Damien walked out of the building after thanking Arielle once again. Although he didn’t tell her where he was headed, he promised to return by sundown.
Wooooosh~
The wind roared past Damien as he soared through the skies on Aquila.
The town was already a distant speck on the horizon, and the world below stretched out in vast green and brown patches of forest, hills, and barren lands. Despite the cool breeze, Damien’s thoughts burned with frustration.
The encounter with the Grade Two demon had shaken him. Though he had triumphed, the margin had been razor-thin. He knew he wasn’t strong enough—not yet.
The thought of his father, far stronger and infinitely more skilled, loomed over him like a shadow. He clenched his fists as the image of his father’s indifferent face replayed in his mind.
“If I can barely handle a demon,” Damien muttered, “then I stand no chance against him…yet.”
Determined to push past his limits, Damien had left the town behind to hunt demons and sharpen his skills. He wanted to fight, to grow, and to find clarity amidst the chaos of his emotions.
It didn’t take long before Damien spotted movement on the ground below. A lone demon sprinted through the woods, weaving between trees at an incredible speed.
Its muscular form and fluid movements suggested it was at least a Grade Five demon, and though it lacked wings, it moved with purpose.
“It’s running,” Damien observed, narrowing his eyes. “But why?”
Was it fleeing from something or heading toward a greater danger? Either way, it was an opportunity Damien couldn’t ignore. He ordered Aquila to fly low, tailing the demon while keeping a safe distance.
Minutes passed, and the demon’s path led to a large, jagged cave nestled at the base of a rocky hill. Without hesitation, the demon darted into the dark entrance, disappearing from view.
Aquila circled above the cave, its sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, a faint, anguished cry echoed from within the cave, cutting through the silence.
Damien tensed.
“A human voice,” he muttered, his mind racing. The cry was distant but unmistakable.
He urged Aquila to continue circling as he weighed his options.
Damien’s hand instinctively reached for a weapon, only to remember he didn’t have one. His sword had been destroyed in the battle with the Grade Two demon, and though he could easily acquire a replacement, he hadn’t yet taken the time to do so.
He frowned, debating whether to enter the cave unarmed.
‘What if there are more demons inside?’
The thought lingered, but he dismissed it. He’d been through worse situations. He had his skills, his summons, and his resolve. Weapons were tools, but his strength and cunning were what truly mattered.
With a deep breath, Damien made his decision.
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“If I can’t fight without a weapon, then I’m not ready for what’s to come,” he said to himself.
Commanding Aquila to land a safe distance from the cave entrance, Damien slid off the griffin’s back. He turned to the summon and gave it a simple command: ‘Stay alert and be ready.’
Aquila let out a soft cry, acknowledging the order, before taking off into the skies once more to keep watch from above.
The cave entrance loomed before Damien like the gaping maw of a beast. Shadows swallowed the light just a few steps in, but Damien wasn’t deterred.
He conjured a small flame in his palm using his Advanced Flame Magic, the warm glow pushing back the darkness.
The air inside was damp and heavy, carrying the faint metallic scent of blood.
His steps echoed softly as he ventured deeper, his senses heightened. He kept his ears tuned for the slightest sound and his eyes scanning every shadow. The cry he’d heard earlier replayed in his mind, urging him forward.
The tunnel twisted and turned, leading him deeper underground. As he moved, faint scratching and guttural growls reached his ears. He extinguished the flame in his hand, not wanting to alert whatever lay ahead.
Damien rounded a corner and stepped into a vast chamber illuminated by an eerie green glow. The source of the light was a cluster of crystals embedded in the walls, casting an unsettling hue over the scene.
What he saw made his blood boil.
At the center of the chamber, several humans were bound by glowing chains, their faces pale and their bodies battered. The demon Damien had followed stood nearby, barking orders to a smaller group of demons—three in total. Two appeared to be Grade Six demons, while the third was slightly larger, likely a Grade Five.
The chained humans were huddled together, their expressions a mix of fear and despair. One of them, a young woman, locked eyes with Damien for a brief moment before her gaze darted away, as if afraid to hope.
Damien clenched his fists, fury bubbling within him.
Damien didn’t hesitate. With a mental command, he summoned Fenrir and Cerbe into the chamber.
The massive wolf and the three-headed hound appeared in bursts of shimmering blue light, their auras immediately filling the space with an oppressive energy.
The demons turned, their snarls echoing through the chamber as they prepared to attack.
“Fenrir,” Damien commanded, his voice calm but firm. “Take the big one.”
“Cerbe, the smaller ones are yours.”
The two summons charged forward without hesitation, their movements swift and precise.
Fenrir lunged at the Grade Five demon, its jaws snapping with deadly force. The demon roared in defiance, swinging its clawed arm at the wolf, but Fenrir dodged effortlessly, its sharp teeth finding purchase on the demon’s shoulder.
Meanwhile, Cerbe faced off against the two Grade Six demons. One head spewed flames, another unleashed a torrent of smoke, and the third snapped its jaws, tearing into one demon while keeping the other at bay.
Damien stayed back, observing the fight and waiting for an opening. He didn’t want to risk the humans getting caught in the crossfire.
The battle was intense, the chamber filled with the sounds of snarls, roars, and the clash of magic and claws. As they battled, Damien moved to do something else. “Let’s free the captives before something else happens.”