Forty kilometers from the forest, on the edge of Stonewick City, stands a forgotten, crumbling church.

  Inside, under the flickering light of old nterns, three people wait.

  At the front sits John, a man with short blonde hair and an aura of absolute stillness. Near him stand Phoebe, a girl with golden locks and a pair of daggers hanging from her short pants, and Samuel, the man who had helped Harry on the road.

  "Umm, Sam, did you find anything?" Phoebe asks, her voice uncharacteristically shy.

  "No, Phoebe. Nothing but empty woods," Samuel replies. On his back is the same long white wooden box Harry had seen.

  "Neither did I... well, since we're done for now… how about a… date? Tomorrow?" Phoebe asks, looking at the floor.

  Before Samuel can answer, two blurs of movement enter the church. Emma appears first, followed seconds ter by a panting Mike.

  "That's cheating! You got a head start!" Mike compins.

  Emma ignores him, taking her pce in the circle.

  "Silence," John commands, his voice like a gavel. "The Pastor is here."

  The atmosphere in the room shifts instantly. An old man enters from the vestry.

  Despite being over seventy, William walks with a vitality that puts most twenty-year-olds to shame. He carries a heavy leather-bound book and a silver rosary.

  "We greet the Pastor," the five youths say in unison, bowing deeply.

  "Raise your heads, young heroes," William says softly. "Reports?"

  "No clue of a space breach in my sector," John says.

  "Nothing out of pce in mine," Samuel adds.

  "Mine too." Phoebe followed.

  "Trace of blood found," Mike interrupts, gncing at Emma. "We believe a summoning or a ritual occurred near the Virelorn ravine."William looks to Emma, who nods curtly. The Pastor sighs, rubbing his temples.

  "I am somewhat disappointed," Mike mutters. "I came here to hunt a real demon, but we don't even have a footprint."

  "It seems 'Lord' has heard your prayers, Hero Mike," William says with a weary ugh.

  "What do you mean, Pastor?" John asks, his posture tightening.

  "An emergency has erupted in the capital, Luminaria. A high-level gate has been found. I am ordered to bring the new Hero Team back immediately." William's face turns grave. "This is a matter of national survival."

  The group stirs. The capital was the heart of the Order's power. If it was under threat, the world was changing.

  "However," William continues, "the traces in Virelorn cannot be ignored. Emma, you will stay behind. You are to search the surrounding area of Virelorn. The Cathedral will send a support team to meet you there."

  "Understood," Emma says.

  "The rest of you depart for Luminaria with me in ten minutes. Any objections?"

  "Pas—" Mike begins to protest, but suddenly his knees buckle. A heavy, crushing pressure sms into his shoulders. It isn't from the Pastor; it is coming from John, whose eyes are fixed on the redhead.

  "No problem, Pastor. we are ready," John says calmly. "Right, Mike?"

  "Ugh... yes... no problem," Mike wheezes. The pressure vanishes instantly.

  "Good," William says, turning toward the exit. "Prepare yourselves."

  As the Pastor leaves, Samuel approaches Mike and helps him up. "You okay, dude?"

  "Yeah, fine," Mike grumbles, shooting a look at Emma, who is already checking her gear.

  Samuel then walks over to Emma. "Hey, Emma? Can you do me a favor?" He tosses her his SUV keys. "Take care of my rig. The Pastor has organized a high-speed transport for us, and it seems like I can't take the car to Luminaria. Use it while you're on assignment."

  Emma catches the keys in silence. With a small nod, she vanishes into the night, leaving the others to prepare for whatever is happening in the capital.

  . . . . . .

  Ashmere City

  After the heavy silence of the forest, the city lights appear on the horizon like a glowing isnd in the dark. It takes Harry and Rose nearly two hours to navigate the backroads.

  The city feels different to Harry now—smaller, more fragile, as if he is looking at it through a lens of violet-tinted gss.

  Rose drives in absolute silence, her knuckles white against the steering wheel. Every ndmark, the 24-hour diner, the old cinema, feels like a ghost of a memory.

  A few blocks before they reach their residential area, she suddenly kills the engine, letting the car coast to a stop under a flickering streetmp. Her hands are shaking so violently they rattle against the wheel.

  "Harry, I don't want to go back to that house," she confesses, her voice small and brittle. She turns to him, her dark grey eyes searching his.

  "Can't we just... leave? Move out of this city together? Right now?"

  He sees the fantasy in her mind: eloping, running until the fear stops. But he can't.

  "No, Rose. I cannot leave Chloe and Olivia alone here. They are my only family," Harry says, his voice firm.

  "After we settle somewhere else, we can bring them to us!" she persists, panic rising. "Loris... if he finds out I was with you..."

  "Rose, please. Don't worry. I can handle Loris," Harry says, reaching over to hold her hands. His skin radiates a steady, demonic heat, and he tries to channel a sense of calm into her.

  He sees the disappointment fsh in her eyes, the old fear returning, but she just nods and restarts the car. They drive the final blocks in suffocating silence.

  When they pull up, she stops in front of her residence. The house is dark. A heavy padlock hangs from the handle. Rose releases a long breath. The lock means Loris hasn't returned yet.

  She looks at the lock with relief, a clear sign she still doesn't believe Harry can protect her.

  He doesn't bme her; yesterday, he was a student Loris could break with one hand. But he is a demon now. An Incubus. If he cannot handle a mere human, it would be a cosmic shame.

  Harry turns toward his own home, ready to slip inside, but his heart stops. Parked directly in front of his house, its blue and red lights off but its presence unmistakable, is a police cruiser.

  Did Olivia call them? Or did Loris send them to harass her?

  A cold, sharp fury pricks at his chest. His Ojas fres instinctively. His amethyst eyes glow a little brighter beneath his hood as he leaves Rose by her door and moves quickly toward his house, sticking to the shadows of the overgrown hedges.