"Nothing here," Jasmine announced, coughing out a mouthful of dust. Zoe nodded. "Alright. Time to head to the next- ".Wait, something's not adding up," Draco argued, his voice firm. Everyone looked at him in confusion. "Draco, we've searched the site. And even if we missed something, the demon detector would have let us know." Jasmine had a point, but he had a really bad feeling about the place. "That's the thing. The detector could be wrong."
"What are you saying?" Derek asked
"I'm going to search alone. Maybe 'll find something," Draco said, stepping toward the shadows.
"You're going on your own? That's way too reckless," Derek shot back, voice rising. "Why do you care?" "Because I've had it with you! You always keep to yourself, yet you expect us to listen without question? You want us to trust you, a bloodhound who can't even control his own power?" "Says the snake who turned his family to stone," Draco retorted, eyes glowing red with power.
Jasmine and Dash exchanged worried glances, tension crackling in the air.
Zoe stepped between them, voice cold and commanding. "Enough! We don't have time for this."
A heavy silence fell, broken only by frantic beeping from Jasmine's scanner. She glanced down, her mask of calm slipping. "I'm getting a surge—something big is moving toward the city center. We need to intercept it."
Zoe didn't look back at Draco, her voice like ice. "We're leaving. There's a threat surge at the city center, and we can't afford distractions. Stay here and play hero if you want, Draco. Just don't expect us to clean up after you."
She led the others out, footsteps echoing through the empty site. Jasmine and Dash hesitated—Dash shot Draco a conflicted look—but in the end, they followed. Derek paused at the exit, meeting Draco's gaze with a mix of anger and regret, then turned away.
Silence settled in again, heavy with shadows and the weight of everything left unsaid. Draco stood alone in the site, every instinct on edge, as he prepared to search the darkness by himself.
Draco searched the site alone, but nothing showed up. "I give up," he grunted, kicking a brick out of the way, when he felt something move and hid behind one of the bars. His perception faltered, and suddenly, he was staring at a chilling sight. Moonlight illuminated the site, revealing demons enough to make even Draco retreat. Shadow imps, demon trolls, curse spitters. A full legion just stood there at attention, as though waiting for an order. That was when he spotted him. A demon with blue scales and deep brown eyes. He could even be mistaken for cute, if not for the menacing aura that revealed his true identity. " General Lura, the cannon is almost ready." " How long?" "About ten minutes." "What about the cloak?" "It keeps coming apart, regardless of how much mana we put into it. Luckily, those demon hunters left before it could falter. "Soldiers," he saluted, their eyes on him. "We have managed to hide from the nuisance known as the demon detector. Razo, turn the cannon to the city square, and evacuate every demon in its range. The hunters who came here will be the first victims. If it doesn't kill them, it will turn them into demons that will help us defeat the enemy. And soon the realms will be ours. Just as Draco was about to move, he froze as General Lura's gaze swept the area. Draco's heart hammered in his chest—he was dangerously exposed. He pressed himself deeper into the shadows, barely daring to breathe.
Lura turned to his lieutenant, voice low but urgent. "Are the preparations complete?"
Razo, a hulking demon with jagged horns, nodded. "The cannon is locked onto the city square. All demons are out of range."
Lura's eyes glinted. "Good. Once the signal is given, ignite the core. When the blast hits, those hunters will either die—or be turned into our soldiers. Nixara will fall,and the realms will follow be ours ."
A hush fell over the legion, anticipation thick in the air. Draco's mind spun. He watched as the demons hurried to finalize the weapon, the blue-scaled general overseeing every step. Draco's instincts screamed for him to run, but he forced himself to wait, memorizing every detail of the plan. Even if he tried to reach the others, he doubted he would make it before they fired the cannon. His only option was to destroy it on his own. But how? A desperate, reckless idea struck Draco. It was madness—but there was no time for anything else. With a mocking grin, he strode from his hiding place, feigning bravado in the face of a stunned legion of demons. "Lura!" Draco called, waving as though greeting an old friend. "Long time no see. Don't mind me, just a hunter here to ruin your plans and save Nixara. Here's my offer: leave now, and maybe you'll live. Refuse—and I promise you'll regret it."
Razo's laughter echoed harshly. "Your hand? Who do you think you are? Dracula?"
Draco's eyes flashed. "No. I'm a bloodhound."