Marcus/Rocco
The ride back home was silent. But not the normal silence.
This one felt heavy. The kind that sat in your chest and refused to
move.
Even Noah wasn't joking anymore. And honestly? That scared me more than
the demon did.
Rain streaked against the car windows while the forest road blurred past
outside.
My mind kept replaying one thing over and over.
Why do you smell like him?
Not it or that but him.
The bracelet pulsed faintly against my wrist again. Warm. Watching. And
somewhere at the back of my mind, I could still see flashes of silver hair
between the trees.
"We should leave town temporarily." Riley's voice broke the silence
first.
Seraphina, sitting in the passenger seat, shook her head immediately.
"No."
"That thing knew Marcus," Riley argued quietly. "Or at least whatever's
inside the bracelet."
Callie's grip tightened slightly around her chain weapon beside me.
"And if it reports back?"
Nobody answered. Because we were all thinking the same thing.
Aldo.
Seraphina finally spoke quietly. "If a higher demon has appeared openly
inside the city…"
Her expression darkened slightly. "…Then this is already beyond hiding."
Then sentence settled heavily inside the car. When we finally reached
the house, the atmosphere somehow became worse.
Too tense and aware. Like everyone understood something bad was coming
but nobody wanted to say it aloud.
Ella immediately stood from the couch the second we entered.
"What happened?"
Noah looked exhausted. "Short version?"
"Yes."
"We met nightmare fuel."
"Very helpful," Riley muttered.
But Ella's eyes locked onto the blood smeared across my sleeve
immediately. "You're hurt again."
"I'm fine." That sentence was losing effectiveness rapidly. Before
anyone could continue-
The bracelet suddenly burned against my wrist. Hard. I grabbed it
instantly. Pain shot through my arm. Then-
Massive pressure.
Seraphina froze immediately. "…No."
The windows rattled violently. Outside, screams echoed through the city.
Multiple.
Then the light flickered. Once. Twice. Ad somewhere far beyond the
house, something exploded.
"Weapons," Seraphina ordered instantly.
Everyone moved. Fast.
Callie grabbed her chain whip, while Riley pulled her baton free from
her belt.
Noah rolled his shoulders once before gripping both tonfas tightly.
The atmosphere changed from fear turning into readiness.
Ella stepped toward the weapon rack too.
"No."
She turned sharply toward me. "What?"
"You stay here."
Her expression hardened. "You're joking."
"I'm serious."
"Callie's practically my age!" Ella snapped angrily. "Why does she get
to fight while I have to hide here?"
"Because Callie's been doing this for years."
"And I can learn!"
"Not tonight." It came out harder than I intended.
Ella flinched slightly. I regretted it immediately.
"You think I'm weak," she said quietly.
"No."
I stepped closer carefully.
"I think this is dangerous."
"That's the point!"
Her voice cracked slightly now.
"You keep leaving and coming back bleeding and nobody tells me anything
and now monsters are attacking the city and you expect me to just sit here?!"
Pain twisted in my chest slightly. Because she was scared. I placed both
hands carefully on her shoulders.
"Ella." She looked away immediately.
"I need to know you're safe," I said quietly. "Please."
That finally broke through slightly. Not completely. But enough.
Her eyes watered faintly before she shoved past me toward the couch
angrily.
"Fine."
Definitely not fine, but it would have to do.
Another explosion echoed outside. Closer this time.
Seraphina looked toward the door. "We move now."
The city centre was absolute chaos.
Cars overturned. Buildings damaged. People screaming while emergency
sirens echoed through the streets beneath pouring rain.
And everywhere-
Demons. At least twelve lesser demons tearing through the streets
violently.
"Split them apart!" Seraphina shouted. Everyone moved.
Callie's chain ripped through the storm like silver lightning, wrapping
around a lesser demon before slamming it headfirst through a storefront window.
Riley moved beside Noah immediately, baton striking precisely against
claws while Noah intercepted attacks with spinning tonfa blocks and brutal counter
strikes.
Even Seraphina entered the fight directly this time. And honestly?
Watching her fight seriously was terrifying.
Her sword moved one. A demon died.
Twice. Another body fell. There was no wasted movement. Just absolute
efficiency.
But none of that held my attention long. Because standing in the centre
of the ruined street, waiting calmly beneath the rain, was him.
The higher demon smiled slightly when our eyes met.
"Well," he said smoothly, "there you are."
The pressure around him was overwhelming now up close. Heavy enough to
make breathing harder.
"What's your name?" I asked coldly.
The demon tilted his head slightly. "Cassian."
Then he smiled wider. "And yours is clearly more complicated than you
realize."
I rushed him instantly. Steel collided against black claw as the impact
cracked the pavement beneath us immediately.
Cassian blocked both swords effortlessly before driving his knee toward
my ribs. I twisted sideways barely in time.
Pain still exploded through my side. Way too fast.
I retaliated. Low thigh kick. Elbow. Second blade slash.
Cassian dodged smoothly before countering with brutal forcer directly
into my chest.
The impact launched me backward across soaked pavement.
Damn it.
"You've improved," Cassian admitted casually.
I wiped blood from my mouth slowly. "Thanks."
"Still sloppy though." Then he vanished.
Instinct screamed instantly.
I ducked, black claws sliced through the air where my throat had been
half a second earlier.
I spun into a round house kick. Impact connected hard against Cassian's
side. For the first time- he staggered slightly.
The bracelet surged violently.
The realm opened and this time, the power flowed smoothly. Stable.
Controlled.
Chains exploded outward from my wrist. Cassian expression changed
instantly. Recognition.
"Interesting," he murmured.
The chains wrapped toward him violently. Cassian ripped one apart with
raw force before dodging another, but the third caught his arm briefly.
Opening.
I closed the distance immediately. One blade slashed across his chest.
The second pierced through his shoulder. Black blood splattered across the
street.
Cassian smiled. Actually smiled. Even while injured.
"You really do smell like him."
My chest tightened instantly. Then his claw slammed straight into my
side. Pain exploded violently through my body.
I staggered backward breathing hard now. Blood pouring down my ribs.
Around us the city remained chaos. Demons screeching. People running.
And somewhere nearby, I heard Callie shout my name.
Cassian glanced toward her briefly. Then back at me.
Suddenly, he smiled wider. Wrong. That smile was wrong.
"No," I muttered.
Too late. Cassian vanished. Straight toward Callie. Everything slowed.
Callie turned too late.
Cassian's clawed hand drove forward toward her chest.
I moved without thinking. The bracelet roared violently.
Chains exploded outward behind me as I crossed the distance faster than
I ever had before.
I shoved Callie sideways.
Pain tore through my body.
Cassian's arm pierced straight through my chest.
Silence.
For half a second, I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't feel
anything except cold.
Callie's horrified expression blurred in front of me.
"…Rocco?"
My knees weakened instantly. Blood hit the pavement beneath me. Warm.
Too much. Way too much.
Cassian blinked once. Then sighed dramatically.
"…Oops." His claws withdrew slowly from my chest.
Agony exploded through me instantly.
"Boss probably wouldn't appreciate me killing you yet," he muttered
casually.
My vision blurred harder. The screams around us sounded distant now.
Far away.
Cassian stepped backward slowly. Then smiled faintly toward me one last
time.
"See you again soon, if you survive."
And just like that, the demons retreated. All of them. Gone into the
storm.
I collapsed immediately.
"ROCCO!"
Callie caught me before I hit the pavement completely. Her voice sounded
broken.
Terrified.
"No no no no- "
Her hands pressed desperately against the wound in my chest. Blood kept
pouring through her finger anyway.
Riley rushed over first. Then Noah. Then Seraphina.
All of them frozen for half a second after seeing the wound. Because
they understood immediately. This was bad. Really bad.
"Call an ambulance!" Riley shouted somewhere.
Noah was already pulling out his phone out with shaking hands.
Callie held me tighter desperately.
"Stay awake!"
I tried answering. Blood filled my mouth instead.
Her face blurred. Rain mixed with tears running down her cheeks.
"Please," she whispered brokenly. "Please, I can't lose you again..."
Again...
The fire. The past. The fear of going through this all over.
Even Seraphina seemed shaken now. Silent. Sombre. Like she already knew
how this ended.
My breathing grew weaker. The city sounds faded slowly. Everything
dimming.
And somewhere far way, I heard chains rattling softly in the darkness.
Then the world disappeared.