All of this was… a lot.
Honestly, I wasn't ready for any of it. Not even close. But ready or not, it didn't matter. This wasn't something I could just ignore and go back to normal life.
I had to accept it.
And if I really summed everything up in simple terms…
I was completely, utterly screwed.
There were forces out there way beyond me, and I had somehow ended up right in the middle of all of it. And the worst part?
There was nothing I could do about it right now.
I couldn't fight them. I couldn't run from them. I couldn't even fully understand what I was dealing with.
Before my thoughts could spiral any further, Draken's voice cut through.
"You don't need to worry for now," he said. "You're safer than you think. Most races can't cross world boundaries easily. They keep each other in check. And the ones hunting me… they're still searching. They don't know where I teleported."
That eased the pressure in my chest a little.
Not completely.
But enough.
Still… something about that bothered me.
"…Are you worried about me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He scoffed immediately.
"Don't flatter yourself, human. You carry the power everyone wants. And you're connected to me. If you die, it becomes my problem too. I'm just protecting my own interests."
I didn't say anything.
Maybe that was true.
Or maybe not.
Either way, I let it go.
"Alright," I said. "So what now?"
"Now," he replied, "you train. You get stronger. Learn how to use both your human abilities and your demon power."
That sounded simple.
Too simple.
"…There's just one problem," I said flatly.
"I don't know how."
He paused.
Actually paused.
Then he lifted what looked like a tiny flame-hand and scratched the side of his head like he was annoyed.
"…Calm down, human," he muttered. "I'll guide you. Just not today. Your time here is up."
Before I could respond, the space around me began to twist.
My head spun, vision blurring, everything pulling away at once.
The last thing I heard was his voice, fading out—
"We'll continue next time."
I woke up with a sharp breath.
My eyes snapped open as I sat up in bed, heart still racing. For a moment, I just looked around my room, trying to ground myself.
Same walls. Same ceiling.
Normal.
Slowly, my breathing steadied.
But the weight of everything I'd just learned… that didn't go away.
I swung my legs off the bed and stood up, still thinking, when I heard a soft sound at the door.
I looked over.
Rex was sitting there, tail wagging like nothing in the world could ever go wrong.
For some reason… that helped.
The noise in my head quieted just a little.
I let out a small breath and smiled.
He immediately ran over and jumped up at me, barking excitedly.
"Alright, alright…" I laughed, pushing him back slightly. "That's enough."
He barked again.
"Yeah," I said, ruffling his head. "It'll be fine."
At least… I hoped so.
After that, I went to freshen up and took a quick shower. The cold water helped clear my head a bit, even if it didn't solve anything.
When I stepped out, the house was still quiet.
Early.
Too early for everyone else to be up.
So I decided to do something simple.
Make breakfast.
It wasn't anything special—just eggs, bacon, sandwiches, and pancakes—but it felt… right. After everything, I just wanted something normal.
Something I could control.
While I was cooking, I heard movement upstairs.
A few moments later, Dad came down… carrying Mom in his arms.
Both of them looked half asleep.
He set her down on the couch.
"Honey… wake up…" he mumbled.
"…No…" Mom replied, still half-asleep, sounding more like a kid than anything else.
I just stood there, staring.
What am I even looking at right now?
Before things got any more awkward, I cleared my throat.
"Ahem… AHEM."
Both of them froze.
Then slowly turned to look at me.
Their expressions shifted instantly.
"…You're up early," Dad said.
"Yeah," I replied. "Breakfast is ready. You should… uh… go get ready."
They didn't argue.
They just got up and left.
I shook my head slightly and went back to setting the table.
A few minutes later, Clara came down too, already awake enough to function. No questions, no drama. Just sat down like everything was normal.
And for a while…
It was.
We ate in a quiet, comfortable silence.
Dad left for work.
Mom went to the clinic.
Clara headed to school.
And just like that, the house was empty again.
That moment of calm…
It was exactly what I needed.
But it wasn't going to last.
Not anymore.
I went back to my room and picked up my phone.
A new message.
From Alice.
"Meet me at Central Plaza. 12:00."
Simple.
Direct.
I stared at the screen for a second before putting the phone down.
Looks like things weren't slowing down anytime soon.
(Alice P.O.V)
The night before.
After reaching her hotel room, Alice quietly placed her gear aside and sat on the edge of the bed.
Her mind kept replaying what she had seen.
No matter how she looked at it, it didn't make sense.
A normal person shouldn't be able to kill a spectre.
Not even an E-tier.
To clear her thoughts, she went to take a shower.
When she came out, wrapped in a bathrobe, she sat down again and started organizing everything she had learned so far.
The abducted victims had a pattern.
Most of them were loners. People who didn't attract attention. Easy targets.
Which raised the real question.
Why here?
This wasn't a major city. There were bigger places, easier places.
So why this one?
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
And then there was him.
She hadn't even asked his name.
Alice let out a quiet sigh and leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"So much for an easy first mission…"
After a moment, she picked up her phone and entered his number from memory.
She stared at the screen for a few seconds.
Then typed:
"Meet me at Central Plaza. 12:00."
She hit send.
Whatever he was…
She would figure it out herself.
She opened her report and began writing.
Everything went in smoothly—observations, patterns, suspicions.
Until she reached the section about tonight.
Her fingers paused.
Should she report him?
And if she did…
What exactly would she even say?
That she had a feeling?
That something about him was off?
She let out a small breath.
Then skipped that part entirely.
The report was sent without it.
Somewhere else in the city…
A meeting was taking place.
A group of men stood inside a dimly lit room, tension hanging in the air.
At the center was a tall man—easily over six feet—wearing a suit with his jacket draped over his shoulder. A cigar rested between his lips, and a long scar stretched across his forehead.
He looked like someone no one would question twice.
"How's the procurement going?" he asked calmly.
"Everything's on track," one of the men replied. "But… we think we were being followed earlier."
The room went quiet.
"Followed?" the boss repeated.
"They disappeared before we could confirm," the man added.
Another one spoke up.
"Probably those academy dogs…"
The boss exhaled slowly, smoke curling into the air.
"If it's them," he said, "they won't stay quiet for long."
A faint smile formed on his face.
"Let them come."
There was something unsettling in his eyes.
Like he was looking forward to it.
Unknown to all of them…
The day ahead was about to become far more complicated than anyone expected.