The explosion of energy above Sector Nine was visible across half the city.
For several seconds, the night sky lit up with a blinding flash of silver, blue, and crimson light. The shockwave rippled outward through the surrounding buildings, sending loose debris falling from rooftops and rattling windows for blocks in every direction.
Then—silence.
The storm clouds above slowly settled again, the lightning fading back into distant flickers across the sky.
On the rooftop battlefield, smoke drifted lazily through the cold night air.
Chunks of broken concrete and twisted steel littered the entire surface of the building. The impact of the final clash had carved a massive crater into the center of the rooftop, as though a meteor had struck it.
And in the middle of the destruction—
The demon lay motionless.
Its enormous armored body was cracked and partially shattered, dark smoke rising from dozens of wounds across its form. The once-burning eyes had dimmed to faint embers.
Orion Stormfang stood a few steps away from the fallen creature, breathing heavily but still upright. Lightning flickered faintly across his arms as the last remnants of his power slowly faded.
"Well," he muttered, wiping dust from his shoulder.
"That was definitely stronger than the last one."
Across the rooftop, Lucien Nightvale stood calmly among the ruins.
His elegant coat fluttered gently in the night wind. Crimson energy still glowed faintly around his hands, but his breathing remained steady.
The vampire prince observed the fallen demon carefully.
Then his gaze shifted.
Toward Kael.
Kael stood near the edge of the rooftop, his silver energy slowly fading back into his body like glowing mist dissolving into the air.
His heart was still racing.
The warmth in his chest had not disappeared entirely, but it had become quieter again.
Subdued.
Like a sleeping flame.
Kael looked down at his hands.
The faint glow in his palms flickered once… then vanished.
Orion walked over beside him.
"You okay?"
Kael nodded slowly.
"I think so."
Orion glanced back at the destroyed rooftop.
"You just helped vaporize a demon twice the size of a truck."
He gave Kael a crooked grin.
"I'd say that's a pretty good first night in the city."
Kael didn't laugh.
His eyes remained fixed on the monster behind them.
Lucien approached quietly.
The vampire prince's crimson gaze studied Kael carefully, as though examining something rare and dangerous.
"Your power," Lucien said calmly, "is not ordinary."
Kael looked up.
"I figured that much."
Orion chuckled.
"Understatement of the year."
Lucien ignored the comment.
"There are very few energy types capable of disrupting demonic summoning magic."
He gestured toward the fallen creature.
"What you used tonight did exactly that."
Kael frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
Lucien's expression remained serious.
"It means someone summoned that creature intentionally."
Orion's smile faded.
"Yeah… we figured that part out."
Lucien nodded.
"But your power interfered with the connection between the demon and whoever summoned it."
He paused.
"And that is extremely unusual."
Kael felt a small chill run through him.
"Why?"
Lucien's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Because powers like yours should not exist anymore."
Before Kael could ask what he meant—
A faint mechanical buzz echoed through the air.
Orion turned toward the sound.
Several city security drones were approaching the rooftop.
Bright searchlights illuminated the damaged building.
"Ah," Orion sighed.
"Here come the clean-up crew."
Within seconds, three drones hovered above the rooftop, scanning the battlefield with blue beams of light.
One of them projected a holographic interface.
CITY DEFENSE RESPONSE TEAM INBOUND
Orion rubbed the back of his neck.
"This is where things get annoying."
Kael looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Lucien answered calmly.
"The authorities will have questions."
Orion added,
"And lots of paperwork."
The security drones scanned the demon's body.
Warning alerts flashed across their holographic displays.
One drone transmitted the data back to central command.
Another began projecting a containment field around the corpse.
Kael watched silently.
The reality of what had just happened was beginning to settle in.
Two demons had appeared in the city.
Both had attacked him specifically.
And somehow his power had helped destroy them.
None of that felt normal.
Or safe.
Lucien stepped closer to him.
"There is another concern."
Kael looked at him.
"What?"
Lucien gestured toward the hovering drones.
"These machines record everything."
Orion nodded.
"Yeah… including your little light show."
Kael's stomach sank slightly.
Lucien's voice lowered.
"Which means anyone with access to the city's security network now knows you exist."
Orion folded his arms.
"And if those demons were summoned by someone…"
He glanced toward the dark skyline.
"…they definitely saw it too."
The wind picked up again across the rooftop.
For a few seconds, none of them spoke.
Below them, emergency vehicles began arriving in the surrounding streets.
Red and blue lights reflected off the damaged buildings.
The city was waking up to the chaos.
Lucien finally broke the silence.
"We should leave."
Orion raised an eyebrow.
"Running already?"
Lucien shook his head slightly.
"Strategic repositioning."
Orion smirked.
"Same thing."
Kael looked between them.
"Leave where?"
Orion gestured toward the skyline.
"My place."
Lucien did not object.
"That would be acceptable."
Kael hesitated.
"You're both just assuming I'll come with you."
Orion shrugged.
"You could stay here and explain everything to city security."
He pointed at the destroyed rooftop.
"And the giant demon corpse."
Kael glanced toward the approaching emergency teams.
Then back at Orion.
"…Fair point."
Lucien's faint smile returned.
"Then it is settled."
Orion turned toward the edge of the rooftop where his vehicle was parked.
"Come on."
The three of them walked across the ruined surface toward the transport craft.
Below them, city responders were beginning to secure the area.
But far away—
Inside the abandoned factory where the second demon had been summoned—
Several cloaked figures watched the rooftop battle replay on a large holographic screen.
The triangular resonance glowed brightly in the recording.
Silver.
Blue.
Crimson.
Three energies bound together.
The leader of the group stepped closer to the display.
His hood concealed most of his face, but his glowing eyes reflected the swirling light.
"So," he said quietly.
"The Trinity truly exists."
One of the other cloaked figures spoke nervously.
"We underestimated them."
Another added,
"The bond is already forming."
The leader remained silent for several seconds.
Watching the footage carefully.
Studying Kael.
Then Orion.
Then Lucien.
Finally he turned away from the screen.
"No."
His voice was calm.
"But this changes nothing."
The others looked at him.
He raised one hand slowly.
"The prophecy warned us this might happen."
He paused.
"But it also revealed the weakness of the Trinity."
One of the cloaked members asked carefully,
"What weakness?"
The leader's smile was cold.
"The bond must be completed."
He gestured toward the screen.
"They have only begun forming it."
The triangular resonance flickered on the display.
Unstable.
Incomplete.
The leader continued.
"If we separate them now…"
His glowing eyes narrowed slightly.
"…the Trinity will never awaken."
The room fell silent.
Then he issued his command.
"Prepare the hunters."
One of the cloaked figures stiffened.
"You mean—"
"Yes."
The leader's voice was final.
"Send the Blood Eclipse."
Far away in Neo-Astra's skyline, Orion's transport vehicle lifted into the air and disappeared into the night.
Inside the craft, the three men sat in silence.
None of them realized yet—
That they had already become the most dangerous targets in the entire city.