a sinister energy.
"What are those?" Sean asked with a trembling voice.
"These are demonic runes. They're used in dark rituals and summoning spells. "Wyatt knelt beside the symbols with a grim expression.
Anastasia's eyes widened in horror. "You think someone's trying to summon a demon?"
"It's possible," Wyatt said, standing up. "This place was supposed to be secure unless we have a traitor."
While they kept probing, Bastian's eyes narrowed and his expression grew increasingly worried. "We must determine the person responsible and their motive. There is something else happening."
Billy, who had been silent, stepped forward, his face resolute. "I'll help. I can track any supernatural disturbances so if someone's been here, I'll find out where they went."
"Thank you, Billy. We need to act fast." Wyatt nodded.
While Billy prepared to use his tracking skills, the lights in the room flickered again and a chilling breeze passed through, causing unease. The air was filled with the sound of distant whispers that grew louder and more urgent.
"Something's coming," Bastian said, his voice urgent. "We need to get out of here."
Before anyone had a chance to respond, the basement door closed loudly. The room was cast into shadows, except for the spooky illumination of the demonic symbols.
"What's going on?" Matt yelled with a clear sense of panic in his tone.
The room was suddenly filled with a bright, blinding light, exposing a figure standing in the middle of the symbols. The shadowy figure was covered in darkness with their face hidden.
"Who are you?" Wyatt demanded, his voice filled with authority.
"You have meddled with matters beyond your comprehension. The balance is tipping, and the true darkness will soon be unleashed." The person spoke, and their voice had a terrible, unnatural sound.
Matt couldn't help himself. "Oh, great. Are we in a medieval movie now? Could you be any more cliché?"
Wyatt shot him a warning glare, but Matt just shrugged, his bravado barely masking his fear. "What? Come on, this guy is practically reading from a script."
The figure's attention shifted to Anastasia, its eyes gleaming with an eerie brightness. "What I desire is irrelevant. What counts is the awakening you've experienced. The seals are loosening, and the demon lord will soon emerge."
The room rocked as the brightness of the runes intensified, and the temperature rapidly dropped. A low, frightening snarl resonated through the walls.
"What do we do?" Sean muttered softly, his dread clear.
Wyatt's attitude was serious as he faced his children. "We must leave here and reunite. We don't know what's going to happen next, but we need to be prepared."
As they were about to go, the figure lifted their hand, causing the runes to glow brightly with a blinding light. The dojo's walls dissolved, leaving only complete blackness.
"We're trapped!" Anastasia shouted.
The figure's chuckle boomed around the room, sounding both human and unearthly. "The game has only just started. Survive the darkness if you can.
The chamber was plunged into darkness as the runes' light vanished with a thunderous roar. The final sound they heard was the figure's footsteps softening as they walked away, leaving them entirely dark.
When the figure's feet disappeared, Wyatt's eyes sparkled with the tenacity that won him his reputation as a renowned Demon Hunter. His instincts kicked in, and he began evaluating the situation as the darkness closed in around them. This was hardly his first encounter with monsters, but now his children were now in the crossfire, untrained and vulnerable, but Wyatt was not going to allow anything happen to them.
"Alright, everyone, stay close. We're not going to panic," Wyatt said, his voice a constant anchor in the turmoil.
Matt, being the stubborn one, couldn't help but smile as he tried to see through the inky blackness and piped, "So, what's next, Pops? Should we wait for the dramatic music to begin, or do you have any 'old words of wisdom' to share? Because this monster dude's conversation sounds like something out of a horrible movie."
"This is no joke, Matt. "You have no idea what we are dealing with." Wyatt gave him a harsh look, but the expression was mostly lost in the shadows.
"Oh, I understand. We're in deep shit. But seriously, who talks like that? 'The seals are loosening, and the demon lord will soon rise'? What, does this guy believe he's in a medieval fantasy?
Anastasia, still reeling from her previous discoveries, couldn't help but agree with Matt, though her tone was far from amused. "As ludicrous as he seemed, I don't believe he was kidding. And I'm not interested in hanging around to see if he's correct."
Billy focused his efforts on piercing the magical darkness with his heightened senses. "This isn't normal darkness. It is laced with magic. It's intended to disorient and maybe divide us."
"Not happening," Wyatt muttered, breaking through the tension. "We stick together." "No matter what."
A gentle rumbling sound resonated throughout the dojo, shaking the earth underneath them. The shadows looked to pulsate, alive and hostile, as if the room itself was a living, breathing monster seeking to engulf them whole.
"Dad, what do we do?" Sean's voice cracked as the truth of their position set in.
Wyatt's thoughts raced. They were outmatched in this distorted version of his dojo, but he had resources. "Billy, can you break through the darkness? If we don't see, we're sitting ducks."
Billy nodded, but he was unsure. "I can try, but whatever this is, it's strong." It will drain a lot of my energy."
"Do it," Wyatt instructed. "We need to find a way out, fast."
While Billy concentrated, his wings stretched out, generating a faint brightness that combated the overpowering blackness. With tremendous discomfort, the shadows began to slip away, revealing little vistas of the room—only to reveal even more terrifying things. The dojo had transformed from a normal space into a horrific spectacle, complete with shifting walls, jagged black crystals on the floor, and greasy tendrils creeping around.
"Yeah, this just keeps getting better," Matt murmured, his confidence fading as he realized the gravity of their position. "Where's the exit?"
"There isn't one. This place… it's a trap, a maze meant to keep us here" Billy said through gritted teeth, his energy depleting by the second.
"Then we make our own way out." Wyatt's jaw clenched as he scanned the area.
Before he could provide further details, an abrupt growl pierced the silence, a noise so intense and instinctual that it caused shivers to run down their backs. A monstrous creature emerged from the shadows, towering over them with eyes that glowed like molten lava. Its skin had a combination of scales and fur, with jagged, blood-stained teeth lining its mouth.
"So, you're the welcoming committee?" Matt quipped.
The demon growled, its voice a guttural rasp. "You're trespassing, mortals. You will not leave this place alive."
"Bold talk for someone who clearly needs a dentist," Matt shot back, though his bravado was beginning to crack. "Do they teach you these lines in demon school, or are you freelancing?"
"Enough!" Wyatt barked, his voice slicing through Matt's sarcasm. "This is serious, Matt. Focus!"
Wyatt revealed a silver blade from a concealed sheath under his jacket, its edge softly gleaming in the darkness. It was a sacred object from his hunting days, filled with divine energy, and it was one of the rare items that could cause harm to a being such as this.
As Wyatt moved into a defensive stance, the demon lunged, faster than they could have anticipated. But Wyatt was faster. He dodged to the side, slashing at the demon's flank. The blade bit deep, eliciting a roar of pain and fury from the beast.
"Anastasia, Sean, stay back!" Wyatt shouted, his voice filled with urgency.
But before they could react, the demon retaliated, swiping at Wyatt with its massive claws. Wyatt blocked the blow, but the force sent him skidding back, crashing into one of the twisted black crystals.
"Dad!" Anastasia screamed, rushing forward, but Bastian caught her arm, holding her back.
"No! Stay where you are!" Bastian ordered grabbing her waist and pulling her close to him. "You're not ready for this fight."
"We can't just stand here!" she pleaded.
"Billy, I need you to use your powers. Distract it!" Wyatt grunted as he pushed himself up, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead.
"Let me do it-" Bastian said.
"No!" Billy cut him short holding out his hand and looking towards, Anastasia, Matt and Sean. "Save your strength to protect them!"
Billy, drained but determined, summoned the last of his strength. His wings flared brilliantly, the light dazzling the demon, causing it to howl in rage and confusion. Seizing the moment, Wyatt charged, plunging the silver blade deep into the demon's chest.
The demon's roar was deafening as it thrashed wildly, but Wyatt held firm, driving the blade deeper until, with a final, sickening shudder, the beast collapsed, dissolving into ash.
"This is what we're up against. And it's only going to get worse." Wyatt panted as he turned to his children, his expression hard.
As they caught their breath, the dojo started to change once more, with the walls moving closer and the darkness closing in. It was evident that they were still at risk.
"What now?" Anastasia looked at her father, fear and determination warring in her eyes.
"Now we find the source of this darkness—and we destroy it." Wyatt's gaze was steely as he surveyed the ever-shifting shadows.
Before they could react, the walls started to distort and a powerful, old voice resonated in the dojo, causing them to freeze. "Do you believe this is over, hunter? You have just started playing my game...
The floor underneath them began to shake forcefully, with fractures branching out across the surface while a black whirlpool started to appear in the middle of the room, drawing everything towards it. Wyatt's eyes grew wide as he understood the real seriousness of their situation.
"Get ready!" he yelled, although his voice was almost overwhelmed by the vortex's roar.
With that, the floor collapsed, causing them to fall into the abyss.