Waves crash and twist around him as Lemres clings to his speeding raft, skimming just beyond the whirlpool’s deadly pull. Below, the sea snarls like a living thing—raging, spiraling, hungry. At its center, the beast lets out a deafening roar, its gaping maw sucking in the ocean with monstrous force.

  The wind tears at his cloak, salt spray stinging his eyes. One wrong move, and he’ll be swallowed whole. Lemres grips his Mahoishi and twists—wind explodes beneath the raft, dropping it hard before launching it skyward in a sharp arc.

  He isn’t trying to escape. Not yet.

  The whirlpool deepens, tightening with each rotation. The monster keeps pulling, bending the ocean to its will—but it can’t hold forever. Pressure always needs somewhere to go. Hold it too long, and even monsters rupture.

  He hovers above the chaos, feeling the change in the air—tasting the shift in pressure like lightning before a storm.

  Now.

  Spinning the Mahoishi, he summons magic from its crystal core. A circle of glowing runes blooms behind him—then another, then another—each one thrumming with power. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he unleashes them all.

  “Arcane Missiles.”

  Dozens of violet bolts scream through the air, each locking onto a point of exposed flesh. They strike in rapid succession—jaw, throat, then the glowing core at its chest. The monster’s howl rips across the sea, the whirlpool buckling and collapsing in on itself.

  The final missile hits.

  A flash of white-blue energy tears through the creature’s body, and in an instant, it’s gone—blasted apart in a burst of foam and steam.

  The sea goes still, the chaos of the whirlpool vanishing into silence. With no more distractions, Lemres guides his battered raft toward his destination. A lonely island soon rises into view, crowned by a single jagged mountain.

  Lemres steps off onto a narrow strip of beach, shutting down his Mahoishi. The hum of magic fades, and with it, the subtle warmth of its power—better to save that for later.

  Only one cave breaks the mountainside, its mouth glowing faintly with the soft light of embedded crystals, marking a path deeper within.

  “May I come in?” Lemres calls, his voice echoing off the stone. The air inside is cool and damp, carrying the scent of minerals. Bats stir overhead, fluttering past his face before vanishing into the dark.

  From the shadows, a familiar voice answers.

  “Lemres?”

  A short, chubby, catfish-like being waddles into the glow, his scales catching the crystal light in flashes of silver and blue.

  “I should’ve known it was you when the whirlpool stopped!” he says with a raspy chuckle.

  Lemres smiles. “Should make for a smoother trade route for you to swim through.”

  They share a laugh—an easy, familiar sound between old friends.

  “You’ve got a lot to catch up on,” the catfish-being says, tilting his head. “But I’m guessing you’re here on business today.”

  “Yeah,” Lemres admits. “Yulei Xinwen said you might have information about the Life-Giving Blade.”

  The fish laughs again, his gills fluttering with each chuckle.

  “Did she now? Well, I hope she didn’t oversell it—because the best I could find is which galaxy it landed in.”

  He uses his broad, flipper-like head to nudge aside a crate and pull out a rolled star map. Spreading it across a crystal-lit table, he taps a swirl of stars near the edge.

  “This one here—the Andromeda Galaxy.”

  Lemres leans in, frowning. “Just my luck it had to land in one of the big ones. And here I thought, for once, things might go easy.”

  "That’s still the easy part," Yude Pengyou says, shaking his head. "Good luck trying to get your tail proven worthy after—"

  "Don’t worry, Yude Pengyou," Lemres cuts in with a calm smile. "I’m not the one who’s going to be worthy."

  The fishman blinks, then bursts into a belly-deep laugh, wiping a tear from his eye.

  "Oh, this just keeps getting better and better!"

  Lemres folds his arms. "I found a kid on Earth. Heart’s in the right place. Rough around the edges—needs work with magic—but that’s fixable, as long as the heart stays true."

  Yude Pengyou’s grin widens. "You always did have a soft spot for the hopeless ones."

  "Maybe," Lemres says with a shrug. "Or maybe I just know potential when I see it."

  He turns toward the cave’s mouth, the crystal glow stretching his shadow across the stone.

  "Anyway," he adds over his shoulder, "hope you can swim now that Charybdis is gone."

  Outside, sunlight hits his face. Lemres checks his phone—a new message blinks on the screen.

  Demono is…

  The notification cuts off.

  Behind him, Yude calls, "Call me sometime, Lemres. We don’t meet up enough."

  Lemres offers a faint smile. "I’ll be glad to. Once all this is over."

  He raises his Mahoishi. Light bursts around him—and in the blink of an eye, he’s gone.

  When Lemres reappears on Earth, the night sky is choked with smoke, blotting out the moon. The first breath burns his lungs.

  Flames claw up the sides of a crumbling building.

  Screams. Sirens.

  Then—

  A gunshot.

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  He runs toward the chaos.

  In the street—amid burning cars and panicked civilians—a demon stands alone, shoulders heaving, eyes wide with fury.

  Demono.

  “You call that a shot in the face?” she screams, her voice cracking, trembling with rage. “This is a shot in the face!”

  An Allen Department guard raises his rifle—then hesitates. Just for a second. A single second too long.

  Demono’s mouth opens in a scream. Fire erupts from her like a cannon blast, engulfing him. There’s no time for him to cry out—only heat, light… and then nothing.

  Ash. Just ash.

  The others freeze.

  "This is the game you want to play?!" she roars, her voice echoing down the scorched street. "Then burn with me!"

  A new fireball flares to life in her hands, magic trembling and unstable. The heat distorts the air, warping the pavement beneath her feet. Her tail lashes once behind her—sharp, angry, frightened.

  Around her, panicked screams rise. Civilians duck behind cars, guards shout orders, but no one moves fast enough. The fear in the air is thick, suffocating.

  One soldier steps forward, rifle leveled.

  He sprints up behind her, eyes wide.

  "Demono—stop! We have to go. Now. There’s a portal behind the van—I’ll cover you!"

  She turns toward him. Her wild eyes soften—confusion… then horror.

  She looks at the ash at her feet.

  Her hands shake.

  "No… no, no, no," she whispers. "I—I would never… I just went out for milk and eggs and then… and then—"

  She stumbles through the portal, still trembling.

  On the other side, Demono paces in tight, frantic circles. Her claws twitch, her eyes dart, and her breathing comes in uneven bursts. Fire still crackles faintly around her shoulders, stubbornly refusing to die out.

  "I didn’t mean to—I swear I didn’t—I warned them, I just wanted them to leave me alone…" she mutters, half to herself, half to no one.

  Lemres approaches carefully, lowering his voice.

  "You’re safe now," he says gently. "Talk to me. What happened?"

  Demono clenches her fists, pressing them against her forehead.

  "The Alien Department… they wouldn’t stop following me," she says, her voice cracking. "I told them I wasn’t dangerous. I tried to walk away. But they kept aiming those guns like I was some kind of animal. And then…"

  Her breath catches.

  "…and then I snapped."

  She slams her hand on the table, sending a lamp toppling.

  Lemres catches it midair with a flick of magic and sets it gently back down.

  "I hate this damn planet," she mutters, pacing. "I want to go back to—"

  "I know," Lemres says softly. "I know."

  Her voice breaks again. "Banished for three years… and I still have thirty-three months left. There’s no way I’ll last that long."

  Lemres takes another step forward. "I’m sure you did everything you could. Just… take a second. Breathe. I know today’s been hard, but I need a favor."

  Demono wipes at her eyes, trying to steady herself. "You want to meet that Markus kid. Today?"

  Lemres nods, quietly empties the milk container, and hands it to her. "Yeah. We’re going back to that."

  He opens the fridge, rummaging. "I brought something for you from the Satellite Café."

  From inside his coat, he produces a small box wrapped in gold foil. "Xocolatl chocolate—straight from the planet. Best in the Milky Way, I swear."

  Demono glances at it, then sets it aside. "I’ll eat them later."

  "I also picked up some mana-berries," Lemres adds with a faint smile. "Thought I’d make muffins… if things go well."

  Demono narrows her eyes. "You really like this kid, don’t you? Saving that annoying girl from the fire…"

  "You mean the fire you caused," Lemres says, smirking as he opens a portal.

  “Ready for another adventure?” Lemres asks, gesturing to the portal.

  Demono lets out a long sigh. "As ready as I’ll ever be."

  The stars shimmer above as she steps through the glowing portal, the wind tugging gently at her hair. She glances skyward, her voice low and dry.

  "Are you sure now’s the best time? Humans usually wake during the day."

  Lemres doesn’t answer—he’s already knocking on the door.

  A long pause. Then the door creaks open, revealing Markus in an oversized hoodie, eyes half-lidded, hair a complete mess.

  "Oh. Lemres." He rubs one eye. "Wasn’t expecting you… or anyone. Especially not now. How’d you even find me?"

  Lemres raises his Mahoishi slightly. "These stones can track each other—more or less. But mostly, I needed to come when no one else could see her."

  Markus blinks at the "her," but steps aside. "Fair enough."

  Lemres gestures toward his companion. "This is Demono. She’s… a demon. And a good friend."

  Markus studies her for a moment. She stands tall, yellow eyes catching the hallway light like a cat’s. Her tail flicks once—nervous? Defensive?

  Demono tilts her head. "That’s it? No screaming? No salt or crosses or whatever you people usually throw?"

  Markus shrugs. "In the past forty-eight hours, I’ve woken up from a coma, found out magic is real, and been attacked by a giant rat the size of a labrador. Demons From Hell? Sure. Why not? Add it to the list."

  Demono stares at him—and then bursts out laughing.

  "‘Demons from Hell’—is that what you call it? That’s adorable. I'm starting to like humans again," she said, laughing on the ground. "It’s pronounced Hehl, by the way."

  Markus gives her a flat look. "Great. I’ll remember that for next time I meet one of you."

  Lemres’s mood shifts, his tone sharpening. "Wait—you said a giant rat?"

  Markus nods, suddenly more alert. "Yeah. Thing had fangs longer than my fingers. Tried to eat a little girl in the park."

  Lemres’s expression darkens. "That wasn’t just any rat. That was a Morgi Rat. A scout."

  "A scout for what?" Markus asks, the weight in his chest growing heavier.

  Lemres crosses his arms. "The Morgi Dragon."

  Markus blinks. "Okay… what’s that?"

  "If it’s sent a scout," Lemres says grimly, "then the Morgi Dragon itself isn’t far behind. And when it comes—"

  "This planet’s toast," Demono cuts in. "Like, full-on crunchy toast."

  Markus’s breath catches. "Why would it destroy Earth?"

  Demono shrugs. "Because it’s hungry."

  He stares. "That’s it?"

  She smirks. "What, were you hoping for something cooler?"

  Markus rubs his temples, trying to wake up fully—trying to believe this is real.

  Lemres steps forward. "There’s only one thing we know of that can stop it: the Life-Giving Blade. But it’s picky about who wields it. It won’t work for just anyone."

  Markus looks up. "You think I have it?"

  "No," Lemres says. "But I think you might be able to wield it. I saw the footage of the fire—how you went in. Without thinking. Without power. Just heart." He pauses. "That’s the kind of thing the blade responds to."

  Markus exhales slowly, the weight of those words settling on his shoulders. He glances toward the living room. From the hallway, he can just barely hear the quiet—

  …breaths of Liddle asleep on his bed. Somewhere down the hall, Alexia’s door is closed, the quiet behind it undisturbed.

  He swallows. "So… what do you need from me?"

  "For now?" Lemres asks gently. "Just to be willing. I’ll find the blade. But I need to know that, when the time comes… I can count on you."

  Markus is silent.

  He looks down at his hands—still nicked from the fight, bandaged and bruised. They don’t feel like the hands of a hero. Just… tired hands, doing what little they can.

  "I’m not brave," he whispers.

  "You don’t have to be," Lemres says. "Just try."

  A long silence passes.

  Finally, Markus nods.

  "Alright. I’ll try."

  Lemres’s smile is small, touched with quiet respect. "That’s all I needed to hear."

  Demono gives him a lazy wave—more of a flick. "Don’t die before we need you."

  With a hum of magic and a shimmer of light, the portal swallows them both.

  Markus stands in the doorway long after it closes. The night is still again, but the weight of what just happened presses into his chest like fog.

  He turns back inside. The living room is dim, hushed. Liddle lies curled on his bed, clutching the blanket Alexia left her, her chest rising and falling in slow rhythm.

  Quietly, Markus kneels beside her. He adjusts the edge of her blanket, making sure she’s warm, then sits back down on the makeshift bed he set up earlier.

  He stares at the ceiling.

  He’s not sure he can sleep.

  He’s not sure he’s ready.

  But he said yes.

  And now… there’s no going back.