Chapter 34

  IMPURE NATURE

  Footsteps began to be heard.

  Slow. Steady. They echoed through the cobblestone streets like a strange heartbeat, too regular to be human. Inside the bar, no one spoke. Everyone was on alert; they didn’t need to see it to know something was moving out there.

  Suddenly, hurried knocks shook the door.

  —Hello?! Is anyone there?! —Tatiana’s voice cut through the wood.

  Gabriel reacted at once. With a strength he didn’t know he had, he shoved the table blocking the entrance aside. The door opened just enough for Raían and Tatiana to slip inside. Gabriel wrapped them in a quick hug, relieved to feel them alive.

  —Careful —Raían joked, giving him a flirtatious look—, or your boyfriend is going to get jealous.

  —What’s going on? —Tatiana asked, looking around the bar.

  Her eyes stopped on the humans of the Order of Atlantis: none of them were carrying weapons. That sent a chill through her.

  —I was with Laura and suddenly she collapsed… —she swallowed— and attacked me.

  —The same thing happened to Cristina… —Raían added, touching a scratch on his face.

  —The witches who were here also fell unconscious —Kiran explained, pointing at the makeshift closet—. But they didn’t wake up.

  His voice hardened.

  —Somehow, a Totnes escaped from the Unholy Lands and reached this realm.

  —Impossible —Raían cut him off—. Don’t say stupid things.

  Kiran didn’t answer. He picked up one of the abandoned cups and brought it to his face.

  —Smell —he said simply.

  Raían did. His expression changed instantly.

  —Shit…

  He handed the cup back slowly.

  —You’re right.

  He lifted his gaze, serious in a way rarely seen.

  —How long do you think we have to save them?

  The silence that followed was more terrifying than any answer.

  —Save them? —Kiran looked at him with genuine confusion—. No one here stands a chance against one of those things. And even less if it already has an army of witches. The smartest thing is to run.

  —We’re not leaving her here! —Raían stepped toward him, standing his ground—. I mean… them. I don’t care what you do, but I’m not going to act like a coward. Not again.

  Kiran opened his mouth to reply, but Diya’s voice stopped him.

  —Kiran… I can’t abandon Max.

  She moved closer slowly, as if every step weighed a ton.

  Kiran closed his eyes, rubbed his face in frustration, and let out a sigh heavy with defeat.

  —Ah, shit… fine.

  He jumped up onto a table so he could address everyone.

  —Since everyone here is a bunch of suicidal sentimentalists, I’m going to remind you of something before you start planning —he said with bitter sarcasm—. We’ve got unarmed humans, half-blood demons with ridiculously weak abilities against pure demons, one witch… and one friendly demon. I hate to say it, but we’re nowhere near winning.

  He rolled his eyes and went on.

  —But there is a way. One the incubus isn’t going to like.

  —Isn’t there another option? —Raían asked, tense.

  —No. To defeat a demon that powerful, bound to the domain of creatures, you need the full power of an incubus —Kiran looked him over—. I mean a pure one.

  —But Raían is a half-blood —Gabriel cut in, not taking his eyes off the door—. There has to be another way.

  —There is… —Raían looked away, ashamed—. But it’s temporary.

  The silence became unbearable.

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  —If I drank the blood of a powerful witch… I could release all my power for an hour —he swallowed—. The problem is I don’t know if I’d be the one in control.

  —What do you mean? —Tatiana asked.

  —The desire to be worshipped is addictive —Raían replied softly—. I could lose myself. Stop being me.

  He hesitated. But the image of Cristina, enslaved by that thing, pushed him to the edge.

  —There’s no other way —Kiran stated—. Raían is the only one who can break the control and return the witches to normal. After that… we’ll have to face the Totnes.

  He pointed upward.

  But there was no sky. Only darkness.

  —That thing is up there, sleeping. When we disturb the hive, it’ll wake up… and it’ll be furious. The witches will be unconscious when they come out of the mind control.

  —The half-blood demons will take the witches to the Great Tree —Tatiana ordered—. Meanwhile…

  She pointed to two burly men and a tall woman.

  —We’ll go to the armory. We’ll gear up. Celestial weapons will burn that bastard.

  Gabriel swallowed.

  —Diya will have to…

  He couldn’t look at her.

  —I know —she replied without hesitation.

  She walked behind the bar and picked up a knife. She studied the shining blade, her hands barely trembling.

  The price was already clear.

  —Are you sure? —Kiran asked, carefully taking the hand that held the knife.

  His touch was gentle, but in his eyes there was naked concern, without a trace of mockery.

  —Yes —Diya replied without looking away—. I’ll do it.

  Kiran nodded slowly and released her hand. Then he turned to Raían, and all warmth vanished from his expression.

  —Just enough for you to access the Flame of Desire —he said coldly—. Not a single drop more.

  His eyes locked onto him.

  —If you go too far… you’ll be ashes.

  Raían swallowed.

  —I understand… —he replied, fully aware that Kiran was not joking.

  The bar fell silent.

  It wasn’t fear that hung in the air.

  It was the certainty that from that moment on, there would be no turning back.

  Diya slowly sat down on one of the chairs. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if memorizing the air before losing something irretrievable. Without hesitation, she slid the knife along her right arm, opening a deep cut. Blood began to flow slowly, thick, charged with an almost tangible power.

  Raían took her arm with both hands.

  Doubt still shone in his eyes, but denying it was pointless: it was calling to him. The blood radiated an ancient, seductive energy, impossible to ignore.

  He brought her arm to his lips.

  And drank.

  Diya’s veins lit up instantly, turning a throbbing red, as if her very life were responding to the theft. Raían jerked back, gasping. The blood staining his mouth began to vanish, absorbed by his own skin, as if his body were claiming it down to the last drop.

  Pain struck him with brutal force.

  Raían screamed. The wet crack of bones breaking could be heard, the sickening sound of something shifting beneath his skin, dragging, reconfiguring itself. He staggered to his feet and moved away from Diya, crossing the bar toward the counter. Still trembling, he grabbed a glass full of whisky and downed it in one gulp before collapsing backward, out of sight.

  Everyone watched from the other side of the bar.

  The screams continued. Reddish flashes lit the air at irregular intervals, accompanied by sounds impossible to describe. Then… silence.

  For a moment, they thought Raían was dead.

  Then his body straightened.

  Their breath caught in their throats.

  Raían was no longer himself.

  His figure was slender yet powerful, with a defined anatomy that denied any mortal origin. His skin had an ashen gray tone, almost stone-like, as if it had been sculpted outside the world of the living. From his back emerged two enormous membranous wings, angular and dark, like those of an abyssal bat.

  His face was sharp, elegant, and severe; it did not convey brutality, but a dangerous calm—the serenity of someone fully aware of his own power. Long, dark hair floated around him as if defying gravity. His hands ended in elongated fingers, tipped with predator’s claws.

  His eyes glowed with an unsettling pink light.

  Raían fixed his gaze on Diya.

  Not with hunger.

  Not with desire.

  But with absolute attention, as if assessing something precious… or irreplaceable.

  —That’s enough —Kiran said, stepping in front of Diya.

  He raised his hand, and a small flame danced at the tip of his index finger. It was neither large nor ostentatious, but its glow made the message clear: if Raían took one more step, he would be reduced to ashes.

  —Raían? —Gabriel approached cautiously, measuring every movement.

  Raían looked at him with an unsettling seriousness, as if struggling to remember who he was… or what he was. His pink eyes flickered, wavering.

  —Ga… Gabriel —he finally murmured—. Right.

  A deep sigh escaped his chest, and something of his former essence seemed to settle back inside him.

  —I’ll do my part. You do yours.

  Without waiting for a reply, he walked toward the door. With one hand he shoved aside the heavy table blocking it, as if it weighed nothing. As he stepped outside the bar, he spread his wings, looking at them with almost childlike curiosity before launching himself into the sky. Within seconds, his silhouette was lost as it flew over the dark rooftops.

  —Does everyone understand the plan? —Tatiana asked firmly.

  Everyone nodded in silence.

  —Take her somewhere safe —Kiran ordered the half-blood demons at his sides, tilting his head toward Diya.

  She remained unconscious, seated in the chair, pale and vulnerable.

  The group began to disperse.

  Tatiana and the members of the Order of Atlantis headed toward the armory. The half-blood demons moved toward the Great Tree, carefully carrying Diya. Gabriel and Kiran advanced toward the center of the town, the exact point where they believed the Totnes was sleeping, unaware—for now—of the storm about to be unleashed.

  Over Arbolaria Viate, darkness waited.

  And it would not wait for long.

  —Silence… —Kiran whispered, stopping Gabriel with a sharp gesture.

  Gabriel followed his gaze. Melody was moving with a group of witches, hurrying toward the armory.

  —Should we go help? —he asked quietly.

  —No —Kiran replied without stopping—. When the incubus finishes his part, they’ll be unconscious. Let’s hope the humans survive.

  There was no cruelty in his tone. Only resignation.

  Then, from every corner of the town, a pink light began to blaze at the center of Arbolaria Viate—an unnatural glow that washed over fa?ades, streets, and the faces of those still conscious.

  Raían hovered motionless in the air, slowly beating his wings to stay aloft. He looked over the town one last time, as if committing it to memory. He closed his eyes, drew a deep breath… and exhaled.

  From his mouth poured a thick pink smoke, spreading like a living fog, creeping through streets and rooftops, seeping through windows and cracks.

  The screams came soon after.

  The witches writhed, fighting against a power that seized them from within. Some tried to cast spells; others simply fell to their knees, until, one by one, they collapsed, unconscious.

  Raían watched the scene with an unsettling calm.

  Then the magical sky trembled.

  A thunderous crash shook the illusory dome that covered the town, followed by an abyssal roar rising from the darkness—deep, ancient, and ravenous.

  The ground convulsed violently. Stones split apart and, from the fissures, red roots burst forth, twisted and covered in crimson orbs that pulsed like living hearts.

  —How amusing… it’s Mother —Kiran murmured with bitter sarcasm.

  Raían looked up.

  He had no time to react.

  From the darkness descended sharper, faster roots, like living blades. They pierced his wings with a wet, brutal sound, wrapping around him before dragging him upward, into the blackness that closed over him like a mouth.

  Gabriel stepped forward, desperate.

  He wanted to shout. He wanted to run. He wanted to fly after him.

  But he couldn’t.

  He could only watch as Raían vanished into the darkness, while the town shuddered beneath the presence of something that had just awakened.

  And it wasn’t finished yet.