Chapter Fifty-Seven: Demons Run

  “What is this? No, you can’t!” the demon hissed, recoiling as Sophie’s light intensified.

  Jace, panting and on the brink of darkness, watched as Sophie stood taller, her defiance unyielding. The demon’s confidence wavered, its shadowy form shrinking in the face of her brilliance.

  “Oh, I can,” the girl responded, her voice steady and defiant. “I have been trapped here for weeks while you and the doctor tormented me. You have fed on my love, my hate for you, and my fear. You have tried to take everything from me. But no more.”

  The demon screamed, thrashing as Jace cast Soul Tether, connecting his soul to the girl’s, giving her additional strength. He cast Soul Mend on himself, sharing the healing energy with her soul, bolstering it further. It wasn’t much, but he hoped it would be enough.

  “Now leave us, demon! Leave us now!” She fought with every ounce of will, her body trembling as she strained against the bonds that tethered the demon to her soul. The demon, a dark, insidious presence, pushed back with a malevolent force. “Little girl, you are nothing. You are weak. Just die.”

  “No!” Her voice cracked with desperation and defiance.

  He watched as she pushed back against the beast. Each moment, she separated herself further from the demon, pulling away from its grasp and, instead, draining the demon’s strength. She was weakening it. He needed her to rise above the demon’s influence, to force those countless tendrils into a single form—a form that he could target and sever once and for all.

  Summoning his last reserves of strength, Jace lunged at the remaining essence of the demon, his grip tightening with a desperation born from sheer willpower. His body screamed in protest, but he forced himself to cast Soul Severance, targeting the very connection binding the demon to Sophie’s soul.

  He had no mana left, no stamina to draw upon. Instead, he felt the spell siphoning his life force, each pulse of magic draining the blood from his veins to fuel the incantation. The world around him flashed red, and his health plummeted.

  Notifications flashed before Jace’s eyes, but he ignored them, his focus unwavering. The demon screeched as the spell took hold, its form writhing and dissolving into shadows that began to dissipate. The girl’s body collapsed onto the bed, lifeless yet finally free from the demonic grip.

  Warning, Health Is Critically Low.

  Health At 3%… 2%…

  His health regeneration was barely keeping him alive.

  The demon convulsed, its form contorting with a look of confusion and rage. Its once-solidified presence flickered and distorted, the malevolent energy unraveling under the relentless force of Jace’s spell. It shrieked, an ear-splitting cry that echoed through the cabin, shaking the very walls.

  The demonic tether binding it to Sophie shattered, the dark tendrils dissolving into nothingness. With one final, agonized howl, the demon was torn apart, its essence scattered to the void.

  Jace collapsed beside the girl, his breath escaping in pained gasps. Every part of his body ached, his vision dimming as exhaustion claimed him. He could barely keep his eyes open, the edges of his consciousness blurring. But as he looked at Sophie, her form now peaceful and free from the demonic influence, a sense of relief washed over him. Her soul glowed softly, no longer flickering in distress.

  Jace slumped beside Sophie’s body. Her chest rose and fell in weak, shallow movements, tears tracing paths down her cheeks. The healing must have given her these few moments. Damon’s eyes wide with horror and regret, reached out and took her trembling hand. Crawling over, he pulled her to him and rested her head in his lap.

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  There was silence for a long while.

  “My love,” Sophie whispered, her voice barely a breath. “Are you alright?”

  He choked back a sob. “I am now, my darling. I am so sorry. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t save you.”

  “Shhh,” she soothed, her fingers brushing his cheek. “It’s alright now.”

  He lifted her gently, cradling her against his chest. They clung to each other, the silence around them heavy with unspoken words.

  “I don’t want to go,” she murmured, a tear slipping from her eye. “Please don’t make me go.”

  He held her tighter, his tears falling freely. “You don’t have to go anywhere, my love. I have you.”

  Jace watched, heart aching at their raw, fragile love. He knew what he had to do, the weight of it pressing on him like a physical force. But he held back the tide of death, for just a few moments longer.

  “It’s okay,” Damon’s voice cracked. “I will always love you. But you’ve been hurting for so long. It’s okay to leave. I will find you in the next life. I promise.”

  “I love you,” she replied, her voice a fading whisper.

  Her final breath shuddered, and her soul began to drift. Jace felt his magic stir within him, and he let it move of its own accord, guiding her spirit gently towards the Underworld. He focused, ensuring she would find peace, even as sorrow pressed down on him.

  A heavy stillness settled over them, as if the very essence of the world had been muted. No words were said, for there were no words left to say. Only stillness. Its weight thick and oppressive, it pressed down on them, making the air thick and hard to breathe.

  Their hearts beat quietly, breaths shallow, as if any noise might shatter the fragile stillness. No condolences, no cries, just an endless, solemn silence.

  Then, like a sudden crack in the stillness, the silence shattered. Damon collapsed beside Jace, sobbing. Jace cried too. For what felt like an eternity, he sat there, helpless and feeling ever so alone.

  Jace’s vision blurred as he slumped to the cold floor, his strength slipping away like sand through an hourglass. The world around him dimmed, the edges of his sight narrowing as exhaustion took hold. Sophie’s lifeless form lay before him, her soul finally free, but the weight of what had just transpired bore down on him like a crashing wave.

  His thoughts spiraled back to the moments before—her light, the demon’s violent end, Damon’s anguished cries. Now, in the oppressive silence that filled the cabin, the reality of the loss seeped into his very bones. The air felt thick, suffocating, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

  A lifetime seemed to pass in the next few minutes before Damon finally spoke, his tears replaced by something colder. “This should be impossible.”

  His voice trembled with a mix of anger and disbelief. “This isn’t right. These lands are protected. We’re too close to the University grounds. Demons aren’t supposed to reach here. How could this happen? Dr. Ponos... he was a family friend. He’s known us since we were children. He delivered my niece. How could he do this?”

  Damon’s gaze fell on the locket around the doctor’s neck, a simple piece of brass that now seemed sinister in the dim light. Something was unsettling about it, something that pulled at Jace’s mind. The locket pulsed with a malevolent energy, a trace of the demon’s essence still clinging to it.

  Jace reached out, his fingers closing around the locket. As soon as he touched it, a shiver ran through him, the whispering growing louder, insidious. He recognized the power -felt its pull—an artifact tied to forces on the side of the Endless, allies of the Dark One. With a grimace, he wrenched it free from the doctor’s neck and stored it in his inventory, the sinister whispers fading as he did.

  “We need answers,” Jace said, his voice hoarse but resolute. “I need to speak with Hades.” Determination threaded through his exhaustion, a resolve to uncover the truth. But before he could face the Underworld, he needed a moment to gather his strength, to recover from the toll the battle had taken.

  Damon’s fury was a storm barely held in check. His fists clenched and unclenched, each movement a deliberate struggle against the rage surging within him. His eyes burned with a fierce promise of vengeance.

  Jace, drained but resolute, extended his hand, channeling a soft, healing glow as his aether allowed. Soul Mend enveloped Damon, a balm to the storm raging in his soul, though it did little to quell the tempest in his heart.

  With a tenderness at odds with his anger, Damon cradled Sophie’s bandaged body, lifting her as if she were made of glass. Each step toward the door was laden with determination, his movements deliberate, every breath a reminder of his resolve. He paused, his back to Jace, voice heavy with emotion. “Thank you, Jace. I will never forget this.”

  Then, without another word, he vanished into the forest’s shadowy embrace.

  Jace stood frozen, the weight of Damon’s words pressing on him. He wanted to call out, to plead for caution against the reckless path Damon was on. But he understood the desperation driving his friend, the need for action when the world felt like it was slipping away. So he let Damon go, silently vowing to support him in his own way.

  Turning inward, Jace thought of Hades, the god whose guidance he sought but was not yet ready to reach out to. His aether reserves were nearly depleted, his body aching with the remnants of battle. He began the slow, meticulous work of healing, his energy trickling back as he cast each Soul Mend with care.