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Enith groans, blood trickling from a split lip. “I— I don’t know what you’re?—”

The demon with ram-like horns growls, striding forward. Its eyes blaze yellow. “Lies,” it snarls in a guttural tone. My pulse leaps—this demon can speak. Another intelligence, bound to the dark elves.We are not the only ones forging twisted alliances.

It sniffs the air again, turning its gaze to the shelf where Malphas and I hide. Fear warps my gut, but a flicker of fury follows. I recall the illusions, the talk of my heritage.They want me dead because I threaten their precious hold on demonkind.Enough is enough.

Before I can decide on a plan, Malphas steps out from behind the shelf in a blur of motion, illusions swirling around him. The soldier with the scroll startles, but his training kicks in, and he raises a blade crackling with magical energy. The second soldier lunges, and the demon roars, brandishing wickedly curved claws.

I bite down a curse, darting forward to stand beside Malphas. My illusions remain in place for the moment, but I doubt these soldiers will be fooled. “We have to get out,” I whisper fiercely.

Malphas bares his teeth. “We’ll have to fight our way free first.” He flicks a hand, summoning a flicker of chaos flame. The illusions around him shimmer, revealing glimpses of his true form—enough for the soldiers to confirm their suspicions. Onesoldier backs up, fear flashing across his features, but the other charges with a war cry.

Steel clashes, chaos flares. The demon under the elves’ control leaps at Malphas, raking claws. Malphas meets it head-on, illusions glitching as he unleashes black flame to parry the blow. The room erupts in pandemonium—scrolls catch fire, shelves topple.

I stagger aside, brandishing my sword. The soldier who retreated notices me and snarls, “The girl!” He lunges, blade sparking with arcane energy. I block the strike, muscles screaming from the impact. My ribs protest, but I grit my teeth and hold firm.I refuse to be a victim again.

He tries to slam me with a backhand of raw magic. I duck, sweeping my blade upward, catching his gauntlet. Sparks fly, the metal scoring with a shriek. He curses, reeling back. I follow up with a lunge, fueled by desperation. My sword pierces the gap in his armor near the thigh. He howls, dropping to one knee.

A triumphant rush surges through me. I yank the blade free, blood splattering the pages strewn across the floor. The soldier collapses, cursing me in elven. I spin, seeking the next threat.

Enith cowers behind an overturned chair, eyes wide in terror. The second soldier has engaged Malphas from behind while the demon tries to corner him from the front. Malphas stands in the center, black flame swirling around his fists. The illusions that once disguised him are flickering wildly, revealing glimpses of ebony skin traced by molten veins. His horns glint in the dancing firelight.

The demon roars, slashing a claw at Malphas’s flank. Malphas twists, catching its wrist. They lock in a brutal contest of strength, muscles straining. The soldier leaps in, swinging a wickedly curved sword at Malphas’s back. My heart lurches.He can’t defend from both sides at once.

I rush forward, intercepting the soldier’s strike. Our blades clash. The jolt nearly numbs my arm, but I hold. “Malphas!” I shout, letting him know I have his back.

He hisses, pouring chaos flame into the demon’s arm. The demon shrieks, smoke curling from its singed flesh. He hurls it aside, sending it crashing into a stack of crates. The soldier tries to slip around me, but I dance sideways, forcing him to keep distance. Malphas whips around, black flame coalescing in his palm, a savage gleam in his eyes.

The soldier pales at the sight. “Traitor,” he spits, but fear taints his voice. Malphas hurls the flame. It engulfs the soldier in a swirl of shadow and heat. He collapses, choking on agony.

Panting, I spin, scanning for the demon. It staggers to its feet, horns lowered, eyes blazing fury. I see a horrifying mania in its expression—like it’s half-feral from the magic the elves used to bind it. It roars, launching itself at us. Before I can react, Malphas meets its leap midair, colliding with bone-jarring force.

They tumble in a crash of horns and claws, rolling across the floor. The entire building shakes. I dodge flying splinters as they smash through a toppled bookshelf. The demon tries to sink fangs into Malphas’s shoulder. He slams an elbow into its jaw, an echoing crack.

In the chaos, I dart to Enith. He gapes at the demon brawl, face ashen. “Can you run?” I ask urgently.

He nods, wincing as he stands. “W-what about?—?”

I don’t let him finish, because the demon’s shriek splits the air. Malphas emerges from the tangle, battered but victorious, the demon’s throat clutched in his claws. With a sickening twist, he snaps its neck. The creature’s eyes roll back, body going limp. He flings it aside, chest heaving, black flame licking around him.

For a heartbeat, he stands in the center of the carnage, horns fully visible, wings partially flared from behind the glitching illusions. My eyes lock on his battered form—blood tricklesfrom a gash near his jaw, painting the molten veins in darker streaks. He looks like a wrathful god brought low, savage and unstoppable. Fear and something like awe swirl through me.

Then the moment ends. He glances at me, illusions flickering as he tries to reassert them. “We have to leave. More will come.”

Enith staggers forward. “Wait—I can help,” he blurts, rummaging in a drawer. He withdraws a slim wooden case. “If you’re truly an Abyssborn, you need this.”

I peer at the case suspiciously, the hammered brass corners bearing faint runes. “What is it?”

“No time to explain,” Enith says, thrusting it into my hands. “Inside is a key—a pass or code for certain hidden archives. If the monarchy wants you dead, you’ll need every resource. Now go, before they send reinforcements.”

Malphas steps closer, illusions stabilizing enough to cloak him again, though the flicker of horns remains at the boundary of my eyesight. “You’re staying?”

Enith grimaces, glancing at the two dead soldiers and the demon’s corpse. “I’ve nowhere else to run. I’ll feign ignorance, hope they believe I was forced to comply. If not…” He swallows. “I’ll endure.”

My throat tightens. “They might kill you anyway,” I say.

He musters a shaky smile. “That’s my risk. Now leave.” He points to the window. “Stairs are blocked. That demon wrecked the only exit. Climb down, two floors, and you’ll land in the alley behind the bakery.”

Malphas and I exchange a look. He scoops up Enith’s wand from the floor, tossing it to him. “For protection. Use it if they try to torture you.”