Jamie stepped into Lucius’s office, her boots echoing against the stone floor.
The air inside was heavy, filled with the faint scent of burning incense and parchnt, and to her irritation, Belphegor was already there, lounging lazily by the window as if the space belonged to him.
"I found her...that demon was watching the settlent. She was after soone. I stopped her, but she slipped away. I don’t know how long before she tries again."
Jamie reported, voice steady but edged with exhaustion. Lucius glanced up from the docunts spread across his desk. His expression was calm, but his gaze lingered on her bruised shoulder, the blood soaking through the torn fabric of her jacket.
"You need to rest, Jamie. Send soone else to patrol. Make sure they know the signal to raise the alarm if things get dangerous."
He said.
Jamie’s brows furrowed.
"Lucius, it won’t be safe. She’s not going to stop. If she pushes through the barrier again—"
He cut her off with a sharp look.
"If you collapse in the field, half of Dawn’s firepower collapses with you. We can’t afford that. Rest. That’s an order."
For a mont, Jamie looked like she might argue. Her jaw tightened, and her grip on the rifle strap over her chest hardened. But she exhaled slowly, conceding.
"Fine. Don’t make regret leaving you to handle this."
She muttered, her voice softer, though the worry still lingered in her eyes.
Lucius gave no response, only a nod, and she finally turned away, leaving the office with reluctant steps.
The mont the door shut, Belphegor chuckled.
"You’ve gotten good at dismissing people. She almost looked like she wanted to bite your head off."
Lucius didn’t even glance at him.
"What do you want, Belphegor?"
The demon king tilted his head, his grin widening.
"I ca to ask if you intend to deal with this yourself. My brothers are moving. rci won’t be the only one coming after your little settlent. Do you need help? Or shall I sit back and watch you burn?"
Lucius leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. His tone was flat but unwavering.
"I don’t need your help right now. I already have a plan to deal with your brother’s lackeys. What I need is sothing else."
Belphegor arched a brow, intrigued.
"Oh?"
"The junkyard. When we went there, sothing was buried under the divine bombs. We couldn’t retrieve it. Traps were laid all around, and if I pushed further, I would’ve risked the lives of my team. I need it, but not enough to cripple my people. That’s where you co in."
Lucius said.
Belphegor straightened slightly, curiosity flashing across his sharp features.
"You want to fetch it? Tell , Lucius, is this one of your little errands, or is it truly dangerous?"
Lucius finally t his gaze.
"I wouldn’t give it to you if it wasn’t dangerous."
For a heartbeat, the room was silent. Then Belphegor’s grin widened into a smirk.
"Good. I was starting to get bored. Fine, I’ll retrieve your little treasure. But you’ll pay for it later. And I don’t an coin."
Lucius exhaled through his nose, already weary of the demon’s gas.
"We’ll see."
Belphegor laughed, clearly pleased, before lting into the shadows by the window.
"Try not to die while I’m gone, little human. I’d hate for soone else to claim your soul." With that, he was gone, leaving only a faint trace of sulfur in the air.
Lucius sat there for a long mont, rubbing his temples.
The weight of the recent events pressed heavily against him—the junkyard’s explosion, the divine bomb, rci’s appearance, Verus’s precarious position, Luna’s recklessness, Jamie’s injuries.
One small outing had nearly derailed everything.
And yet, there was no ti to pause. He pulled out a fresh parchnt and began to write, already sketching the outlines of contingencies and fallback strategies.
He couldn’t afford mistakes. Not now.
______
Far away, rci stumbled through the forest, her vision blurred, her breath ragged.
The wound in her side burned like fire, and each step sent waves of pain coursing through her body.
Still, she pushed forward, dragging herself toward the hidden cave she had carved out as her den.
By the ti she reached the entrance, her legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed to the ground, clawing at the dirt with trembling fingers.
Her familiars sward around her—shadowy birds and wolves, whispering creatures of darkness.
They pressed their bodies against hers, helping her up, guiding her deeper into the cave.
rci let them carry her, too weak to resist. She was dimly aware of being placed on the rough bed of furs and cloth she had left behind before setting out on her mission.
The shadows wrapped around her like a blanket, their warmth foreign but oddly comforting.
Her lips curled into a bitter smile.
"Pathetic. Beaten back by a human and his lapdogs. If not for this wound..."
Her claws dug into the furs, rage seething in her chest.
She whispered hoarsely.
But for now, she couldn’t move. Her power was drained, her body battered.
All she could do was lie there and recover. Her familiars stood guard, their glowing eyes fixed on the cave entrance, silent and watchful.
rci closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe through the pain. She would heal. She would rise again.
And when she did, Verus would no longer be safe—not behind his barrier, not within his precious settlent, not anywhere.
For now, though, she slept, her dreams filled with fire, blood, and the face of the boy she had sworn to drag into the abyss.
rci closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe through the pain.
She would heal. She would rise again.
And when she did, Verus would no longer be safe—not behind his barrier, not within his precious settlent, not anywhere.
She thought of Lucius too, the coldness in his eyes, the way he ruined everything with a single strike.
He would pay for interfering. She would tear his precious order apart piece by piece until nothing remained.
For now, though, she slept, her dreams filled with fire, blood, and the faces of those she hated most.
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