T

he demons began to move their pieces in the game, Momotaro was sure of it.

For the past six months, almost seven, they had been experiencing isolated attacks. The only form of a pattern he could identify was the recent ambushes at their surveillance post, and he considered those as a preparation for whatever is about to come next.

"I'm worried about Stefan," confessed Lorcan.

Both young men sat on a bench at Umbra's University gardens, waiting for Bertram. The spring sun hit them with its harsh rays, the lack of trees made it impossible to find shelter.

The youngest of the group had an exam programmed for that afternoon and he couldn't skip it, so when the leader assigned them their mission Bertram begged them to accompany him.

Momotaro and Lorcan couldn't say no to their teammate. While asking the favor he looked vulnerable, his posture remained hunched as he kept balancing his body from one foot to another. The eye contact never occurred, and his words were delivered by a whisper. You'd have to be heartless to deny an anxious first-year student the opportunity to take his test.

"I'm worried about all of us," retorted Momo. "Something tells me that the demons are just starting, and they're using humans as his pawns. I feel like we can't trust no one."

"You always feel that way, but I'm with you this time. It's getting me crazy, to think that the people I call my family could be traitors. Why would they do it?"

"You should ask them when we find them. In a few days, you'll know."

"Dude, when you say things like that I'm glad that you're on my side," commented Lorcan as his eyes shined with playfulness. "I'll let you do the talking, I don't think I could face them."

"Don't worry, I have no problem with facing them myself," the tattooed boy said. Sick of the topic that had been haunting him for weeks, he asked a question as a distraction. "Didn't you have any exams?"

"I had one yesterday but I didn't show up. It's tough to balance the Protectors and the uni."

"Isn't this your last year? Ask for a day off when you have an exam. I'll kick your ass if you drop your career for the Protectors. Stop thinking about others and be selfish for once."

Lorcan started playing with the sleeves of his hoodie.

"It's not that," he murmured. "I'm terrified of not being good enough. What if I'm bad at teaching? At least when I'm with the Protectors I feel useful."

"I've seen you help the new kids with training, you're better at explaining things than me. I don't know much about teaching but I can see that you're good at it. And if you don't feel that's what you want then try something else. Either way, you'll have my support. "

"Why the long faces?" Interrupted Bertram, taking them by surprise.

Momotaro shrugged his shoulders before giving Lorcan a knowing look.

"He's worried about Stefan. Anyways, we have more important matters to take care of. Let's get to work."

The teenager took Momo's words as a signal to open the portal that will connect them with the location indicated by Flora. A big circle appeared in front of them, on the other side they could see a huge house.

The building that welcomed them attracted the bypassers' attention due to its larger than usual size. A big bay window covered almost all the front wall and, on the left side, the mahogany door was slightly open.

"It's too silent, even I can't hear anything," observed Momo, then he knocked twice.

No one answered the call. The door opened and a creaking noise disturbed the silent environment. A shiver went down the tattooed boy's spine, something was wrong.

They stepped into the house with the utmost caution, a voice in their minds urging them to prepare for the worst. Yet Momotaro never learned how to confront death, every time they met his entire heart drowned in misery.

Inside the kitchen, a heartbreaking sight waited for them. Two bodies laid on the floor, surrounded by a pool of their blood. Mr. and Mrs. Davis had been stabbed several times, it was clear that some kind of torture had been inflicted upon them.

The boys didn't attempt to inspect the bodies, they already knew who did it and they wouldn't get any vital information from the analysis. Lorcan found a sheet and used it to cover the victims.

A thunderous yell interrupted them before they could notify the police about the murder.

"Did you like my gift? I made it especially for you."

Outside the house, the owner of the voice waited for them, his pitch-black hair dancing at the rhythm of the wind. The man appeared to be beaming like he received the best news of his life. In his right hand, he held a sword made of darkness, and his clothes were splattered with blood stains, but what called Momotaro's attention was his wicked grin.

"Why don't you come to play with me?" He sang. "I brought some friends." Behind him two more demons made their presence known.

The members of the Protectors had no choice but to face the demons. They reached for their weapons and abandoned the property.

Giggles traveled within the wind, the source of the sound wasn't hard to find.

"Welcome to my kingdom," declared the black-haired demon before a veil of darkness began to flow from his extended hands.

Then everything stopped existing.

Covered by the ruthless darkness, they couldn't see or hear anything. In their bodies, only the sensation of coldness remained.

Momotaro, stripped of his abilities, fell into a pit he thought he would never return to. The young man became, once again, the victim of futility. It's ironic how the first time he felt that useless was the moment he got his powers, and some months later, their absence was the motive.

Paralyzed, he started to remember how overwhelming the real fear could be. The uncomfortable tingling that swirls through his body before a battle had no comparison with the panic he was experimenting with in that instant.

He used deep breaths as his weapon of choice against the storm destroying his mind. The oxygen circling inside his veins wasn't enough to awaken his senses, yet the strong kick aimed at his stomach did the job.

He fell to the ground, to him it was like jumping into the void.

Guiding himself with his hands Momotaro stood up just to be punched in his face. He stumbled back a few steps. Finally reacting, the young man  took out one of his knives and waited for the next attack.

Another strike landed on his stomach, more powerful than the previous one. With his right hand, Momo swung his knife in the direction the blow came from, and with the other, he reached out to his attacker. He felt the weapon hit some kind of surface, the body he was holding with his left hand tried to break free. More punches impacted against him, Momotaro responded with more stabs until his opponent ceased their movements.

All his strength left his body, he could barely move. His eyes were closing, there wasn't any difference, everything was dark anyway. Before he crumbled down, the last hope materialized. From a far distance, he distinguished a weak light. Momotaro crawled, looking for a way out.

It took him a long time to make it to the illuminated space. The light came from a lantern hanging from Lorcan's neck. The young man wasn't alone, the black-haired demon was with him.

"I don't like it when people ruin my darkness," he complained, then the demon lunged at Lorcan, slicing his left thigh.

Rage sparked in every corner of Momotaro's mind after seeing his extremely injured friend. His attempt to get up was pointless, all he could do was observe Lorcan's suffering.

The enemy raised his swords, with one of them, in a precise movement, he pierced the boy's chest. The second sword remained in the air, positioned to land the last blow.

The next actions happened in a matter of seconds. Momo threw his last knife that hit the demon's arm, slowing down the trajectory of the sword. At the same time, a portal opened under Lorcan, transporting him to an unknown location.

Momotaro crossed gazes with Bertram. The teenager nodded his head before materializing another portal under the other young man .

A lively bedroom welcomed the tattooed boy. He didn't have the time to explore the new location, all his senses focused on the dying boy next to him.

"He's bleeding out," cried Bertram.

Momotaro looked for his cell phone in his jacket's pockets. His thoughts circled the same idea: "We need Agatha."

Let's all take a minute to pray for Lorcan.

Thanks everyone for your support 💜