Several hours earlier, Soren was speaking on the phone while his demon contract carefully inspected the surroundings of an old industrial complex. Above them, the light of a full moon shone brightly.

  "Also, you might as well tell me more about the demon behind your grimoire," he said to boy on the other end of the line.

  "From what I remember, the name Tiamat was mentioned several times."

  "Tiamat?" Argos repeated, his pointed ears perking up immediately.

  "You know about him?" Soren turned to his otherworldly companion.

  "I know that name well. Tiamat is one of the many names of the Dragon Devil. In ancient times, he was revered almost as a god among men. But after humans stopped fearing dragons, his existential power dropped significantly."

  "So now Tiamat is just a weakling like you," Soren mocked.

  "Tch. Don’t forget that many humans are still afraid of dogs."

  "Yeah, yeah, whatever," the boy with dark blonde hair dismissed. "Anyway, regardless of how strong the demon is, I’m more interested in what anyone could do with Tiamat's grimoire."

  Argos had no choice but to explain. "Grimoires usually contain instructions for summoning rituals, as well as different types of contracts that can be made with the demon."

  "So, if I were a depressed teenager with a thirst for revenge, what kind of contract could Tiamat offer?"

  "Demons look for maximum benefit. Our goal is to manifest in the physical world to spread chaos. A demon with low existential power can sometimes manifest without a contract if the dimensional barrier is weak enough; hence it is currently not the best option"

  "Then?" Soren insisted.

  "Then the next best possibility is that of a possession contract."

  "I remember reading about that," Julian said thoughtfully. "But if that’s the case..."

  He cut himself off, struggling to put the thought into words. Soren raised an eyebrow. Argos, already expecting the question, continued.

  "A possession contract allows a demon to partially manifest through a host. Unlike full manifestation, possession doesn’t drain a demon's existential power upon death. It also limits their full strength, but it's a safe contract for weak demons as it doesnt hinder them being reborn. In return, they get the body and life of the possessed."

  If that happened, there wouldn't be much they could do for Julian’s friend.

  "And if it's so convenient, why didn’t you try to trick me into one before?"

  "Not all humans are willing to sacrifice their entire existence. Besides, I’m already fully manifested on Earth."

  Argos then looked at the chain-wielding boy. "You seriously didn’t know any of this? Haven’t you been hunting my kind for years?"

  "How was I supposed to know? I just cared about shooting whatever was in front of me," Soren replied defensively.

  Americans...

  Back in the present, Julian stood at a distance from his friend. Despite the presence of many adults, Santiago didn’t look up from the floor.

  Julian wanted to run to him, but he remembered Soren’s warning, and waited for what was inevitably coming.

  Soon, footsteps and laughter echoed from one of the hallways. The bullies, having heard the news, had come to enjoy the aftermath of their abuse.

  Santiago finally looked up, his eyes full of hatred.

  "Look at you," said one of the boys, hands in his pockets. "You shouldn't have come back."

  Julian immediately noticed the signs of violence brewing. He rushed forward to prevent harm. "Stop it!" he yelled, stepping between them.

  “Oh, so now you think you’re tough just beccause you had that janitor freak backing you up earlier?” one snapped, grabbing Julian by the collar; only to be punched by Santiago who sent the boy crashing to the floor.

  Before the others could react, Julian pushed his friend down the hallway toward the lockers. The bullies followed, ready to retaliate.

  "Santiago, please stop!" Julian cried once inside—only to be grabbed and thrown into the lockers. He was hit repeatedly before Santiago hurled another bully into the ceiling.

  The remaining two froze for a second, then charged. One had his hand crushed; the other lost teeth from a single slap.

  Julian, bruised and stunned, looked up to see Santiago growing larger. Thick purple scales sprouted across his skin, completing his transformation into a monster.

  Everyone watched in horror.

  The dragon devil let out a mighty roar that shook the hallways, drawing confused reactions from students and teachers alike.

  Soren stepped forward.

  This is my cue.

  "Santiago...?"

  The scaled figure advanced toward a bully, ready to devour him. But as it opened its jaws, Argos burst from a locker and shoved the beast into a wall.

  "Human, run! There's nothing more you can do!"

  The two bullies fled immediately without his advice, though one struggled to stand. Despite everything, Julian couldn't let him die—not after what Soren had told him before.

  "If anyone dies, the Commission will be on our asses."

  Resigned, he dragged the injured student away, leaving the demons to battle.

  Argos slashed at the lizard, but its scaled armor held firm. The dragon spun and struck with its tail, sending Argos flying into the lockers.

  Meanwhile, teachers rushed toward the chaos, only to freeze at the sound of a sudden explosion.

  Soren, prepared in advance, had ignited a pile of chemicals with gasoline, blowing up the chemistry lab. He then calmly pulled the fire alarm, triggering the alarm and all the fire sprinklers across the building. The school had been promtped into a full evacuation.

  Argos, now wet and wounded, tried to block several blows, but Santiago’s possesed body overpowered him with ease.

  We're not getting paid enough for this! he thought, resigned.

  In the end, the dragon sent him crashing through the wall into the main hallway. Argos struggled to rise amid the debris, as the lizard calmly stepped through the hole, aiming to end him.

  But then, the sound of footsteps and the wheeling sound of a cleaning cart appeared right in.

  Soren, soaked and eyes locked on the target, grabbed a double-barrel shotgun from the cart and fired twice at the dark figure. He also immediately switched to his hangun, emptying the magazine into the startled demon. The silver bullets dented its armor, but not enough to produce any significant damage.

  Enraged, the dragon twitched, ejecting most of its broken scales in one sudden blast. The unexpected rain of sharp projectiles shredded parts of Soren’s skin, but he remained standing, firing the shotgun again—buying enough time for Argos to limp behind him.

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  “You okay?” Soren asked, offering his arm.

  “Does it look like it?” Argos snapped back.

  Their conversation was cut short as a group of lockers was hurled at them like missiles. Fortunately, they managed to dodge, continuing their escape down the smoke-filled hallway.

  Soren backtracked to one of the lockers where he had hidden spare weapons, grabbed another handgun, and fired at the approaching beast.

  The demon tanked the shots, then inhaled the lingering smoke—and unleashed a massive flame burst down the hallway. Soren was forced to dive into an open classroom, but doing so separated him from Argos.

  Shit. This is going worse than expected. This thing’s not nearly as weak as I thought.

  As the lizard followed him inside, Soren dove behind a teacher’s desk, grabbing a pistol stashed underneath. He popped out and fired, landing a shot straight into the demon’s eye.

  The eyeball burst, sending fluids splattering—but demons could withstand even fatal wounds like this. With a roar, it prepared to incinerate the entire classroom.

  Soren flipped the desk as cover, barely avoiding the flames. The fire devoured every desk, chair, and abandoned backpack around him.

  But the wooden desk was barely holding. It grew so hot that it started to warp and burn Soren’s hand as he pushed against it.

  When the attack finally ended, the sprinklers extinguished most of the flames, leaving only the smell of burning and scorched black marks everywhere.

  Still, the fire in the chemistry lab raged on, fed by a cocktail of flammable chemicals that water couldn't extinguish—only spread.

  Outside, terrified students, along with a bruised and battered Julian, watched as a massive column of black smoke rose into the morning sky.

  Amid the confusion and the arrival of emergency services, the butler slipped into the security office and began stealing the surveillance equipment.

  Back inside, Soren seized the chance to leave his burning cover and charge at the towering dragon.

  After everything, his new strategy was simple: aim for the weak spots—the eyes, the mouth, the inside of the throat. The only way to hit those was getting close.

  He fired a shotgun shell, forcing the demon to shield itself.

  Reacting, the demon launched another volley of broken scales in all directions.

  Anticipating this, Soren threw a plastic chair at the monster, blocking most of the incoming projectiles.

  “Now! Do it!”

  Without wasting a second, Argos burst into the classroom and lunged at the demon, prying open its jaws with all his strength.

  But the dragon fought back, smashing itself into the wall to crush Argos, forcing the dog devil to let go.

  In desperation, Soren ran forward and fired his last shotgun shell point-blank into the creature’s skull. The damage was critical—but still not enough to kill it outright.

  In response, the dragon swatted him with a heavy blow, sending Soren flying through the wreckage. He rolled twice over melted debris, gasping as the air was knocked from his lungs.

  It seemed that, despite everything, their efforts had not been enough. The dragon remained standing—vicious and furious.

  Arrogant and brimming with malice, the monster lumbered over Soren’s broken body, lifting him into the air.

  Soren dangled helplessly, overwhelmed by pain, barely able to focus on the rows of jagged teeth in front of him.

  “You think... this is funny?” he coughed, reaching into his pocket for a grenade.

  The demon noticed—and instinctively hurled him away to avoid the blast.

  Of course, the grenade was a decoy.

  Once at a safe distance, Soren pulled out the real grenade and threw it at the dragon. The explosion rocked the building, causing the already-unstable ceiling to collapse, momentarily pinning the monster under tons of debris.

  Argos limped over and scooped up the unconscious hunter, noticing yet another bleeding wound—another rib punctured.

  With blurry vision, Soren stared at the swirling smoke and fire. The dark clouds rising above reminded him of the storm that once loomed over the O’Connors’ farm.

  ...Is this how I die?

  Argos carried him through the burning hallway, both of them choking on smoke and toxic fumes. After a few steps, he set Soren down against a wall. Despite his instincts, the dog devil was still bound not to harm him.

  He won’t survive much longer like this.

  Standing in the flames, Argos turned toward the dragon, who still managed to free himself despite being badly injured from the blast.

  As pieces of ceiling fell around them, both demons locked eyes.

  It was Argos who finally broke the silence.

  “The boy is mine to eat. I’m not handing him over on a silver platter.”

  Soren weakly watched Argos drop down to his level, mouth dangerously close. Despite the fear, he was too hurt to resist. He could only lie there as the demon began licking the blood from his neck and chest.

  Moments later, Argos stood tall again—his wounds nearly gone.

  "It tastes very good indeed" he savoured.

  Of course, Argos was the first to rush in, quickly evading the heavy blows from the enemy thanks to his agile body. He then counterattacked, ripping further into its already torn-open chest with his claws.

  The dragon tried to retaliate with a tail swipe, keeping Argos occupied just long enough to concentrate one last fire breath. However, given the condition of the vessel’s damaged respiratory system, the fire spread wildly—erupting straight from his wounded chest in every direction.

  The flames still managed to scorch Argos, but the distorted shape of the attack weakened it considerably.

  Both combatants continued exchanging brutal blows, determined to fight until their very last breath. However, the school building had become completely unstable by that point, guaranteeing that they would all end up buried beneath the fire and rubble.

  Ending things quickly was the only way to survive.

  Still leaning against the wall, Soren inspected his empty guns—and his absolute lack of options. Yet, something managed to catch the corner of his right eye.

  An elongated black rod stood firmly against the line of lockers, seemingly untouched by the chaos around it. Soren recognized it immediately from the hospital—the object Adam Hunt had given him before discarding it.

  Is this thing following me...?

  With a trembling hand, he extended his weakened arm and grabbed the object, immediately feeling its cold, unnatural weight. To his surprise, as soon as the connection was made, one of the ends shifted—forming into a sharp point, perfectly suited for use as a weapon.

  Argos continued to fight ferociously—blood splattering, bones cracking—and so did Tiamat’s possession. By this point, it seemed likely that both of them would fall victim to the collapsing inferno around them.

  And yet... the demon caught sight of the human hunter—still standing, still limping forward. His expression carried all the stubborn determination he had left.

  After a few more devastating exchanges, Argos finally managed to grab the dark dragon in a bear lock. The enemy thrashed wildly, slamming himself against every nearby wall with his massive weight in an attempt to break free—but the dog demon gritted his teeth and held strong.

  In the end, he managed to restrain him just long enough for Soren to stagger forward—and drive the black spear straight into the dragon’s exposed thorax.

  Despite being an act of desperation, the attack proved fatal. The physical body of the possessed finally succumbed to the overwhelming injuries—collapsing on the spot.

  “...Take that... motherfu–”

  He fell unconscious almost instantly, slamming his already battered body against the floor as the last remnants of adrenaline drained from his system.

  At last, the threat of the dragon devil had been neutralized.

  However, even with their barely-won victory, the situation around them remained far from resolved.

  For one, the fire had grown far beyond containment. And to make things worse, the school’s main exits were now surrounded by a flood of people—students, onlookers, and local emergency services desperately trying to control the blaze.

  Argos, who had somehow remained standing until the very end, looked down at Soren’s unconscious body, a flurry of thoughts swirling in his mind. Because of their contract, he couldn’t simply walk away. He was bound to stay near his contractor by default.

  That said, he could technically linger a bit longer… long enough to let the boy die from smoke inhalation or burns. Doing so would free him from the contract—and give him exactly what he wanted from the beginning.

  And yet, the malevolent grin he had worn until then began to fade.

  Instead, he crouched and fed on Soren’s blood once more—not to kill him, but to recover. Then he prepared to flee the scene with him in tow.

  “Wait… a second…” Soren muttered faintly, half-conscious. “Gotta pick… the weapons…”

  He’s dying, and he’s still worried about that?

  Sighing with frustration, Argos carried the boy’s limp body out of the building, then turned and stepped once more into the raging inferno—because orders were orders.

  Moments later, a completely scorched Argos emerged again, dropping a pile of silver-coated weapons at Soren’s side. The contact had burned him further, but he didn’t complain.

  Fortunately, at the back of the school, Julian and the butler were already waiting anxiously.

  “The job is done. Get us out of here,” Argos snapped.

  While he loaded Soren’s unconscious body into the van, the butler quietly started the engine and pulled away from the chaos.

  In the back compartment, Julian couldn’t help but stare at Soren’s wounds in disbelief.

  “What happened with—” he began to ask, thinking about his friend, only to be interrupted by the demon sitting cross-armed across from him.

  “He sealed his fate the moment he took the grimoire for himself.”

  Julian lowered his head, staring silently at the floor of the van.

  “In the end, he couldn’t even finish what he sacrificed his life for. But at the very least, you made sure to clean up the product of his foolishness.”

  “I wonder if that was even the right thing to do…”

  “I can’t give you any moral advice,” Argos replied flatly, “but I will say this: demons only reflect the actions and thoughts of humans. It was the boy’s decision to stand on his own. Tiamat simply followed the path he set.”

  Julian took in the demon’s words bitterly. Deep down, he understood he was no more righteous than his friend. He had avoided responsibility with the Commission and tried to handle everything on his own, which had led not only to the destruction of his school—but to the death of his friend.

  He couldn’t place all the blame on Tiamat, or on the hunter who ultimately ended it. If he truly cared about doing the right thing, he would have to begin by taking accountability himself.

  The butler, glancing through the rearview mirror, caught Julian’s expression as they drove out of the neighborhood.

  Meanwhile, Soren’s condition continued to deteriorate. Without immediate intervention, he wouldn’t make it.

  Argos stared down at his battered contractor, who was barely hanging onto consciousness.

  “What should we do about you?”

  Soren gritted his teeth through shallow breaths, the pain from his internal injuries making every second unbearable.

  “Get me to a hospital…”

  “What about the Commission? The money?”

  “We’ll deal with that later…”

  Clicking his tongue, Argos turned toward the driver. “You heard him.”

  Despite their tension, both the butler and Julian knew they owed Soren. Not to mention, neither of them had any desire to anger the demon sitting beside them.

  In the end, it was Argos who carried Soren to the front entrance of the general hospital, bloodied and broken.

  He stared at the doors for a moment, then sighed—and stepped inside.