The rain was still coming down when Officer Daniel Carter pulled into his garage.
A taxi rolled to a stop a short distance away, and Renayo Ezraphor stepped out. He paid the driver, thanked him, and opened his black umbrella. His demon uniform, black suit, red tie, and the faint sky-blue inner lining of his jacket was already speckled with rain. From under the umbrella, he watched Carter climb out of his car, grab a few grocery bags, and disappear into his home.
The moment the door closed, Renny activated his Shadow Technique. The world dulled to shades of grey. In this realm, the rain still fell, so he kept his umbrella as he crossed the street. The compound gate, locked in the physical world, hung open here. So did the front door.
Inside, warmth and light filled the Carter home. Daniel's voice mingled with Samantha's as they exchanged the casual rhythms of a married couple's evening. A small dog sat beside its bed, chewing contentedly. Dinner was already prepared; all Daniel had to do was freshen up.
While the officer went upstairs, Renny stayed in the living room, watching Samantha. He'd expected, hoped for some trace of frustration or sadness, as hinted in the file. Instead, she moved with an easy grace, no visible tension in her face.
This is why personal investigation matters, Renny thought. The file only tells half the story.
Daniel returned, they ate together, and the minutes stretched into an unremarkable evening. Renny found himself exhaling heavily. Nothing so far hinted at the cracks he could exploit.
Then a thought came. Why not capture his soul tonight? There had been whispers of a soul guardian, but since his arrival he'd felt nothing. If his instincts were right, this could be a quick win, an easy promotion to Grade 2. But instincts also warned him, if Earth had taught him nothing was ever easy, Hell would make sure it was worse.
Still, he decided to test the theory.
He slipped away to eat, a fact that still surprised him, that demons needed food at all, and that some of it tasted maddeningly good. Afterward, he cleaned up and returned around 1 a.m. The house lay dark, rain still whispering against the roof. Inside, he ascended the stairs to the bedroom. Daniel and Samantha lay side by side, deep in sleep.
Renny scanned the room. No guardian.
Coast is clear, he thought, stepping closer. He began the motions to capture Daniel's soul key,
Something grabbed his hand.
He froze, eyes tracing the large, pale fingers clamped around his wrist. How…? No one should be able to touch me in the shadow realm.
His gaze followed the grip upward, and the figure came into view, dressed in blinding white. As a Grade 1 demon, Hell had restored his height, freeing him from the crippled stature he'd endured in life… yet this being still towered over him.
And then their eyes met. The guardian's gaze burned like the sun, piercing straight through him. In an instant, a searing force slammed into Renny, sending him hurtling backwards, crashing through the building like a ragdoll.
Good thing this was still the Shadow Realm, otherwise, this whole building would have been burnt to a crisp by the Guardian's light gaze alone. Such raw power… Renny was stunned.
He struggled to rise, every movement slowed by the pain wracking his body. Luckily, he was a demon now, which meant a higher tolerance than humans, even a Grade 1 could take more punishment. But enough force from a Guardian, and he'd still be dead.
Just as he finally found his footing, the Guardian appeared before him, moving like light through darkness. Its hand clamped around Renny's neck, slamming him through the floor and into the ground level. It followed instantly, landing vicious blow after vicious blow.
Renny ran for his life, but the Guardian's lightning speed kept closing the gap. His suit was shredded from repeated strikes, each one scorching him with searing light. Now he understood why demons were meant to weaken a target's faith before attempting a kill, this strength was unreal. There was no escaping such force.
The living room remained untouched despite the carnage, the Shadow Realm preserving the physical house as if nothing was happening. But Renny's body wasn't so lucky. With each strike, he could feel the darkness within him fading. The president's warning… Agent Kaviru's words about his survival chances… now they all made sense.
Tell me why I'm about to die on my first contract, he thought bitterly.
If he had the backing of a family, he could at least signal for help through shared markings. But he was alone. His hope of ever seeing his family again would be shattered tonight.
No, never. The memory of the wheelchair came to him. How he had rolled it for days in search of Ezraphor, all on his own. All that… just to die here? Never.
Before the Guardian could land another strike, Renny bolted upstairs, leaving the Shadow Realm entirely. He barged into Daniel's room, shattering their sleep. The guardian vanished like smoke in the wind. Now, on the bedroom floor, Renny lay drenched in sweat, staring up at the startled officer and his wife.