The entire city seemed to hold its breath.
In the sky, the clouds darkened as if the sun had forgotten how to shine. Traffic lights flickered. The lights in homes trembled like candles about to be extinguished. On the streets, dogs barked nonstop, and birds fled in erratic flocks.
Alice felt the presence before any human could detect it. She stood up from her seat in the classroom and looked toward the horizon.
"One is coming... and it's not like the last."
Ryu, sitting at the back of the classroom, felt a shiver run down his spine. The seal on his chest burned, as if trying to warn him of something. His gaze met Alice's, and she nodded.
On a street near the city park, darkness swirled like living mist. From it emerged a creature straight out of the Book of Revelation: eyes scattered all over its elongated body, wings of black fire, claws seemingly made of molten bone.
"A high-ranking demon," Alice murmured as she and Ryu approached.
"Can I do anything?" he asked, heart pounding like a drum.
"Don't lose control. That would already be enough."
The demon roared. Its voice sounded like hundreds of voices layered together. It launched a black flame at a nearby building. Alice jumped and conjured a shield of light that dispelled the attack. Ryu, trembling, stayed back, trying to summon courage.
Alice threw herself into battle, radiant wings unfurled, sword in hand. Her light was powerful, but the demon was fast and deadly. As she defended a group of trapped civilians, Ryu came face to face with the creature.
One of its claws struck him and threw him against a wall.
Coughing blood, Ryu got back up. The seal burned, as if something inside him was trying to break free.
"NO!" he shouted, gritting his teeth. "You're not going to control me!"
He remembered Alice's words. He breathed. He focused. Instead of letting the darkness take over, he contained it, folded it inward. He channeled a small amount of dark energy and formed it into a sphere.
He threw it. It hit the creature's central eye, making it scream and recoil.
Alice returned at that instant. Her sword pierced the demon's chest with a battle cry. The body dissolved into smoke, fading into echoes of screams.
Ryu collapsed to his knees. Alice ran to him.
"You did it!" she exclaimed. "You resisted the corruption. It wasn't perfect, but you did it."
He smiled weakly. "I thought I was going to lose myself... but something in me wanted to keep fighting."
From a nearby rooftop, Mizuki watched the scene. She rested her chin on her hand, amused.
"Still standing, little herald of failure... Very well. I want to see how far you go before you break."
And with a soft laugh, she vanished into the shadows.