My name is Hajime, just another faceless office worker grinding through life one paycheck at a time. Today was supposed to be my day off, a rare luxury where I could sleep in and forget about spreadsheets and deadlines for a few precious hours.
Instead, I found myself running for my life.
The emergency alert had shattered my peaceful morning like a sledgehammer through glass: Secret realm breach detected. Demon invasion imminent. All civilians report to designated shelters immediately.
Thanks to the mandatory evacuation drills the government conducted monthly, the few residents still in Empyrean Gardens Community during daytime hours managed to organize quickly. Most people were at work, leaving only the sick, elderly, and those like me who happened to have a day off.
We formed up efficiently and began our march toward the nearest public shelter, but as we prepared to leave the community gates, an elderly woman approached me with desperation written across her weathered features.
"Please," she begged, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Take my daughter with you. I can't... I can't keep up."
My first instinct was pure self-preservation. How could I possibly be responsible for someone else when I could barely take care of myself? I wasn't a hero, just a low-level Lore Lore Cardian with barely enough talent to summon a simple spirit animal.
But when I saw the small figure clinging to the woman's back, a little girl maybe eight or nine years old, pale with fever and trembling with exhaustion, something twisted painfully in my chest.
Against every rational thought screaming in my head, I found myself nodding. "I... I can help."
"Come out, Spirit Dog!" I called, activating my one decent card.
A magnificent German Shepherd materialized beside me, its intelligent brown eyes immediately assessing the situation. The dog wasn't particularly powerful in combat terms, but its loyalty was absolute and its protective instincts were stronger than my own survival fears.
With infinite care, I helped transfer the little girl, Momo, the woman told me, onto Spirit Dog's broad back. The dog immediately adjusted its gait to provide the smoothest possible ride for its precious cargo.
"Thank you," the elderly woman whispered, her voice breaking. "Her name is Moisha. Please... just get her to safety."
As our evacuation group resumed its urgent march, I couldn't help but glance back at the woman. She stood alone in the empty courtyard, growing smaller in the distance until she disappeared entirely.
I tried not to think about what that meant.
The demon caught up to us twenty minutes later.
Screams erupted from the front of our group as people suddenly stopped moving, bumping into each other in confusion and terror. Through the crowd, I caught glimpses of red eyes and massive claws before panic took over completely.
"There are demons ahead too!" someone shouted.
"We're surrounded!"
"Where are the Lore Lore Cardians? Why isn't anyone coming to help us?"
Fear turned my blood to ice water as I realized we were trapped. Demons had somehow flanked our evacuation route, cutting off our escape. The evacuation protocols that had seemed so organized and safe during the drills were useless against an enemy that didn't follow predictable patterns.
Moisha stirred weakly on Spirit Dog's back, her fever-bright eyes trying to focus on the chaos around us. "Uncle? What's happening?"
"Stay down," I whispered, my voice barely steady. "Don't look."
But just as complete despair began to set in, a voice boomed across the street, distorted and electronic, like something speaking through broken machinery:
"Wait here. I'll be back soon."
The voice carried absolute authority and confidence that cut through our panic like a blade. For the first time since the demons appeared, hope flickered in my chest.
Maybe we weren't going to die after all.
Meanwhile, back at the community gates, the elderly woman, Michelle, knelt alone on the empty concrete. She'd known from the moment she'd asked Hajime to take Moisha that she wouldn't be making it to the shelter herself. Her arthritis-ravaged legs simply couldn't maintain the pace necessary for survival.
But Moisha was safe. That was all that mattered.
The massive antelope-like demon that approached her stood nearly eight feet tall, its muscular frame rippling with supernatural power. Red eyes gleamed with predatory hunger as saliva dripped from jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth designed for tearing flesh from bone.
Michelle closed her eyes and whispered a final prayer for her granddaughter's safety.
The demon's putrid breath washed over her as it leaned down, its forked tongue sliding across her trembling shoulders in anticipation of the meal to come. Its jaws began to open wide.
"Psychic Whirlwind!"
A feminine voice, cold as winter steel, cut through the air.
Invisible telekinetic force erupted around Michelle like a protective cyclone, catching the demon's descending bite and deflecting it with such power that sparks flew from the collision between supernatural fang and mental energy.
Michelle's eyes snapped open in shock. Behind her, a figure of living nightmare sat upon an ornate throne that seemed carved from darkness itself. The being appeared humanoid but wrong somehow, its black and crimson form radiating malevolent power that made reality itself seem to recoil.
Standing beside the throne was a striking woman in an elegant dark green dress, her black hair framing features that would have been beautiful if not for the dangerous intelligence burning in her eyes.
Several figures in dark clothing materialized around Michelle, moving with inhuman grace and purpose.
When Michelle looked around again, she found herself standing safely beside the nightmarish throne. Terror and confusion warred in her mind as she tried to process what had just happened.
"Are... are you a Lore Lore Cardian?" she asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.
The distorted voice that emerged from the dark figure carried electronic modulation that made it sound like something speaking through broken machinery, "Yes. You're safe now."
Despite his terrifying appearance, those simple words filled Michelle with more relief than she'd felt in years. A Lore Lore Cardian's presence meant protection, meant hope, meant that death wasn't inevitable after all.
The overwhelming emotional release of surviving certain doom proved too much for her exhausted body. Michelle began to collapse, but one of the black-clad figures caught her before she could hit the ground.
Azrael dismissed his Pride symbiote form after confirming Michelle's safety, revealing his true appearance to the stunned woman. His actual age surprised her, she'd expected someone much older based on the authority in his voice and the power of his cards.
In truth, Azrael had arrived just in time after receiving the emergency alert. Finding Emperean Garden's residents before the demons could massacre them had required every bit of speed his enhanced cards could provide.
Reaching out to accept the materials collected by his Shadowkhan, Azrael examined his prize with mild disappointment.
Silver-level [Man-eating Antelope] (Blue quality).
"Only blue quality?" He frowned slightly, though the result wasn't entirely unexpected. While the antelope demon had looked imposing, its actual strength had been relatively low. Still, he'd already begun formulating plans for his next card creation, and the current material quality would require some adjustments to his original concept.
"Well, since this demon came from the newly appeared secret realm, I should be able to collect higher quality materials of the same type," he mused aloud, handing the demon remains to his Shadowkhan for storage.
Turning his attention to Michelle, who was still staring at him in amazement, Azrael asked gently, "Are you injured?"
Michelle shook her head mutely, then suddenly dropped to her knees and began kowtowing frantically. "Thank you, Master Lore Lore Cardian! Thank you for saving my life!"
Azrael frowned at the excessive display and gestured for one of his Shadowkhan to help her stand. "There's no need for that. Let's get you back to the others."
He guided Michelle back toward the evacuation group, where the sight of his approach sent ripples of excitement through the crowd.
"Is that really a Lore Lore Cardian?" someone whispered in awe.
Seeing Azrael nod confirmation, the crowd erupted in cheers of relief. After witnessing his effortless destruction of the massive demon, their terror had transformed into profound gratitude and security. With such a powerful protector escorting them, the journey to the shelter suddenly seemed manageable.
Azrael's intimidating appearance while in symbiote form had initially made him look more demonic than heroic, but now his presence radiated protection and safety. Even his Shadowkhan, previously viewed with suspicion, now appeared noble and reassuring to the grateful civilians.
In the crowd, Hajime stared at the tall figure leading their group with undisguised envy, his imagination running wild with fantasies of possessing such incredible power.
If only I had cards like that, he thought desperately. If only I was strong enough to make a real difference...
A gentle woman with her hair arranged in twin braids approached him, drawing Hajime from his daydreams. He immediately recognized her as one of the Lore Lore Cardian's summoned allies.
"May I examine the child?" Unohana Retsu asked with a warm smile that somehow managed to be both kind and slightly unsettling.
"Of course!" Hajime stammered, nervously stepping aside to give her access to Moisha.
After her grandmother's rescue, Moisha had fallen unconscious again from the overwhelming stress and her persistent fever. Unohana Retsu's right hand began to glow with soft, healing light as she gently touched the child's burning forehead.
Within moments, Moisha's eyes fluttered open, clear and alert for the first time in days.
Michelle, who had been watching anxiously from nearby, covered her mouth and began crying tears of joy as color returned to her granddaughter's pale cheeks.
"Thank you, Master! Thank you so much!" Michelle bowed repeatedly to Unohana Retsu, who simply smiled and waved away the gratitude before returning to Azrael's side.
The healing had been Azrael's idea. His mental energy scan of the group had revealed no serious injuries, but he'd detected Moisha's illness immediately. Unohana Retsu's silver-level healing abilities, enhanced by her natural Rejuvenation trait, were more than sufficient to cure a simple fever in an ordinary child.
"Finished?" Azrael asked as his healer returned to his side.
"Just a common fever," Unohana Retsu confirmed with a slight nod. "The child should be fine now."
Azrael sighed quietly, understanding the physical limitations of the office workers and civilians under his protection. Most of them struggled to take care of themselves under normal circumstances, let alone during a crisis while responsible for children.
Fortunately, the shelter they needed to reach wasn't far from their current location. The Empire of Aetherlight had learned harsh lessons about demon invasions over the years, resulting in extensive shelter networks throughout all major cities.
Twenty minutes later, the wide entrance to their designated underground shelter came into view.
"Halt!" A team of five Lore Lore Cardians moved to block their path, weapons at the ready. "Present your identification!"
Their caution was entirely reasonable. Demons had been known to disguise themselves as Lore Lore Cardians or possess civilians in attempts to infiltrate shelters and slaughter the refugees inside. The graveyards were filled with the remains of those who'd made that mistake.
One of Azrael's Shadowkhan smoothly presented his identification card while Azrael himself dismissed his symbiote form to reveal his true appearance.
The sight of his youthful face surprised the civilians behind him, they'd expected someone much older based on his demonstrated power and authority.
After a brief verification process, the shelter guards saluted respectfully.
"Master Azrael, thank you for your service. Mission completion points will be transferred to your account once the crisis is resolved."
The residents of Empyrean Gardens Community filed past him one by one as they entered the safety of the underground shelter. Hajime caught Azrael's eye and nodded gratefully, still carrying Moisha on Spirit Dog's back. Michelle paused to bow one final time, tears still shining in her eyes.
After ensuring all civilians had safely entered the shelter, the guard captain turned back to Azrael with a professional inquiry.
"What are your plans from here, Master? Will you help us guard this shelter, or do you intend to provide support to other Lore Lore Cardians in the field?"
Azrael considered the question carefully. The shelter was now secure, but the demon invasion was far from over. Other areas of the city would still be in desperate need of assistance, and his unique abilities made him particularly effective at rapid response scenarios.