There's something I need to tell you.

The journey felt endless.

They had been walking for miles through fields littered with fallen bodies—twisted forms scorched and frozen mid-scream. The destruction was unspeakable.

“This... this can’t all be from Charlene, can it?” ReNew asked softly, her voice trembling like a whisper in a storm.

“There’s too much carnage for one girl,” Argun replied, scanning the area for signs of an ambush. “But I won’t underestimate her.”

“Is she attacking them, or defending herself?” Odo muttered as he studied the ruins of a nearby demon outpost.

Argun crouched beside a charred corpse. “This one was hit in the back, mid-run. She’s not hunting them—they’re running from her.”

Destiny hovered slightly above the ground, eyes tracking the wisps of black smoke drifting toward a rocky slope. “Whatever’s happening, they know she’s here. They fear her.”

“They should,” Beth added, her voice firm. “She’s not a child anymore.”

“They’ll think twice before coming at us again,” Odo said with pride, puffing out his chest like a rooster before battle.

They arrived at the end of a crumbling bridge. On the other side, a yawning cave swallowed the path into darkness.

“Do you think she’s in there?” Beth asked, her hand clutching Odo’s sleeve.

“I’ll check. Everyone else, stay here,” Destiny ordered. Her wings shimmered as she flew into the mouth of the cave, casting divine light into the shadows. Blood covered the walls. The body of a massive, mangled dragon lay lifeless in the center.

She stepped out, pale and shaken. “She’s not here... but she left a mess. Another demon lord—slain.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Odo grinned, already halfway into a victory dance.

“No,” Destiny said quietly. “It means she’s hurt—or close to it. We need to move faster.”

Beth gripped Odo’s arm. “She’s my granddaughter. We have to find her.”

Argun dipped his fingers in a pool of blood. “Still fresh. We’re close.”

“This blood isn’t hers,” Armaros confirmed, sniffing the air like a hound. “But I’ve got her scent now. We’ll track her. We’re at a fork—the black smoke leads left, her scent goes right.”

Destiny turned. “Then we split.”

“Don’t worry,” Odo said, stepping forward. “We’ll find her. I swear it on my life.”

Beth, ReNew, and Odo veered right, following Charlene’s trail. Destiny, Armaros, and Argun took to the skies, chasing the smoke. As they soared over snow-laced cliffs, Armaros paused mid-flight.

“I smell something else… Asbeel,” he growled.

“Asbeel?” Argun frowned. “But we sent Odo toward the black smoke… is that where it’s leading?”

Armaros landed, sniffing the burnt remains of a ram-horned demon. “He was here. Charlene, Seth, Idris—they all fought here. A serious battle.”

Their pace quickened.

“If Seth is with her,” Argun said, “then she’s safe.”

Destiny nodded and summoned a glowing leash of celestial light. “We’re going faster now. Armaros, this leash will anchor your path—don’t stop until you reach her. Argun, hold onto me. Tight.”

“I trust you,” he said, his voice deep and low.

“And I trust you.” She gave him a look that burned with something more than fire—hope, perhaps. Maybe love.

“Go!” she commanded.

In a flash, they bolted down the snow-dusted path, wind slicing past them like blades.

---

Meanwhile, deep in the woods on the other trail, Beth, Odo, and ReNew reached a looming castle half-swallowed by vines and rot. The black smoke slipped through the cracks of the ancient door.

ReNew stepped forward. “What are we waiting for? She could be inside!”

Beth froze. “No. We… we’ve been here before.”

“What do you mean you’ve been here?” ReNew demanded. “If she’s in there, I’m going in!”

Odo looked to Beth, then stepped forward with surprising calm. “We’re not going in there.”

“I’m not leaving her!” ReNew shouted. She yanked on the thick iron handle, struggling with the weight of the old door.

“You don’t understand!” Odo hissed. Then, with a sad shake of his head, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth.

“Odo… no,” ReNew whispered, backing away.

He pressed the cloth to her face. She thrashed, but Beth held her shoulders down. Her eyes widened—betrayal, disbelief, and fear—all flashing at once before going limp.

“She’s out,” Odo confirmed.

The black smoke reformed into its true demonic shape, standing smug in the shadows.

“What have we done?” Beth whispered. “First Tamara, now this…”

“We made a deal,” Odo muttered, lifting ReNew by the arms. “We don’t have a choice.”

Beth picked up her legs. Together, they carried her into the castle.

The Imp greeted them, rubbing its hands gleefully. “Back so soon! Oh, Lord Belphegor will be most pleased. Right this way!”

It scampered through the hall and flung open a heavy door to a velvet-draped chamber.

“Lay her here. He’ll be with you soon!”

They placed ReNew on a lounge chair. Beth pulled a cover over her trembling legs.

“This is wrong,” she said. “We didn’t agree to this. We didn’t even do what he asked. He wanted a vessel, a human one.”

Odo unwrapped a small box and pulled out a glowing, gem-encrusted bracelet.

“This,” he said, slipping it onto ReNew’s wrist, “is a power-enhancer. Ten times more potent than anything she has now. It’ll protect her—buy her time. And I’m not leaving without the other one. Not again.”

“You’re risking everything.”

“Then let it be for something.”

A heavy door creaked open. Lord Belphegor entered, his horns brushing the top of the archway.

“Well, well,” he purred. “What a delightful surprise. And such a… pretty offering.”

“We brought you someone special,” Odo said with a bow. “She’s powerful. Unique.”

“Sleeping?” Belphegor asked, circling her. “She’s not broken, is she?”

“Just resting,” Odo replied. “She’ll wake soon.”

“Hm. We shall see. Fetch the other,” he barked at the Imp. “The human woman we’ve been holding—bring her now!”

The Imp scampered off.

Beth looked at Odo. “What now?”

“Now,” he said, eyes locked on ReNew’s unconscious form, “we wait. And we pray she wakes up before hell itself breaks loose.”