The sky hung heavy with the weight of aftermath. The forest, once singing with rustling leaves and chirping creatures, was now hushed. It wasn't just the blood moon that silenced it. It was the understanding that sothing ancient had stirred, and that it wasn't done.
Cain sat on a fallen log, elbows on his knees, head bowed. His silver hair was damp with sweat and stained with ash. Across from him, Lucien was tending to Ayden's arm, which was torn and bloodied from the battle. The wound wasn't fatal, but it was raw.
Rei stood a few paces away, watching the trees like she expected soone—or sothing—to co charging through them. She hadn't said much since their father appeared and disappeared like smoke. Her mind was sowhere else, locked in a mory she didn't want to share.
"We have to find him," Cain finally said, his voice low.
Ayden groaned. "We just sealed a literal hellspawn. Give us five minutes to not think about our crazy demon dad."
"He's not just a crazy demon dad," Lucien muttered, dabbing at Ayden's arm with a ripped sleeve. "He's the key to everything. We thought we were trying to stop him. What if we were just part of his ga?"
"That's exactly what it is," Rei said, turning around. Her expression was grim. "Your father isn't just so devil playing with power. He's the forr King of the Forgotten. He was banished from the Seven Circles of Avernus because he believed in the power of mortal blood."
Cain raised an eyebrow. "What does that an?"
"It ans you weren't born as an accident. You were designed."
The wind blew softly, lifting ash into the air. The forest, though scorched and broken, still held its secrets tightly.
Lucien leaned back, letting the silence settle before speaking. "So he made us to open the seals."
Rei shook her head. "No. He made you to survive them."
Cain stood. "Either way, he's playing puppet master. And I'm sick of being on strings."
Ayden chuckled weakly. "First ti I agree with you, bro."
They didn't sleep that night. Instead, they buried the scorched remains of the demon they had slain. Rei whispered a spell over it, sealing what little essence remained beneath ancient roots.
By dawn, they were already walking.
---
They reached a village by mid-morning. Hidden in the forest, it was quaint, built from stone and wood, with curling vines and enchanted runes carved into the walls. Children ran barefoot, laughing. No one would guess this place was hiding a keeper of one of the seals.
"This place is called Kiralyn," Rei said. "It's protected by spirit wards. Most people can't even see it unless they're... attuned."
Lucien muttered, "Great. Magic GPS town."
As they entered the village, the villagers looked at them with a strange mixture of awe and fear. One old woman even crossed herself and whispered a chant.
"We don't get many sons of the devil walking into town," ca a voice.
A young man with tan skin and vibrant green eyes approached them. He wore armor fashioned from bone and leaf, and two daggers sat on either side of his hips.
"Na's Corin," he said, extending a hand. "I'm the guardian here. Rei, it's been a while."
Rei nodded. "You still talk too much."
"And you still scowl like it's a personality trait."
Lucien smirked. "I like him already."
Corin led them to a small temple at the center of the village. Inside, it slled of sage and dust. Candles flickered, and murals covered the walls—stories of blood moons, of winged devils, of human sacrifice and redemption.
Cain stared at one mural in particular. Three figures, wrapped in fire and shadow, stood against a serpent with seven eyes.
"That's you," Corin said. "The Devil's Trinity. That serpent? It's called Valtor. He's the real endga. And he's what your father failed to kill."
Ayden stepped back. "Wait. You're telling we're just... appetizers for the apocalypse?"
"More like the last defense," Corin replied. "When the seventh seal breaks, Valtor wakes. But the seals are more than locks. They're tests. Each one breaks a part of you to reveal the core."
Lucien sat on the edge of the altar. "Great. More emotional trauma."
Rei walked to the center of the room, lifting a slab of stone. Beneath it, a scroll shimred with red ink.
"This is the next seal," she said. "And we need to take it to the mountains of Noril. There, we awaken the next guardian."
Cain took the scroll, fingers tingling as it pulsed. "How many more after this?"
"Six," Rei said. "And each one will cost more than the last."
As they left the temple, Corin called after them, "Try not to die. I've got money on you three saving the world."
Ayden laughed. "At least soone believes in us."
But as the group headed toward the mountains, they didn't see the shadow that peeled away from the forest behind them—a figure dressed in black robes, eyes like cracked obsidian. Watching. Smiling.
The true war hadn't begun.
And the sons of the devil were just starting to bleed.
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