The news spread through the demon media channels faster than smoke through cracks. Seraphine Velzira—dead. Killed by a Sentinel. In the Pit itself.

For a demon of her grade, it was unthinkable. The feeds swarmed with disbelief, whispers, and the kind of fearful curiosity that made even the bolder ones stay quiet.

Renayo Ezraphor stood by his apartment window, towers gleaming faintly under the pale glow of the lower skies. From this height, he could see the veins of traffic weaving through the streets, the distant shimmer of the markets still alive even at this hour.

His phone buzzed once in his hand. He didn't move immediately; his gaze lingered on the view before he finally answered.

"Renny boy!" came the gravelled voice of Old Man Baro. "You killed a demon, eh? Word's already dripping through the channels. Grade Five, they say. By Sentinel judgment, no less."

Renny's gaze remained fixed on the streets below, the city lights flickering faintly against his reflection. His voice was calm.

"You will speak to no one of this, Baro."

A short silence followed. Then Baro let out a small chuckle, deep and raspy. "Omertà, eh? You don't have to tell me twice. My tongue's tighter than a sealed vault. But still, now I watch you, ragazzo. You pulled that off… a Grade Five, and clean? Hah. You're a dangerous boy, Renny. A little too clever for my peace of mind."

Renny's lips curved faintly. "It could only have worked with your help, old man. You convinced Maeril to play her part."

Baro chuckled, low and rumbling. "Eh, Maeril... she told me herself. Said she didn't like that demon. Called her an arrogant bitch, said she insulted her kitchen, ruined her day." He laughed harder now, a rough, genuine sound. "Didn't even come out right when she said it... 'bitch'... like the word stuck in her throat."

Renny smirked, shaking his head. "I can imagine."

Their laughter overlapped for a moment, low and knowing.

Then Renny said, "Thank you, Baro. For the assistance."

"Don't mention it, Renny boy," Baro replied. "You're my boy. Besides…" his tone dropped, soft but heavy with promise, "we got plenty more to do together. This little dance we started? Eh, it's only the beginning."

Renny's smirk deepened. "Heh. I hear that."

"Good. Now go get some rest. You'll need it."

"Take care, old man."

The line clicked off.

Renny slipped the phone into his pocket, eyes drifting once more toward the distant city sprawl. He exhaled slowly, letting the weight of the call fade from his mind. He turned away from the window, the soft hum of the city seeping through the glass. Oliver lay on the rug, gnawing contentedly on a bone, unbothered.

Renny walked over and crouched beside the hound, running a hand through its thick fur. "Honestly," he muttered, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to track down the details of her contract... or even know she was looking for Elena's soul key."

He gave Oliver's head a firm pat. "Fate's a strange thing, huh? That Baro and I had just handed that same key to Maeril, right before she came for it. Pure coincidence." He smirked faintly, shaking his head.

The thought lingered as he stood, pacing absently toward the low glow of his desk lamp. "Side contracts," he murmured. "They pay in more ways than points ever could. You pick up new tricks... meet new people..." His gaze softened as he looked back at the hound. "Sometimes, you even make a friend."

Oliver raised his head slightly at the sound of his voice, tail thumping once against the floor. Renny chuckled, kneeling again to rub the hound's neck. "A companion born straight from the memory of creation, eh? Not bad, buddy. Not bad at all."

He exhaled again, his tone lowering. "But I'm not taking you back to the Garden anytime soon. Not now." His eyes flicked toward the window, the city lights dimmed, and distant thunder rolling in the clouds above. "I've killed another demon. And when word reaches the royals..." He paused, expression darkening. "Sleeping soundly would be a luxury I can't afford."

He gave Oliver one last pat. "Just like that night Seraphine dragged me out of my sleep... seems even dreams aren't safe anymore."

He exhaled once more. Well, at least, if anyone dared to come for him again, He was certain of one thing—Oliver would sense it before it even reached his door. The hound's awareness was uncanny. He'd grown used to that faint rumble Oliver gave whenever something shifted wrong in the air.

"Honestly," Renny murmured, glancing down at the beast. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Fingers brushing the creature's sleek fur. "You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. Whoever the real Ezraphor was... he must've been a damn genius to create something like you."

A faint smile touched his lips as he stood, stretching out his hand. Dark energy coiled and thickened, swirling into form before solidifying into the shape of his new Fracture Dagger. The blade gleamed under the low light, longer, sturdier, etched with faint sigils that pulsed in rhythm with his mark. He turned it in his hand, testing the weight, the balance. Perfect.

"All that's left," he said under his breath, "is Druvash."

He spun the dagger once, watching the light catch the runic veins running down its blade. His overall had risen sharply since the last battle—426, a solid leap by any standard. His demonic alignment with the Mark of Ezra had deepened. Every spell, every new enhancement to his arsenal, all compounded.

Confidence thrummed through him, a quiet pulse of power beneath his calm. With the Royal Eye in play, Druvash was as good as finished. Victory wasn't a matter of chance anymore; it was inevitable.

he Seed of Maternity he'd taken from Leila was already planted within Samantha, placed with precision as a crucial trigger for when his contract plan would finally unfold.

"Now," he murmured, eyes narrowing slightly, "the key's the next piece of the puzzle."

He made the dagger dissolve into faint shards of shadow, the hum fading as it vanished from his grasp. Every move was aligning now, one after another, just as planned.

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