Raz woke to pain.
Not the sharp kind—the kind that stabbed and screamed—but the deep, suffocating ache that pressed into his bones and refused to let go. His vision came back in fragments. Flickering floodlights. Smoke drifting across shattered concrete. The metallic taste of blood lingering in his mouth.
He groaned and forced himself upright.
Thirty minutes.
That's how long the med scanners said he'd been unconscious.
Raz slowly turned his head, taking in the aftermath of the weapons depot. Burned-out trucks lay twisted like broken toys. Silencer bodies were scattered across the ground, some crushed beneath debris, others lying eerily still with expressions frozen in terror. The gate wall had been reduced to rubble, steel bent inward as if something monstrous had punched straight through it.
Raz clenched his jaw.
He remembered everything.
The boy.
The arm.
The way death itself had failed to claim him.
Raz pressed a hand to his ribs, wincing. "Who… was that kid?" he muttered aloud.
His mind replayed the moment he'd activated the Kabal Series—his most lethal weapon series, something that had ended men twice his size, veterans with decades of combat experience. He remembered the certainty. The clean shot. The impact.
And then—
Nigel standing back up.
Alive.
Changed.
"What kind of magic lets someone come back from the dead?" Raz whispered. "And what kind of monster does it turn you into?"
He stared at the blackened concrete where Nigel had stood, the scorch marks still faintly glowing.
"Whoever you are," Raz said quietly, "this isn't the last time we see you."
Miles away, rusted iron gates creaked open as the stolen truck rolled into the abandoned amusement park.
Zack jumped down first, scanning the surroundings. The place was dead in the most unsettling way—a frozen snapshot of joy long forgotten. A ferris wheel loomed overhead, its paint peeling like dead skin. Broken lights flickered along an empty midway. Wind rattled loose signs that once promised laughter and thrills.
Joshua parked the truck near an old ticket booth, hands shaking as he shut off the engine.
Nigel climbed out last.
Slowly.
Every movement looked painful. His boots hit the ground unevenly, his body still struggling to recover from the backlash of Kuran's power. He lowered himself onto a cracked wooden bench, breathing heavily.
Then he stared at his arm.
The demonic limb had returned to its dormant state, but the memory of what it had done lingered. Veins pulsed faintly beneath the skin, dark and unnatural. Nigel clenched his fist, then released it, disgust twisting his face.
Zack finished unloading the last of the gear—crates, weapons, salvaged tech—and turned back to see Nigel staring at himself like he was looking at a stranger.
Concern tightened Zack's chest.
He walked over and sat beside him.
"You alright, Nigel?"
Nigel didn't look up. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I killed men… with my bare hands. I felt it. Every bone. Every scream." His voice cracked. "I don't even know who I am anymore."
Zack took a breath, choosing his words carefully.
"Don't do that," he said. "Don't let it twist you up like that. You did what you had to do. We all did."
Nigel finally looked at him, eyes heavy. "That doesn't make it easier."
"I know," Zack said. "But the fate of humanity doesn't come without blood. I learned that growing up around the Archpriesthood. My family always said faith was clean—until it wasn't. Blood always followed."
Nigel's jaw tightened.
"And you," Zack continued, "you're the vessel of Kuran. That alone puts a target on your soul. But we can't let him win. Not you. Not me. Not the world."
Zack leaned forward, voice firm. "We make it out of this together. With the world still standing."
Nigel exhaled slowly.
"You're right," he said. "I can't sit here drowning in guilt while something worse than anything humanity's ever known is counting down inside me. Kuran is the biggest threat this world has ever faced. And we've got ninety days to stop him."
Zack nodded. "Exactly."
Then he glanced toward Joshua, who stood awkwardly near the truck, gripping his rifle like a lifeline.
"…Which brings us to one problem," Zack added. "What are we gonna do about him?"
Nigel followed his gaze. "Like you said earlier—if he goes back out there alone, he's a dead man walking. We can't leave him."
Zack smirked. "From the way this started, I think I already recruited him."
Nigel chuckled weakly. "Then he's with us now."
"Yeah," Zack said. "But he's gonna have to toughen up. I don't like dead weight." He cracked his knuckles. "I'll finish setting this place up and repaint that truck. It's ours now."
Nigel leaned back. "Good. I'll rest a bit. Let me know what's next."
As Nigel closed his eyes, Zack looked around the park, already imagining command posts, weapon caches, surveillance towers.
A circus of war.
Commander Kade stood at the edge of the weapons depot, fists clenched.
The destruction before her was unacceptable.
Bodies. Wreckage. Failure.
She marched toward Raz, boots crunching against debris.
"Lieutenant," she snapped, "what the hell happened here?"
Raz straightened despite the pain. "Commander. Two unidentified personnel infiltrated the depot and attempted to steal the autonomous drone."
"And you let them?" she barked. "The infamous masked Silencer taken down by kids?"
Raz's jaw tightened. "One of them wasn't human."
Kade stopped. "Explain."
"I killed him," Raz said flatly. "Direct hit with the Kabal Series. He should've been dead."
"And?"
"He got back up," Raz said. "And transformed into a demon."
Silence fell.
"…What?" Kade said slowly.
"Kids don't come back from the dead," she continued coldly. "You've killed hardened veterans with that weapon. Show me the footage."
They moved into the command center. Screens lit up as combat recordings played.
Every second transfixed Commander Kade.
Nigel's transformation.
The speed.
The resilience.
The power.
Her breath caught—not in fear, but in awe.
"This…" she murmured, eyes gleaming. "This is the greatest discovery since mankind learned to control fire."
She turned to Raz. "I want him."
Raz stiffened. "Commander—"
"I want everything," Kade interrupted. "Run facial recognition. Dig into his childhood. Friends. Schools. Medical history. I want to know his favorite food chain."
"Yes, Commander," Raz replied.
"And Raz," she added with a sharp smile, "have your sister ready. Looks like we're going devil hunting."
Raz left without another word.
That night, the Navin mansion glowed warmly under the stars.
Irie sat at the dining table with her father, Colonel Arjun Navin, finishing dinner after a long day celebrating her graduation. Laughter still echoed faintly in the halls.
Arjun set down his glass. "Tomorrow's your first day on duty," he said. "How do you feel?"
Irie hesitated. "Nervous," she admitted. "But excited. I want to bring honor to our family."
Arjun nodded. "Your brother and I never wanted this life for you."
"I know," Irie said gently. "But I can do good. Especially under Commander Kade. She's legendary—the first female captain at twenty-five."
"Yes," Arjun said. "She's capable. Respected." His tone softened. "Just be careful. Don't get into trouble like you always do."
Irie smiled. "I won't. I'll make you proud. Both of you."
Arjun's eyes misted. "You already have. Your mother would be proud too."
"Thank you, Dad," she said. "I'm going to shower and sleep."
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
"Goodnight."
As Irie left, Raz entered the mansion, battered and bruised.
Arjun stood immediately. "Raz—what happened to you?!"
"I'll be alright," Raz said. "Just took a beating."
Raz explained everything.
When he finished, Arjun leaned back heavily. "A demon… surviving the Kabal Series. This is unprecedented."
"Commander Kade wants to capture him," Raz said quietly.
"And she'll involve Irie," Arjun snapped. "I won't allow it!"
"She's a Silencer now," Raz said. "The Commission won't stop her."
Arjun clenched his fists. "…Why did she choose this?"
"I'll watch over her," Raz promised. "From a distance."
Arjun sighed. "May God be with you."
Raz nodded and left.
From the stairwell above, Irie listened to every word.
Her heart pounded—not with fear, but resolve.
They think I can't handle it.
She smiled to herself.
I'll show them.
The devil wouldn't stand a chance.