The moment I appeared in front of the Reni family home, something felt wrong.
The air was too quiet unnaturally still. No birds. No rustling leaves. Just silence.
I scanned the surroundings, tension creeping into my shoulders.
Then—
Boom!
A sudden blast of magic slammed into me. Fire roared, ice crackled, wind shrieked. Spells came from every direction like a hailstorm with no warning.
I raised my palm calmly, summoning a barrier in the blink of an eye. A transparent dome of red energy shimmered into existence, catching the barrage with a thunderous crackle. Flames hissed out, frost shattered against it, wind howled and dispersed into smoke.
When the dust cleared, I was still standing.
"Isn't that a bit rude, miss witch?" I said evenly, brushing ash from my coat.
Above me floated a woman on a broomstick, her cloak whipping in the wind. Her eyes burned with contempt, and her sneer curled like a flame.
"You devils are all the same," she spat. "Arrogant. Prideful. Thinking you're untouchable just because of your bloodline."
I sighed, slow and measured, and brought my hands together. Mana gathered between my fingers, coalescing into a red shimmering blade an ethereal katana forged from condensed magic.
"You're going to tell me what you witches are planning," I said, raising the sword just above the ground, "or I'll beat it out of you."
Her answer was silence and another spell. She thrust her staff forward. A jagged wave of ice surged through the air, trailing a screech behind it.
"Fighting it is, then."
I steadied my breath. The wind died around me.
"Tempest Breathing: Sixth Form – Eye of the Storm."
The world slowed. My body stilled, yet inside, everything sharpened. I could feel each heartbeat, hear the witch's cloak flutter, even sense the magic crackling in the air.
Then I moved.
A blur of motion, faster than thought.
My katana spun in a full arc, generating a storm-force shockwave. The sheer force tore through her ice spell, shattered the ground beneath me, and sent her flying off her broom with a startled cry.
"Gah!"
She tumbled midair, barely catching herself before she hit the ground. Her broom spun wildly before halting.
Panting, she hovered back into view.
"You're faster than I expected," I muttered
As she starts wiping a streak of blood from her lip.
I flicked my katana, scattering the lingering debris clinging to the edge.
"The demons I've fought were more creative than you," I said coldly. "At least they made it interesting."
Her glare sharpened. The broom beneath her glowed, mana building.
"I don't need tricks to beat you, devil."
"Then you're about to be very disappointed."
She launched herself at me, firing off spell after spell. Fireballs, shards of ice, bolts of lightning.
I dashed left, then right, avoiding each shot with precise footwork. Each step cracked the pavement beneath me as I closed the distance. Her spells grew more frantic, more desperate.
She slammed her staff into the ground, and a pillar of flame erupted upward.
I leapt high over it, twisting mid-air, and brought my blade down in a heavy arc.
CLANG!
Her barrier sparked as it caught the blow, skidding her back several meters across the pavement.
"You're holding back," she said through clenched teeth.
"What? No? I'm pretty much giving it my all" I replied.
She hissed and summoned a swarm of ice shards. Each one buzzed with raw energy, aimed at vital points.
I stepped forward.
One strike. Then another. And another.
The katana flashed through the air, slicing each shard as if I were cutting paper.
Before she could react, I was in front of her.
Her eyes widened.
"Got you."
I drove my boot into her stomach.
She wheezed as she flew backward, her broom spiraling out of control before crashing into a wall. She hit the ground hard, her body rolling before she finally slid to a stop.
She staggered to her feet, wiping blood from her mouth again.
"Fucking Devil..." she spat.
"I'll l take that as a compliment" I shot back.
She raised her staff, another magic circle appeared but I was already gone.
I appeared behind her.
CRACK.
My elbow slammed into her spine.
She dropped to her knees with a choked gasp.
I grabbed her collar and yanked her up, forcing her to look at me. Her eyes, defiant a moment ago, now flickered with fear.
"Why are you here?" I demanded.
"Fuck off," she spat. A barrier flickered in front of me, catching the spit before it touched my skin.
I started choking her. Her lips parted, but no sound escaped.
Then I felt it the card I had given her pulsed with a magical signal.
I scanned the area again. That's when I saw it: a shimmer in the air, like heat distortion, revealing a barrier cleverly woven into the scenery.
"She's over there" I murmured.
I twisted her around, gripping the back of her cloak tightly.
"Let's go say hi."
With one swift motion, I hurled her like a javelin.
She screamed as she soared through the air, crashing into the barrier. The impact echoed with a deep thud. Cracks spidered through the magical shield before it shattered in a burst of light.
The barrier collapsed entirely.
Dust rose from the broken street as she hit the ground and skidded across the pavement. Her body lay still for a moment, then twitched.
I stepped forward, spreading my wings.
As my boots touched down, the remaining witches backed away.
The older witch pointed at the fallen witch. "What happened?! You were supposed to stall him!"
The injured one coughed, her voice hoarse. "I told you… it wouldn't work…"
She looked at me, terror creeping into her eyes.
"…that monster's brother is here."
A shorter witch sneered. "So what? He doesn't even have the power of destruction."
Snap.
I snapped my fingers.
Demonic Energy swirled like a storm overhead as my barrier thickened, locking down the courtyard in a crimson dome.
Click.
Clack.
Click.
Clack.
My footsteps echoed across the pavement as I walked toward them. The sound alone made some of them flinch.
None of them spoke now.
They just watched me. Frozen.
I didn't even care.
But then I saw her.
Kneeling in the middle of it all. Lavinia. Her head was bowed, hair covering her face. Chains bound her arms behind her back. Her body trembled.
Her eyes slowly lifted and met mine.
"…Mr. Gremory?"
Her voice was so soft, I almost missed it.
I nodded once.
"I heard you were calling for me" I said gently.
She blinked, stunned probably at how I looked now.
I walked toward her, slow and steady. No sudden movements. The chains around her shimmered.
I raised a hand.
Snap.
One chain vanished.
Snap.
Then another.
Snap.
All gone.
Her arms went limp, and she fell forward.
I caught her.
"I've got you," I whispered.
She didn't speak. Just clung to my coat like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Lavinia."
Her shoulders shook.
Then she broke.
Tears poured out of her in messy, raw sobs. She buried her face in my shoulder, gripping me like she'd never let go.
I held her tight, one hand steady on her back, the other on her head.
"It's alright now," I said softly. "You're safe."
She didn't answer.
I just stayed there, holding her.