The next morning, Alex sat on the rooftop of a nearby building, his eyes scanning the city below. The fight from the previous night replayed in his mind, each moment etched vividly in his memory. Protecting Lila had been instinctual, but it also cemented his fear she was now a target. The demons knew about her, and that changed everything.
Evelyn’s voice broke through his thoughts. “You look like hell.”
Alex turned to see her standing behind him, arms crossed. Her usual smirk was replaced by a rare look of concern.
“Thanks for the pep talk,” Alex muttered, running a hand through his hair. “What are you doing here?”
Evelyn shrugged. “Checking on you. Word travels fast in the underworld. Sounds like you had quite the night.”
Alex’s jaw tightened. “They went after her. Lila. She’s innocent in all of this.”
“Innocent doesn’t mean untouchable,” Evelyn said, her tone matter-of-fact. “You’re in this fight now, and anyone close to you is fair game. You need to be ready for that.”
“I’m always ready,” Alex snapped, standing to face her. “But I won’t let them hurt her. Not while I’m still breathing.”
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “Bold words. But protecting her means keeping her out of this. You can’t have it both ways, Alex.”
He didn’t respond. Deep down, he knew she was right. But the thought of pushing Lila away felt unbearable. She was his anchor, the one thing keeping him grounded in a world that was spiraling out of control.
That evening, Alex returned to Lila’s apartment. She opened the door, her expression a mix of relief and frustration.
“You’re lucky I didn’t call the cops after last night,” she said, stepping aside to let him in.
Alex managed a faint smile. “I’d have talked my way out of it.”
Lila crossed her arms. “Alex, what’s going on? Those things last night… they weren’t human. And neither are you, not entirely.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re right. I’m not. Not anymore.”
Lila’s eyes widened slightly, but she stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
“I made a deal,” Alex said, his voice heavy with regret. “With Lucifer. I was supposed to die, but he gave me a second chance with a catch. Now, I’m hunting down demons that escaped from hell.”
Lila stared at him, her expression unreadable. “And you didn’t think to tell me this sooner?”
“I was trying to protect you,” Alex said. “The less you knew, the safer you’d be.”
“Safe?” Lila’s voice rose, anger flashing in her eyes. “Alex, I was almost killed last night. Don’t you think I deserve to know what I’m up against?”
He opened his mouth to respond but stopped when he felt the pulse. It was faint but growing stronger. His eyes darted to the window, scanning the darkened street below.
“We don’t have time for this,” he said, his tone urgent. “They’re coming.”
Lila’s anger faded, replaced by fear. “What do we do?”
Alex stepped toward her, his expression firm. “You stay here. Lock the doors; don’t let anyone in. I’ll handle this.”
“No way,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not hiding while you fight alone.”
“Lila, please,” Alex said, his voice softening. “If anything happened to you…”
Before he could finish, the window shattered. A demon burst into the room, its grotesque form illuminated by the flickering streetlights outside. Alex moved instinctively, summoning hellfire to his hands as he stepped between Lila and the creature.
The fight was brutal. The demon was larger and faster than the ones he’d faced before, its claws slicing through the air with deadly precision. Alex dodged and countered, his hellfire searing the creature’s flesh. But it was relentless, forcing him to stay on the defensive.
Lila grabbed a lamp from the nearby table and swung it at the demon. The impact didn’t do much damage, but it distracted the creature long enough for Alex to land a devastating blow. The hellfire engulfed the demon, reducing it to ash.
Alex turned to Lila, his chest heaving. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, her hands trembling. “I… I think so.”
The sound of footsteps outside caught Alex’s attention. He moved to the window and saw more demons approaching, their glowing eyes cutting through the darkness.
“There’s more coming,” he said, his voice grim. “We need to leave. Now.”
Lila grabbed her coat and followed Alex out the door. The two of them moved quickly through the city, sticking to the shadows. Alex’s mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. He couldn’t keep running forever, and he couldn’t risk Lila’s safety any longer.
They found temporary refuge in an abandoned church on the outskirts of the city. The air inside was cold and still, the faint scent of incense lingering in the air. Alex barricaded the doors while Lila lit a few candles, their flickering light casting long shadows across the walls.
“This won’t hold them for long,” Alex said, his voice tense. “But it’ll buy us some time.”
Lila sat on one of the pews, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “Alex, what happens now?”
He looked at her, his expression filled with both determination and regret. “Now, we fight. And I promise you, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
As the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the night, Alex prepared himself for the battle ahead. He knew the odds were against them, but he also knew he couldn’t afford to fail. Not this time.
The church was eerily silent, the faint flicker of candlelight casting dancing shadows across the worn wooden pews. Alex leaned against the altar, his senses on high alert. Every creak of the building, every distant sound from outside, felt like a harbinger of doom. He glanced at Lila, who sat on the edge of a pew, her hands trembling as she tried to steady her breathing.
“You okay?”Alex asked softly, his voice breaking the heavy silence.
Lila looked up, her hazel eyes meeting his. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “One minute, I’m living a normal life, and the next… demons are breaking through my window. It’s a lot to process.”
Alex moved closer, sitting beside her. “I never wanted this for you,” he said, his voice heavy with guilt. “If I could take it all back…”
She shook her head, placing a hand on his. “Don’t. You’re trying to protect me, and I can see how much it’s costing you. But, Alex, I need to know something.”
He looked at her, his heart pounding. “Anything.”
“Why me?”She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Out of everyone in your life, why am I the one you’re fighting so hard to protect?”
Alex hesitated, the weight of her question pressing down on him. “Because you’re the only good thing I have left,” he admitted. “You’re my anchor, Lila. Without you, I… I don’t know who I’d be.”
Her eyes softened, and she leaned closer, her hand tightening around his. “Then let me be your anchor. Stop shutting me out. We’re in this together now.”
Before Alex could respond, a loud crash echoed through the church. Both of them shot to their feet, Alex instinctively positioning himself between Lila and the source of the noise. The barricaded doors trembled under the force of something massive pounding against them.
“They’re here,” Alex said, his voice tense. He summoned hellfire to his hands, the flames casting an ominous glow in the dimly lit space. “Stay behind me, no matter what happens.”
Lila nodded, her fear evident but her resolve unshaken. “I’m not leaving you.”
The doors burst open, splinters flying as a hulking demon stepped inside. Its eyes glowed a deep crimson, and its grotesque form was wreathed in shadows that seemed to writhe like living things. Behind it, smaller demons poured in, their guttural growls echoing through the church.
Alex didn’t wait. He launched himself at the first demon, his hellfire colliding with its shadowy form. The two forces clashed violently, the air around them crackling with energy. Lila watched, her heart pounding as Alex fought with a ferocity she’d never seen before.
But the demons kept coming. One broke away from the chaos, its glowing eyes fixed on Lila. She scrambled backward, her hand finding a broken piece of wood from the shattered door. As the demon lunged, she swung with all her strength, the makeshift weapon piercing its chest. The creature let out a shriek before collapsing into ash.
“Lila!”Alex shouted, his voice filled with panic as he saw her fending off another demon. He pushed back his opponent with a blast of fire and rushed to her side, dispatching the creature with a single strike.
“I told you to stay behind me!”he said, his tone a mix of anger and fear.
“And I told you I’m not leaving you,” she shot back, her eyes blazing with determination.
Before Alex could argue, the hulking demon roared, its shadowy form expanding as it prepared to strike. Alex grabbed Lila’s hand, pulling her behind the altar. “Stay low,” he said, his voice firm. “This one’s mine.”
The demon charged, its massive claws slashing through the air. Alex met it head-on, his hellfire burning brighter than ever. The two clashed in a violent storm of fire and shadow, the ground beneath them cracking under the force of their battle.
Lila watched in horror as Alex fought with everything he had. She wanted to help, but she knew she’d only be a distraction. Instead, she whispered a silent prayer, hoping that whatever force still watched over the world would give Alex the strength to win.
Finally, with a roar of defiance, Alex unleashed a torrent of hellfire that engulfed the demon. It let out a deafening screech before disintegrating into ash, the shadows dissipating like smoke.
The church fell silent once more, the only sound Alex’s ragged breathing. He turned to Lila, his eyes searching hers. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, tears streaming down her face. “I… I thought I was going to lose you.”
Alex stepped closer, pulling her into his arms. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he said, his voice soft but filled with conviction.
For a moment, the world outside faded away. Lila rested her head against his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him. “Promise me we’ll get through this,” she whispered.
Alex pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I promise. No matter what it takes, I’ll keep you safe.”
As they held each other in the flickering candlelight, Alex felt a renewed sense of purpose. The fight was far from over, but for the first time, he didn’t feel alone. Together, they would face whatever came next, and together, they would find a way to survive.
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Bargain Infernal Episode 6: The Hunter's Prey
The night’s silence was broken only by the crunch of gravel underfoot as Alex, Lila, and Mara trudged down a desolate road. The fiery glow of the collapsed church still lingered on the horizon, a grim reminder of the battle they had barely survived. Alex walked ahead, his shoulders tense, scanning the shadows for any sign of danger.“Where are we going?”Mara asked, her voice cutting through the oppressive quiet.“There’s an old safehouse a few miles from here,” Alex replied without turning around. “It’s warded against demons. We’ll rest there and figure out our next move.”Lila quickened her pace to walk beside him. “Are you sure it’s still secure? After what we’ve seen, I wouldn’t put it past these things to break through wards.”“It’s our best shot,” Alex said, his tone clipped. He glanced at her, his expression softening. “We need somewhere to regroup. You… need to rest.”Lila raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. She could see the exhaustion etched into his face, the lines of worry
Bargain Infernal Episode 7: The Light Within
The aftermath of the battle left the forest eerily silent. The faint glow of Mara’s hands slowly faded, leaving her trembling in the doorway. Alex and Lila exchanged a glance, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten as they processed what had just happened.“Mara,” Alex began, his voice cautious but firm. “What was that?”She shook her head, her expression a mix of fear and confusion. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “It just… happened. I felt something inside me, something I didn’t even know was there.”Alex stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. “That wasn’t normal. Whatever it was, it’s powerful. And it might be the reason those things were after us.”“You think they were hunting her?”Lila asked, her tone sharp.Alex nodded. “It makes sense. Demons don’t attack randomly. They’re drawn to power, especially something as strong as what Mara just did.”Mara’s hands clenched into fists, her voice rising in panic. “I don’t even know what I did! How am I supposed to control it
Bargain Infernal Episode 8: Bonds in the Darkness
The night settled uneasily over the cabin, the aftermath of the battle leaving an oppressive stillness. Mara sat by the window, staring out into the dark forest. Her hands trembled slightly, the memory of the celestial light she had wielded still fresh in her mind. She wasn’t sure if she feared the power itself or what it meant for her.Alex entered the room quietly, his footsteps barely audible on the wooden floor. He held two steaming mugs of tea, setting one down on the table beside her.“Couldn’t sleep?”he asked, his voice low.Mara shook her head, her gaze not leaving the window. “Every time I close my eyes, I see them. The demons, the light… it’s all so overwhelming.”Alex pulled up a chair, sitting across from her. He studied her for a moment, his expression softening. “You’re stronger than you think, Mara. What you did tonight… it saved us. Don’t doubt that.”She turned to him, her eyes searching his. “But what if I lose control? What if this power hurts someone I care about?”
Bargain Infernal Episode 9: The Abyss Beckons
The morning dawned cold and gray, the sun hidden behind a thick veil of clouds. The group’s camp was eerily quiet as they packed up their supplies, the tension from the previous night lingering like a shadow. Mara avoided Alex’s gaze, her thoughts a tangled web of emotions she couldn’t unravel.Lila took the lead as they set out, her posture rigid and her eyes scanning the forest for threats. Alex followed close behind, his mind preoccupied with the strange dynamics between him, Mara, and Lila. Gideon brought up the rear, his silence heavy with contemplation.The path to the temple grew narrower as they ventured deeper into the forest. The air was thick with an unnatural stillness, the usual sounds of wildlife replaced by an oppressive silence that set everyone on edge.“This place feels wrong,” Mara whispered, clutching the hilt of her blade tightly.“That’s because it is,” Gideon replied. “The temple’s energy is drawing everything dark and twisted in the area. We’re walking straight
Bargain Infernal Episode 10: Shadows of Deception
The group moved through the forest in tense silence, Alex supported by Gideon and Mara as he struggled to stay on his feet. The battle with Darius had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit, and every step was a reminder of how close he’d come to losing everything.“We’re almost there,” Gideon said, his voice steady but strained. “There’s a safe house nearby. We can rest and regroup.”Alex nodded weakly, his vision blurring. Mara’s arm tightened around him, her warmth a small comfort against the encroaching cold. He glanced at her, catching the worry etched across her face.“I’m okay,” he murmured, though his voice lacked conviction.“No, you’re not,” Mara replied, her tone firm. “But you will be. I promise.”Lila, walking a few steps ahead, glanced back at them. Her expression was unreadable, but Alex could sense the tension radiating from her. She hadn’t said much since the fight, her focus seemingly elsewhere.The safe house was a small, weathered cabin nestled deep within t
Bargain Infernal Episode 11: Beneath the Ashes
The girl lay unconscious near the fire, her body a fragile silhouette against the flickering light. Outside, the forest seemed to hold its breath. The air was heavy with the promise of something dark, something watching.Alex sat slumped in a chair near the hearth, his head tilted back as if exhaustion had finally claimed him. But his mind refused to rest. Mara knelt beside the cot, her fingers brushing a damp cloth across the girl’s bruised forehead.“She’s barely holding on,” Mara murmured, glancing at Gideon, who was sifting through their dwindling supply of herbs.“She’s been through more than any human should endure,” Gideon replied, his voice tinged with sorrow. “And if she made it here, it means she was running from something worse.”“Darius,” Lila said from her post at the window. Her blade glinted faintly in the firelight as she balanced it in her hand. “And if she’s right about them hunting us, he won’t be far behind.”Mara’s jaw tightened. “We can’t just leave her like this
Bargain Infernal Episode 12: Whispers of the Damned
The forest was shrouded in mist, the pale gray tendrils curling through the trees like ghosts searching for lost souls. Every step Alex took felt heavier than the last, his mind replaying the girl’s words over and over."You’re not just part of his plan, Alex. You’re the plan."He gritted his teeth, trying to focus on the path ahead, but the weight of uncertainty pressed down on him like a stone. The others moved silently, their own unease reflected in their tense postures.Gideon led the way, his staff glowing faintly in the dim light. “We’re getting close to the sanctuary,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s hidden, warded against the damned. If we can reach it, we’ll have time to regroup and figure out our next move.”“Assuming it’s still there,” Lila muttered, her hand never straying far from the hilt of her blade.“It’s there,” Gideon said firmly. “It has to be.”The girl, still pale and weak but able to walk on her own now, walked between Alex and Mara. Her name wa
Bargain Infernal Episode 13: Echoes of Betrayal
The night outside the sanctuary was still, but inside, the group was restless. The battle had left everyone on edge, their nerves frayed and their tempers short. Alex sat in a corner of the sanctuary, staring at the glowing runes of the seal. The light pulsed faintly, as though alive, a silent reminder of its power and his connection to it.Ella approached him cautiously, her footsteps light on the cracked stone floor. She carried a small mug of herbal tea, the steam curling upward in delicate spirals. “You should drink this,” she said, her voice soft. “It’ll help.”Alex glanced up at her, his expression wary but grateful. “Thanks.” He took the mug and sipped, the warmth spreading through him like a soothing balm.Ella sat down beside him, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Finally, Alex broke the silence. “You seem to know a lot about this seal. About me. More than you’ve told us.”She didn’t meet his gaze, her eyes fixed on the glowing ru
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Episode 224: One Final Strike
The world fractured.At the moment the boy lunged towards him, his sword clashing against the Hunter’s blade of shadow-steel, reality shattered like glass.His feet were no longer standing on solid ground.The battlefield the stars, the ruined earth pulsed, tremblied, shifting like an unënded painting.For one terrifying second He felt himself being torn in two.Not by a blade.Not by the Abyss.By time itself.He staggered back, gasping, his vision going double, reality fracturing into two separate lines of incident at once.One he stood here, fighting, existing.In the other he had never been born.Never consumed mermaid flesh.Never imagined, never suffered, never fought.Just gone."This is the correction."The Hunter’s voice remained steady, uemotional."Your existence is an error."Kaiza bared his teeth, pushing forward, screwing his sword back alight."You talk too much."And then he attacked again.The Impossible DuelThis time he moved faster.He could still taste the Abyss
Episode 223: The Last Throne
It was no longer their place of battle.The sunless sky was now a filthy mirror of a world that had perished before history.”Under Ethan and Asha’s feet, the ground shook, not with ruination but with something trying to rewrite existence itself.And the whole thing revolves aroundThe light wasn’t from this world, and now it burned behind their eyes, finally exposed by the broken perishable mask.They weren’t human.They weren’t divine.They’d been something before all of those things.And the closer they got, just their walking warped the air next to them.“You have walked too far, Hollow King.”“You’ve shattered too many chains.“And now you will see what should have been forgotten.”Ethan’s hands made fists.Asha inhaled slowly and deeply.They had no time to think.Because the First King moved.And the final battle began.Before Ethan even had the time to react, he found the First King in front of him.Their move defied space itself—not teleportation, not speed, but the here and
Episode 222: The Ones Who Devour
The sky was breaking.Helena became the epicenter of the battle that should have never been.The Firstborn were no more, their sacred monarchy rent asunder, their celestial kingdom fallen to ruin.But the universe had no love for vacant thrones.And now.It had been supplanted by something else.Reality tore, the sky splitting open like a wound that wouldn’t heal.Out from the void, they came.Not Hollowed.Not firstborn.Something else.Older than war itself, something.They did not have names.They did not have faces.They were churning, writhing aspects of the consummate void, their nacreous flesh contorting into a thousand forms at once—humanoid, monstrous, holy, forgotten.And when they spoke.It wasn’t with voices.It was with thoughts that did not belong to Helena, curling into her thoughts, unwinding her like leaves of an old book."You do not belong here."Helena’s entire body tensed.The Hollow King did not move.The Old One merely watched.Silver fire sizzled along the edge
Episode 221: The Thing That Should Not Wake
The Silence Before the EndThe battlefield was quiet.Too quiet.Helena found herself in the ruins of a war that had rewritten history. The Firstborn's God-King was vanished, their form crushed into void, their heavenly horde blown away like dust.The Hollowed had won.And yet.The heir was wrong.Heavy. Tainted.Like something was waiting.“Yup,” Cain gasped, running a bloody hand through his hair, his silver eyes showing some signs of uneasiness. “Please tell me it’s not just me that feels this.”Helena gripped her throbbing fingers, the black-fire dagger still buzzing in her hand. "You’re not."The Hollow King hadn’t budged.They froze there, their shape like a void, their head cocked slightly, listening.Helena stepped forward slowly, the ground crackling beneath her boots. The Firstborn were disappearing, their godly light blinking out like red stars in the firmament.They had lost.So why did it seem like something worse had just begun?Then.The world shifted.The Veil Splits O
Episode 220: The Forsaken vs. the Divine
Helena did not kneel.Not to kings.Not to gods.Not to the Firstborn, who had cut history to shape and made it fit.She had stood against death.She had stood against fate.And she would stand now.Even as the God-King of the Firstborn loomed before her, his celestial fire coiling in the air like an executioner’s blade.As the burden of their command bore down upon reality itself, compelling everything to bend.Helena stood tall.Her dagger blazed with black flames, oscillating between the Hollow King’s strength and something more ancient.Something that was hers and hers alone.The battlefield was silent.Even the Hollow hesitated.Because no one had ever disobeyed the Firstborn’s command and survived.Until now.The God-King’s expression did not change.They took a slow step forward, their silver eyes calm and infinite, burning with cold.“Then I will break you.”The world shattered.A void pulled inward, the air itself ripping apart as the God-King began his assault, faster than l
Episode 219: The Forsaken Queen
Helena felt everything.The Hollow King thrummed through her as she surged forward, a scintillation of wicked pleasure that burnt in her blood like a fire that would never run soft. Not only did it fill her, it transformed her.No longer was she Helena, the fighter who had resisted destiny.She was something more.Something that never was meant to exist.And as she stood at the very center of the battlefield, surrounded as she was by another ruin crumbling around her, one of a war older than time itself, she understood.The Firstborn knew it, too.They had expected a rebel.They had expected resistance.But they hadn’t expected this.They had not believed she would survive the Hollow King’s might.And they did not expect her to turn it against them.”His silver eyes, previously flooded with naught but icy apathy, now sparkled with another emotion.Fear.And Helena?Helena smiled.Then she attacked.Her movements were like a storm, her new blade slashing through the Firstborn’s ranks.
Episode 218: The Moment When the World Picked a Side
The battlefield froze.Helena’s voice still rang in the ruins, suspended in the air like a blade poised to fall."I will fight for the truth."And just like that.She had chosen a side.The Hollow King turned its void-like eyes to her, unreadable.Cain gaped, his breath ragged, his silver eyes bouncing between disbelief and something else. Something closer to fear.The Firstborn did not speak.They didn’t scream in rage or throw accusations of betrayal.Instead.They smiled.And Helena learned something a little too late.She had walked into a war older than she could understand.And each side had been waiting for her to make a choice.Now.There was no turning back.The Gods Strike FirstThe Firstborn moved first.Helena didn’t have time to react before the sky itself lit on fire.The clouds parted, hurling javelins of heavenly fire onto the battlefield. The Hollowed howled, their flesh caught alight, their bodies liquidizing beneath the assault.The pallor of the air cracked apart b
Episode 217: The Gods Must Bleed
A Sky That ShattersThe heavens collapsed.The sky literally ripped apart, opening like a wound in reality itself, and Helena hardly had time to scream. The battlefield below was engulfed in golden fire and infinite darkness, as though the universe itself was tearing in two.The Firstborn were the falling stars, their weapons blazing with heavenly fire, their silver eyes lit with righteous fury. The Hollowed howled back, their broken voices rising like a war hymn, thair void-forged blades craving vengeance.This wasn’t a battle.This was annihilation.Helena moved.She ducked, avoiding a sweep of a Firstborn warrior that cut through the air where her head had only seconds before been. The heat of their blade seared against her skin, too near, too quick.But she was faster.She spun, her dagger slicing through their divine armor, and, for the first time, she heard the sound she never thought she’d hear.A firstborn screamed.Helena’s breath hitched.She could kill them.And if she coul
Episode 216: The Ah Which Ends Worlds
A Throne of Lies, A War of TruthHelena’s breath was quick and brittle, her heart pounding against her rib cage.The Hollow King knelt before her.Not as an enemy.Not as a monster.But as a warrior awaiting a response.The gods had walked the earth before her, and the earth had been their altar. They stood behind their King, all soulless eyes on her, waiting for her to make a choice.And in the distance.Something else was coming.Something worse.Cain moaned next her, spitting blood from his mouth. “Well,” he muttered, “this complicated fast.”Helena barely heard him.Because she wasn’t looking at Cain.The throne of the Hollowed, upthrust from the ruins, split reality like a jagged wound.It was waiting for her.And deep inside, she knew.If she did that, if she chose the Hollowed, there could be no undoing it.She would not only be battling the Firstborn.She would be waging war on the very gods themselves.And it was a war no one had ever won.The Hollow King’s voice was gentle,