(Sable POV )
The Chalice burned cold in my grip, pulling Gwi-Ma's essence down into it like black ice threading through molten metal. My arms shook. My vision tunneled. Every heartbeat felt like it rattled the steel under my boots.
The bastard was clinging on with everything he had.
Movement at my flank — Rumi, shoving through the shredded remains of a demon pack.
"Leave me!" I barked, teeth grinding. "I can handle this oversized campfire. Go deal with your boyfriend."
She froze mid-stride.
"I won't tell you again, Fruit Roll-Up!" I snapped, forcing more pull into the Chalice.
She went, blades cutting through the chaos toward the stage. I dug in again, boots carving deep into the floor as Gwi-Ma's flames shoved back like a collapsing building. My pulse thundered in my ears.
Then—her voice again. Urgent, cutting through the roar:
"Sable! How can I help?"
I didn't dare turn my head. "Do you still have the pocket watch I gave you?"
Her hands flew to her pockets. "Yeah! What do I do?"
"Turn the hand all the way around—" I growled, "—then press it on my back. Hurry!"
The snap of the clasp. The metallic click as she twisted the dial. Then silver light poured out, bright enough to cut through the violet haze.
She didn't hesitate. The flames warped the air between us, heat hitting like a wall. Each step she took forward was a fight in itself. The shimmer swallowed her outline, but she kept coming—jaw tight, eyes locked.
"Hold still!" she shouted.
"Kind of busy," I grunted back.
She slammed the watch into my back.
The glow bled into me like liquid lightning. My breath caught, knees threatening to give—then the surge hit. Pure, condensed essence flooded my veins, shoving exhaustion aside until I thought my skin might split from the pressure.
"The watch," I rasped over my shoulder, "is an emergency battery. Stores energy for later."
A flicker of memory—me standing over a dissolving demon, muttering about running on fumes. The sharp PING from the Tomb, blueprint spilling across my vision. My grin when I realized I could bank energy for when it really mattered.
Well… storm's here.
I bared my teeth at Gwi-Ma. "Get in the bottle, Genie."
The Chalice roared in my hand, bright enough to sting the eyes. The pull became absolute. Gwi-Ma's outline tore, his shape collapsing inward. He shrieked, thrashing, shrinking—ten feet, seven, five—until desperation twisted into a final, vicious move.
A stream of violet fire burst from him and hit me dead in the chest.
It blew me off my feet. The Chalice skidded away in a metallic clatter. Pain ripped across my ribs. I hit the ground and rolled, breath coming in jagged pulls.
Silence. Then—
The Chalice.
Sitting in the dust, humming with a low, steady power. Six brilliant nodes of light glowed along its rim.
A wild laugh ripped out of me. "Oh, that's beautiful."
I scooped it up, unsummoned it before the universe changed its mind, and promptly collapsed on my back.
"Bed. Need bed. Forever."
A shadow fell over me. Rumi knelt, smiling faintly. "You alive, or just delirious?"
"I'm fine, Fruit Roll-Up. Floor's comfy." (Lie. Steel and demon ash feel like hell.)
Her eye twitched. "You should get up. Crowd's still here."
I cracked one eye. The stadium was screaming, phones out like this was some special-effects stunt show.
I groaned my way upright. "There's no way they think that was CGI. No way."
The others closed in.
"Helmet man!" Zoey grinned.
"It's Sable," I deadpanned.
"You were awesome! Are you a hunter too?" she pressed.
"Something like that."
Mira crossed her arms, smirking. "Guess you're useful after all." She jabbed my shoulder.
I looked at them—tired, battered, still standing. Alive. Then exhaled.
"I should go." I pulled a folded scrap of paper from my robe. "Here. Call me." (Thanks, random guy on the subway.)
I scanned the crowd. No Jinu. My eyes cut to Rumi. "Where's lover boy?"
Her face flattened. "He left. Said he needed time to think."
I raised a brow. "So you're just gonna wait for him, huh?"
A flush crept up her neck. "Yeah, yeah."
I chuckled. "Call me. I've got something for you."
Zoey's goodbye was bright and bouncy, Mira's was dry, Rumi's quiet but… warmer than I expected.
I turned toward the noise of the crowd, their cheers echoing like they'd already forgotten how close they'd come to being lunch. I didn't know if I envied their ignorance or pitied it.
"Man, K-pop concerts are wild," someone yelled from the stands.
I almost laughed—then folded space, the ripple swallowing me whole.
——————
A/N:I always wondered if everyone in that stadium was hypnotized or some were aware and freaking out🤣
I am trying to write the interaction with accuracy but since sable had little to no interaction with them it's a bit clipped I'm sorry I'm trying to do better🙏
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