Carlos glanced at his companion. It was bizarre, setting foot back in the human world again when everything was topsy-turvy. It was even more bizarre given his partner – one of the demon generals that apparently serve the 'king' of the demons and Tora's 'brother' – had taken a human form and looked nothing out of the ordinary at all. He had jet black hair that stuck up in spikes, thick eyebrows that resembled caterpillars above a brooding pair of dark brown eyes, a tall nose, and a grimacing mouth. Dressed in a hoodie and baggy jeans, he hooked his thumbs into his pockets and marched on, his back slightly hunched. If he were human, he'd be one of those that hung out at the arcades and badmouthed the do-gooders in class. Even though it was Carlos's blood this guy had taken, he still managed to look cooler. Damn.

Carlos barely kept up with the rapid strides. They could have been just two good friends trudging through the snow. If the friend would tear a chunk out of the other's wrist and drink his blood. His arm still throbbed and the thumb side of his hand was numb. The chilly air helped lessen the pain. Snow crunched beneath his shoes. A delicate silence hung in the air; the lack of human noises had never been so deafening. He would rather shave his head than admit it, but he was glad there was another life-form nearby, even if it was someone that had just snacked on his flesh.

They trudged on, past the regular rectangular lumps standing on the sides where cars were parked before the heavy snowfall. He wished the portal could have opened up nearer the barracks though; the snow seeped through his shoes and his toes started to lose sensation.

"If we opened any closer, the Sentinels would sense the disturbance in the veil," said the Shifter, as if sensing Carlos's thoughts. Carlos swallowed. Those dark brown eyes still looked very unhuman. "We disappear – now."

Carlos did as he was told. His sodden shoes disappeared, leaving just a pair of footprints in the pristine snow. He turned to look at his companion. To his amazement, he could still see Abaddeon. He was see-through. Seeing the snow-covered bushes through his torso was like squinting through misted glass.

"You've never met your own kind before."

"How did you know?" Carlos blurted out, startled. The demon surveyed him with cold disinterest. Carlos shivered.

"You are easy to read." Abaddeon studied his pearly hands. "This is a fascinating ability, however. Even one's scent disappears. The sound waves from my mouth can be transmitted at a different frequency and—" He cocked his head. "—I can also attune my ears to it."

"You what?"

"One can communicate with another of your kind without detection."

Carlos frowned, blinking. Speaking to this guy was like talking to Ross – too many technical words and the same look of expectation on their faces at his confused expression.

"It appears there is much you have yet to learn about your own ability. Or are you incapable of that given the fact that you're a mongrel?"

"Shut up!" he said, flushing. Seeing the guy shimmer into invisibility without trouble irked him enough without rubbing the salt in about his ability. The demon mouthed something. "You what?"

Abaddeon moved his mouth again. Carlos exhaled through his nostrils.

"Tune your ears," said the demon. Torn between punching this guy and doing as he was told, Carlos settled for the latter, grumbling internally.

There was a tiny whisper in the air. Carlos strained, reaching for the sounds.

I said: there may be more of your kind than you know.

"I ain't looking for family reunions, pal."

Abaddeon surveyed him for a moment longer before marching on.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

Be quiet. Or we will be discovered.

Carlos grumbled again, but kept it in his head. Their path opened to a large field, which, judging by the lonely posts, must once upon a time have been surrounded by metal mesh fences before the Frostite winter took over. Watch towers stood at half their usual height, their feet buried in the snow. One-storey huts were buried with only the peak of their roofs poking through. A thick fog hovered above the ground, dissolving the stretch of land into white beyond the huts. There was nothing else there.

He managed to catch himself before he uttered it out loud. He glanced at Abaddeon and was taken aback to see the tightness of his jaw. His pupils were dilated. Carlos gulped. If he'd met this guy down a dark alley, he'd have vanished without a second look. Screw that.

As it stood, however, he looked between the empty barracks and the Shifter.

Don't see what you expect to see. See beyond it. Even the altered voice bordered on fury. This is Lyre magic.

Jeez, this sounds like some fantasy lore, thought Carlos, thinking of the last magic girl game he played. He closed his eyes. The main character danced in his mind: she'd closed her eyes too, and activated her bloodline skill. Her irises had turned red and the world turned a stark black and white—

His ears picked up the sounds of movement. He fought to open his eyes immediately. It was impossible that there were others there – it was an endless pitch of snow. Yet there was no mistake. Their steps reached him with clarity. Human-like – yet at the same time, not quite human. Each step was heavy to the point where Carlos could almost visualise the ground shaking a little.

He opened his eyes and almost swore out loud.

There must be hundreds of them, human-like, standing within the stretch of land that used to be the barracks. Heavy armour covered the entirety of their bodies. They clutched various types of armour, not unlike in Carlos's old medieval adventure games. The fog was gone – no, not quite. A shimmering dome covered them like one of Tora's forcefields, giving all the figures a ghost-like appearance, almost invisible to the naked eye.

They're all... Sentinels? Carlos thought, eyes wide.

It appears they have managed to duplicate their powers onto more unfortunate beings. Abaddeon's voice shook. Each syllable made Carlos's eardrum tremble.

The Sentinels marched around the borders, oblivious to the two of them. In the far distance, a swirling black hole opened into the heart of the earth: the beginning of a boss battle.

Carlos took another step forward. Abaddeon's arm shot out and snatched his arm in a painful cinch.

No. The demon's eyes glowed. He spoke through a snarl. They will sense our presence if we venture any closer.

I thought we were invisible, thought Carlos.

Your invisibility is useful, but not flawless. Did you think the Sentinels would use only one method as security?

Carlos followed Abaddeon, grudgingly, as the demon tiptoed around the perimeter, his eyes fixated on the swarms of Sentinels passing. None of the Sentinels even glanced in their direction. Beneath the heavy gear that made them seem like some medieval MMORPG, their jaws were fixed and tight. If it wasn't for the heavy sense of unease in the air and the furious look on Abaddeon's face, this scenario wouldn't have appeared out of place at some anime convention. The Sentinels marched like marionettes, jerky and stiff. The humanoid faces beneath their helmets were blank.

The two of them made their way around the front of the barracks. The situation remained the same: heavy Sentinel guarding with the mysterious swirling black hole in the distance. Carlos thought Abaddeon would move around the rest of the peripheries when he turned around without warning.

Let's return, strange creature.

It took all the patience Carlos had not to burst into questions as they darted back to their safe zone.

"What do you mean 'duplicate their powers'?"

Abaddeon observed his hands becoming solid with a calm curiosity. He flexed and stretched the fingers.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

"Sentinels cannot breed. They are not like most demons." His voice was deadpan. He didn't even turn to look at Carlos. "They pass on their powers like disease onto other creatures. If the creatures are too weak, they get absorbed into Sentinels."

"Like some kind of really infectious STD? Boy, they sure get around."

"It seemed they have increased their numbers significantly despite our surveillance." Abaddeon's brow furrowed like a real human. "All these years they've played up to the façade that their species was diminishing. I must pass that onto Cimerus and Azyazel."

"Tora's brother's gonna flip his nut again—"

"Tell me," Abaddeon interrupted, turning to cast a razor-sharp eye on Carlos. "Why is it that you insist on talking unnecessarily? Speaking is for communication and expression; nothing you have said so far has been of any benefit. Is this a common human trait or are you an oddity?"

"Dude, that was harsh." Carlos mimed having a heart attack. Abaddeon's gaze remained unimpressed. Carlos sighed, dropping his arms. "It's just me, y'know? Personality and all that."

"I look at you and wonder how our queen could have survived such a long time in such company."

"Trust me." Carlos chuckled. "I wonder the same. We're always at each other's throats."

Abaddeon's expression was so withering it could have rivalled Ross's: his thick eyebrows were perfectly straight, the dark brown eyes showing nothing but disdain.

"If Lilitha wished it, you would have been long dead."

"But I'm not. And that's 'cos it's not the real Tora," said Carlos, defiant. The bravado was hindered by the fact that he had to half-run to keep up. "Even with Tora back with her demon-y side, she's still the same. Still human."

Abaddeon surveyed Carlos for such a long time that it was getting awkward. Carlos had a blush that was creeping up the back of his neck.

"Compassion is a peculiar trait that is passed down the Shifter monarchy. It doesn't mean those are human traits." A smirk curled at Abaddeon's lips. "Particularly as such a trait is not uniform across your species, who so love to war and quarrel amongst your brothers."

Carlos made to rebut but Abaddeon carried on.

"Nevertheless, the change in Lilitha cannot be ignored. The Lilitha I knew was violent and fiery... this camaraderie would never have survived in our world. Friendship does not exist within Shifters."

"Good job she doesn't want to stay then."

Abaddeon raised a bushy eyebrow, giving him a side glance. "What choice does she have? She might be hard to read and crave this bizarre relationship with the likes of you now, but there are no more humans. Cimerus searches for the demon sister he lost, but she no longer exists."

"People change. I'm sure demons do, too."

"When the survival of our species depends upon her, we cannot have a Shifter with weak ideals taking lead. Azyazel loses faith as we speak."

"Tora doesn't have weak ideals!"

"Oh, yes?"

"She just wanted to save all the humans! Just 'cos we're nearly all extinct, she's still the same—"

At that moment, all the blood drained out of Abaddeon's human face. He stopped without warning. Carlos nearly walked into him.

"Dude—"

"What did you say?"

"I said Tora's still strong and doesn't give a sh—"

"The humans are extinct." Without a further word, he took off at a sprint. Carlos followed, confused.

"C'mon, what—"

"We need to return. The Artefact will be activated soon."  

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