Ryu walked the hallways with his head down, barely answering when his friends called him. The events of the past days echoed endlessly in his mind: Alice's spell, the demon's attack, the voice inside him demanding its power back.
Was he losing his mind?
Every time he blinked, he felt like something moved in the corner of his vision. Shadows twitched when they shouldn't. Whispers tickled his ears at night.
That evening, Alice cornered him outside the school.
"You heard it, didn't you? The voice."
Ryu hesitated, trying to look away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't lie to me," Alice said calmly, but firmly. Her mismatched eyes stared through him. "When demonic seals weaken, the soul within begins to speak. If it keeps going, it might break free."
He opened his mouth to argue, but her next words silenced him.
"If it manifests, I will have to destroy it. And you with it."
Then she turned and walked away, leaving Ryu standing in the fading light.
Later that day, his friends found him sitting alone on the rooftop. Daiki sat beside him.
"We're worried about you, man."
"I'm fine," Ryu lied.
They talked for a while, but when Ryu stood up to leave, a nearby shadow on the wall moved unnaturally—curling like smoke. It was brief, almost invisible.
Almost.
Daiki saw it. He didn't say anything.
Far below the Earth, in a realm of fire and torment, several demonic entities gathered.
"It stirs again," one hissed. "The legacy of the fallen one... Zarkhiel."
"He cast his last wish into the void. And it found a vessel."
"Should we act?"
A figure stepped forward, cloaked in shadow, with horns like obsidian.
"No. She's already on Earth. The daughter of Lucifer will deal with it."
That night, Ryu stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
He stared at himself.
Then, his reflection blinked out of sync.
Its eyes turned crimson.
Its mouth twisted into a wicked grin.
"You didn't choose this," the reflection said. "But you carry me now. And soon, you will stop fighting."
Ryu stepped back. The mirror cracked from top to bottom.
He fell to his knees, gasping.
From deep within, something ancient laughed.
And the chains trembled.