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The pressure in the air shifted, growing heavier, darker, as if gravity itself had bent to acknowledge the arrival of something far stronger than the rest.

The worst possible person.

The woman he had seen in the temple stepped forward, her deliberate, unhurried steps exuding dominance. Just her presence was enough to make his scalp tingle.

She was the worst match for him—a demonic woman whose strength far surpassed his own. But it wasn’t just her power that unnerved him. She had a twisted obsession with his mother, a fixation he didn’t fully understand but knew to be dangerous.

He cursed silently, hoping he could avoid confrontation with her. But the weight of her gaze pinned him in place, a hunter locking eyes with her cornered prey. The deference the demons showed her left no doubt—she was in charge here.

Her heels clicked rhythmically against the ground, the sound sharp and deliberate in the otherwise silent night. The oppressive atmosphere grew heavier as she closed the distance.

Each step seemed to stretch time, an eternity condensed into the sound of her approach. The demons stood motionless, their gazes fixed on her, as if the very act of breathing might disturb the weight of her presence.

They were very disciplined, like a true army and not like the city battalion he had exorcised before.

She stopped just a few meters away from him, her piercing gaze locking onto his cloaked face.

"Were you there at the temple?"

Oliver’s brow furrowed in confusion. The temple? Why was she asking about that now?

He cursed inwardly. ’So, she suspected something after all. Her senses are terrifying.’

Still, he couldn’t afford to lie. The truth, carefully managed, was safer than a deception she might see through in an instant.

"Yes," he replied curtly.

Sera’s expression shifted for a brief moment—something between satisfaction and anger flickered across her face before her cold composure returned.

For now, she seemed more interested in testing him than unraveling his identity.

Sera tilted her head slightly, her claws flexing in slow, deliberate movements. The faint snick of her nails scraping against each other was as unnerving as it was deliberate.

"Interesting," she murmured, her voice low and dangerous. "You’re more honest than I expected."

She took another step closer, her movements slow and unthreatening on the surface, but the aura radiating from her was anything but calm. It was suffocating, like standing at the edge of a cliff while a storm raged overhead.

"I don’t like dishonesty," she continued, her tone deceptively casual. "It’s a waste of time. My time." Her last words carried a subtle edge, sharp enough to draw blood.

Oliver said nothing. He didn’t trust himself to speak—words might only give her more ammunition to use against him. Instead, he adjusted his stance, subtly shifting his weight forward, ready for whatever came next.

His silence wasn’t lost on her. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, as though she were amused by his caution.

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"You were there at the temple," she said again, this time with more weight in her voice. "Why?"

Oliver’s jaw tightened beneath the mask. "I was curious," he replied, keeping his tone neutral. "I wanted to understand what you were doing there."

For some reason, he felt a little irritated by her odd questions.

She raised an eyebrow at his response. "Curious?" she repeated, drawing out the word as if tasting it. "You infiltrated a ritual site of my kind just out of curiosity?" R̃ΆΝǑᛒĘș

He nodded once, keeping his expression neutral.

Was that a ritual site? He thought it was just some abandoned temple.

Her eyes bore into him, searching for cracks in his facade, but she found none. Still, her instincts screamed that there was more to this boy than what he let slip.

"I see." She straightened slightly, her claws folding back into her fingers as she crossed her arms. "Curiosity. A dangerous trait in a human, wouldn’t you agree?"

Oliver gave no response, and that seemed to amuse her. She laughed softly, a cold, echoing sound that lacked any trace of warmth.

"No matter," she said, dismissing the subject with a flick of her wrist. "What matters is this moment. You, standing here, surrounded by my forces. And me, deciding what to do with you."

Her tone shifted, becoming almost playful, though the underlying threat remained as sharp as a blade. "I wonder… how many of my soldiers will you kill before I have to step in myself?"

Oliver’s eyes narrowed.

"Why not find out?" he replied, his voice calm but cutting, like the edge of his blade.

For a moment, the demons around them bristled, a ripple of tension passing through the ranks like the tightening of a bowstring. But Sera held up a hand, and they stilled instantly.

"Bold," she said, her smirk widening. "You’re either brave or stupid. Perhaps both."

____________

In the shadows, Oliver’s "student" watched nervously from her hiding spot. Her breath came in short, quiet bursts, her chest tight as she struggled to suppress the panic threatening to overwhelm her.

She couldn’t hear their conversation clearly, but the tension in the air told her everything she needed to know. Her teacher was in danger, surrounded, and hopelessly outnumbered.

Her trembling hands clutched the talisman he had handed her, its rough edges digging into her palm as if to anchor her in place. He had told her to stay hidden, to wait for the signal. But the longer she watched, the harder it became to stay still.

’He’s so calm,’ she thought, her eyes fixed on Oliver’s back. Even surrounded by death, he didn’t flinch. His composure felt like a shield, one she desperately wanted to believe could hold against whatever was coming. But could it?

She bit her lip, a metallic tang flooding her mouth as the skin broke. Her nails dug into her palms as she fought the urge to move. He had trusted her with a role to play, and she couldn’t afford to ruin it with her fear.

’Trust me,’ he’d said. ’If things go wrong, you’ll know what to do.’

She exhaled shakily, forcing her panic into the pit of her stomach. Don’t mess this up. He’s counting on you.

__________

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