It was very late, nearly 2 AM. Christian laid down on his bed and stared at his phone above a newspaper on the bedside table. Samantha’s case has been over the record and it's really disturbing. Lots of fake news keeps popping out of nowhere and he became one of the media targets since he’s one of Samantha's closest friends. At this point, Christian wasn’t entirely certain if he’d say something to at least defend his friend or remain silent and avoid everything. He can’t seem to trust the media’s intention to clear his friend’s name regarding the issue about her being related to demons. Kathleen has been gone for three days and those nights of her absent, he’s been suffering from insomnia. Something is bothering him; he feels like he’s not alone. He could feel eyes staring through his soul ever since Kathleen left. Christian shook the thought off and tried falling asleep but minutes past and he only felt more awake. He turned to his side and looked out the window.He b
The woman sighed, scratching her head in rather amusement or frustration. “Damn it!” She chuckled, staring at the screen of her laptop. She just opened it and a logo of a bug popped up. “Who in the motherfucking earth have the god-like skill to hack my account?” She yanked her glasses off her nose. The screen, in front of her, blurred into unfamiliar shades of colors. Her breaths went unsteady as she shoves her phone beside her when it rang. A call from an unknown number. She stared at it for a couple of seconds and was about to answer when the caller hung up. She sighed and shrugged the thought off when it rang again. This time, she was able to answer, however, remained silent. No one’s talking on the other line as well, but she could hear deep breaths. She immediately hung the call up and threw her phone on her bed. “Damn pranksters!” She backed over her laptop and hovered her mouse. She tried clicking the X button to close the tab but
The full moon, hanging in the odd starry night sky, turned brighter which fashioned the pastures into a peculiar topography of tarnished silver and spaces of partial illumination. An absence of visible light was stretching behind every creature around the dim corners of the place which were silenced as two nocturnal critters landed on a fence, railing the herd of bisons. Unable to stay still as the familiar creatures bounded over them, their grunts echoed throughout the cold breeze. “You’re scaring the cows, geez!” The woman in white Victorian nightgown, intoned as she landed next to the man who’s wearing a white medieval renaissance clothing. Her, black as ebony, hair swayed through her waist as the cold wind brushed against her pale cheeks. “Pardon me by stating the obvious, however, these ain’t cows, my love,” Rener, an archdemon, chuckled as he held the hand of his lover. A thin smile curved on the fallen angel's lips as she moved cl
Kathleen stretched her arm inside her purse and dragged her phone up to the table. It took twelve hours for her brain to digest everything Theresa said at the morning; it’s almost sunset. Christian’s name suddenly flashed on the screen. “Aren’t you gonna answer the call? That person might have something very important to say.” Kathleen turned right to see Christian beaming. He had his phone pressed against his right ear, waiting for her to answer his call. “I’m sorry, I was just about to,” she smiled, forcing herself not to sound sullen. Christian’s expression softens as he walked towards her, slipping his phone inside his pocket. “And you might not,” he sat to where Tomoya was a while ago, eyes roaming. “I was hoping I’d catch Samantha’s friends here; I think I came too late.” “They had left not too long before you arrived; what brings you here?” Christian’s brows cocked. “Uhm, to chill? Home’s a bit suffo
“Hey there, sunshine!” Theresa scratched an eyebrow the moment she heard Tomoya’s thin voice. He’s still at far distance, she could barely see him yet, but his voice could travel faster than light. She never intended to meet up with him, but the kid is too pushy. Besides, he has the grimoire and the only person that could decipher those hell of a what-not-characters she’s never seen before. As he drew closer, Takumi, who’s just beside him, finally showed up in the picture from her position. He has been covered by the tall, well-trimmed bushes outside the book shop that he had to step closer in order for him to be seen. Theresa’s nose scrunched when she realized she’s been staring at him for more than a minute. She couldn’t blame herself though; Takumi’s indeed a catch. The man came from a wealthy and respected family; thus, he dresses very well, speaks very well just like an educated and extremely intelligent person that he is. His good look’s just a bonus; his love fo
“Hello?! Are you still there? Is your brain experiencing major factory reset?” Theresa gasped when Tomoya waved a hand right on her face. “Have you gone mute as well? My cousin here’s not talking since we met today,” Tomoya chuckled, she could feel his voice vibrating in her eardrums. She eyed him and Takumi who’s standing beside his cousin, eyes pinned on her. She then looked from side to side only to find out that they're still inside the shop. She looked at the clock which hangs on the wall just behind Tomoya. It's ticking. It’s working. God! That was another one. Theresa thought, bitting her lips in horror after a vision flashed in a matter of seconds. It was fast yet full of questionable happenings. She doesn’t understand what’s happening anymore. Her vision’s no longer complementing each other. It’s as though someone’s already altering it as they speak. Her eyes travelled to meet Takumi’s. Could it be that it’s him?
Kathleen stretched her arm inside her purse and dragged her phone up to the table to where Christian’s name flashed, but she didn’t dare to answer his call. It took her a fair amount of time to sink the encounter she had with Mrs. Lada“Aren't you gonna answer the call? That person might have something very important to say.” She turned right to see Christian beaming. He had his phone pressed against his right ear, waiting for her to answer his call. “I’m sorry, I was just about to,” she smiled, forcing herself not to sound sullen.Christian’s expression softens as he walked towards her, slipping his phone inside his pocket. “And you might not,” he sat in front of the table Kathleen occupied, eyes roaming. “I was hoping I’d catch Samantha’s friends here; I think I came too late.” “They didn’t come. What brings you here?” Christian’s brows cocked. “Uhm, to chill? Home’s a bit suffocating, don’t you think? Be
“W-What the hell are you talking about?” Kaiser almost spat his coffee right on Scott’s face. He couldn’t believe what he is hearing and Scott’s smug expression is not helping at all. Seeing that his friend seems to be entirely serious about what he was talking, he placed his cup of coffee down the table, sat straight, and looked at him seriously. “Do you mean those articles that have been spreading around the internet about her is indeed true?” Kaiser sounded more impressed than surprised and Scott is pleased to notice that. “Exactly,” Scott grinned, resting his back against his Riemann Gilt Bronze Chair. A taunting scoff escaped his lips as he taps his temples with an index finger. “I am just surprised because that impertinent Kathleen trusted me. I mean, those bits of information were crucial and I know that she knows I can ruin everything,” he tittered. “Bruh! That’s too heartless,” Kaiser’s lips twit
“We clearly severed all ties long ago. Why is he still meddling in my affairs?”Takumi's voice was sharp, laced with an unmistakable irritation, as he slammed a hand down onto the round table between them. The sound resonated through the quiet room, highlighting the tension that had hung since Tomoya arrived. After his strange encounter with Rener, Tomoya had come to Takumi without delay to relay the archdemon’s unexpected proposition. Now, sitting across from his brother, he could see Takumi’s simmering resentment—a bitterness that seemed to have settled within him long ago.Tomoya managed a wry smile. “I’d never know his true intentions,” he replied with a hint of sarcasm, leaning back in his chair. “But, whatever his motives are, we both know he genuinely cared for you once.” His tone softened as he finished, a subtle reminder of the past that even demons cannot erase.Takumi froze, the sarcasm seeping from his own expression, replaced by something harder to decipher. His gaze fli
Rener remained standing, merely raising a hand in polite refusal. “No need,” he said, his voice a low resonance that seemed to echo off the walls. “I’m only here for a little pep talk.” “Pep talk?” Tomoya raised a brow, feigning confusion even as his mind raced, grasping for the direction of the conversation. He knew all too well that Rener rarely appeared without purpose, and his visit now only served to confirm Tomoya’s darkest suspicions. “What for?” he asked, his tone guarded. “And in case you’re here to see Takumi-niisan, he’s out.” Rener shook his head slowly, his expression unchanging. “No,” he replied, his gaze sharp, “I came to speak with you personally.” Tomoya’s guard rose, and he decided to press forward before Rener could steer the conversation further. “If you’re here to convince me to stop nii-san from opening the portal, you’ll be disappointed,” he said, his voice cool but unyielding. “Even if you’ve claimed his heart, his connection with Agatha can neve
In the cool, dim light of the police precinct’s entrance, Tomoya felt his nerves on edge, the weight of his recent discovery bearing down on him. The information he’d unearthed in the police database had made it painfully clear—Jess was no ordinary woman, and her connection to the Takahashi case was undeniable. Though his heart raced with the excitement of finally untangling some of the puzzle, his mind buzzed with the complications this revelation brought. He was drawn here, to this place, by an undeniable urge to confront Jess, yet as he crossed the threshold, he saw no familiar faces among the precinct’s busy, bustling crowd. No sign of Zach, Esmeralda, or anyone else he’d anticipated seeing. It was strange, but he felt a pull towards Dryzza, the detective whose skill had uncovered pivotal elements of the Takahashi case. Her name had popped up so often in his search that he felt almost as though he knew her—though not a face in the precinct was familiar to him. He hadn’t
The afternoon had settled into an unsettling quiet. The wind brushed gently, yet coldly, across the cityscape, weaving through empty alleyways and rustling through bare branches as though whispering secrets. The sky was cast in a muted gray, thick clouds obscuring any hint of sunlight and casting shadows across the streets. Distant sounds, a dog barking, a faint siren, echoed faintly and faded as quickly as they came, amplifying the eerie stillness. It was the kind of day where time seemed to pause, hanging heavy with an inexplicable weight, as if something significant were lurking just beyond the silence. From his vantage point on the hospital rooftop, Tomoya watched Esmeralda and Zach as they departed, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance. They had come, as Tomoya knew they would, to speak to Takumi, hoping he might grant them access to the ruins of the Takahashi manor. But as expected, Takumi had refused, his response curt and his demeanor wary. The weight
The stillness in the office was unsettling. Dryzza, Sai, and Esmeralda sat in their usual places, surrounded by the hum of electronics and the soft, indifferent ticking of the wall clock. Yet, despite the familiarity of the environment, everything felt different. Hours had passed since they had returned from the Takahashi manor, but the enormity of what they had encountered weighed down the room, lingering in the corners of their minds like an unspoken truth. It was already 8 in the morning, and the sunlight now filtered through the blinds, casting sharp shadows across their desks. But the brightness outside stood in stark contrast to the dark, unyielding silence that filled the room. None of them had spoken since their return. The quiet between them wasn’t simply a pause; it was a protective buffer, a space that allowed each to process the profound implications of the night’s events. Dryzza, usually quick to process and act, found herself staring blankly at her desk, the sig
Dryzza took a deep breath, her hand subtly signaling Esmeralda and Sai to lower their guard. She could sense the tension, the uncertainty, and yet there was an air of inevitability about the encounter with Tomoya. “How did you know we’d be here?” she asked, her voice calm but probing. “Perhaps, did the mistress...?” She let her sentence trail off deliberately, hoping Tomoya would fill in the gaps, but he simply shrugged nonchalantly."She didn’t. Besides, she's already long dead," Tomoya said, his tone casual as though this confrontation were nothing out of the ordinary. "I figured it out a long time ago." The subtle irony in his voice wasn’t lost on Dryzza. So, Tomoya had anticipated this, or at least some version of it. She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing his calm demeanor. If he had known, why hadn’t he intervened earlier? Why had he left them to struggle, to piece together the mystery of the grimoire without even a hint of guidance?"You knew all along that I’d be the one to fi
“Can you explain what's going on, please? Or are you going insane?” Sai's tone was laced with a mixture of irritation and disbelief as he and Esmeralda trailed after Dryzza through the current state of the manor—crumbling walls, shattered furniture, and debris littered everywhere, remnants of a forgotten past. “I don't have time to explain every detail, but I know how to find the grimoire,” Dryzza replied tersely, her focus unwavering as she began to sift through the scattered remnants of the manor with one hand, while her other extended the ruby necklace forward, flashlight in hand, as though it might illuminate the path to the grimoire. “Oh, wow!” Sai scoffed, the sarcasm in his voice unmistakable. “Just what we need, a necklace to guide us. Brilliant.” His irritation was palpable; he seemed less relieved about Dryzza’s newfound confidence than frustrated by the urgency of the situation. Dryzza mentally noted Sai’s dismissive tone, but she couldn’t afford to let it distract he
"These grandchildren... would you happen to know their names?" Dryzza ventured, her gaze fixed on the grimoire resting on the mistress’s lap. Despite her concentration, the grimoire remained elusive to her mind, its pages barely visible as if teasing her imagination to construct its appearance before she could fully comprehend it. The mistress might be even doing on purpose. A test? Who'd know? Definitely not her. She felt a pull toward it, as though the secrets contained within were playing tricks on her senses, demanding her attention even as the conversation continued. "I most certainly do," the mistress replied after a moment’s pause, her voice calm, almost nonchalant, as if the matter were of no great consequence to her. Yet, Dryzza sensed a deeper tension beneath her composed exterior. "Samantha and Agatha, was it?" The mistress’s smile was faint as her fingers traced invisible patterns across the grimoire’s pages, her attention briefly drifting before she turned her e
Dryzza's entire being tightened, the sudden exposure of her cover a shock to her senses. The mistress had seen through her façade effortlessly, as though Dryzza’s attempts to blend in had been mere child’s play. Now, seated across from her, Dryzza carefully examined the woman’s features. There was an unsettling familiarity, though the specifics eluded her. Slowly, it became clear: this was not the individual from Samantha's files. The resemblance was undeniable, yet it raised more questions than answers, deepening Dryzza's uncertainty about the path ahead. This woman wasn’t a stranger, but rather someone connected by blood, someone woven into the same familial web Dryzza had been trying to untangle in Samantha's case which she can now connect with the Takahashi case. The realization heightened her sense of vulnerability. She wasn’t just facing an adversary; she was facing someone who, by lineage, had a right to be involved in this delicate matter. The silence between them