The streets of the Linere district were quiet and dark at night.
The only light came from the pale glow of the streetlamps, creating long, lonely shadows on the pavement.
Phoebe walked quickly, her footsteps echoing in the silence.
In her hands, she carefully carried a bowl of warm soup, covered with a small plate to keep the heat in.
Her mother, Remielyn, had made extra and told her to bring it to Seth. "A growing boy needs a good meal," she had said.
But when Phoebe arrived at Seth's apartment building, she was met with silence...
She knocked on his door, once, then twice, each time a little louder.
"Seth? It's Phoebe."
She called out softly.
She pressed her ear against the cool wood of the door, listening for any sound of movement inside.
There was nothing...
The apartment was completely dark and quiet.
"Strange..."
She mumbled to herself, a small frown forming on her face.
"Why is he not at his apartment?"
A worried thought crossed her mind.
"Perhaps he just went out for a walk..."
But even as she said it, she didn't believe it.
It was too late for a casual walk... but maybe this version of Seth liked night walks?
She walked back home, the uneaten soup feeling heavy in her hands.
When she stepped inside, her mother was waiting in the small living room.
Remielyn's eyes immediately went to the still-full bowl.
Her face fell into a deep frown.
"He's not at his place."
Phoebe cut in quickly, before her mother could complain.
"I knocked many times. There was no answer."
Her mother's frown only deepened.
She clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"You should have just left it with the receptionist downstairs. They could have given it to him when he got back. Now the soup is cold, and the food is wasted!"
She shook her head, disappointed.
Just as she finished speaking, a harsh, dry cough suddenly racked her body.
She bent over, covering her mouth with her hand.
Seeing this, Phoebe's worry for Seth was quickly replaced by concern for her mother.
"Are you okay?"
She asked, stepping closer.
"Do you need me to go out and buy some cough medicine right now?"
Remielyn waved a hand, straightening up slowly.
Her face was tired.
"No, no. It is just a cough... No need to waste money on me. I will be fine after some rest."
But as if on cue, a faint, wheezing cough came from the other room.
It was Phoebe's younger sister, Fate.
Remielyn sighed, her expression softening with a mother's concern.
She looked at Phoebe.
"Hm. Perhaps... perhaps you can buy some cough medicine tomorrow for your sister. Just a small bottle. She sounds worse than I am."
Phoebe nodded, looking from her mother's tired face towards the door of her sister's room.
...
A low groan broke the silence.
"Urgh..."
Arthur pushed himself up, his large frame easily shifting the others off of him.
He stood and dusted his clothes, his face a mask of grim determination.
Seth was quick to follow, getting to his feet and instinctively checking on the young boy who was clinging to his leg...
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing scream cut through the darkness.
"AHH!"
It was Sophia.
She had scrambled backwards until her back hit the cold, damp wall, her hand pointing a trembling finger at the floor.
There, lying in a pool of dark blood, was Philip...
The single bullet had found its mark right between his eyes.
A steady stream of blood still flowed from the wound, and his eyes, now dull and empty, stared lifelessly at the stone ceiling above.
The boy, shocked by the scream and the gruesome sight, buried his face in Seth's jacket, his small hands clutching the fabric tightly.
It was clear he saw Seth as his only protector in this nightmare...
A heavy, sorrowful silence fell over the group.
They were all staring at Philip's body, the reality of their situation crashing down on them.
They were trapped, and one of them was already dead...
Amidst the silence, Riko's grief turned to rage.
His face twisted in anger.
"No! We have to get out!"
He yelled, and without another word, he lunged up the steep staircase.
He threw his whole weight against the sealed door, kicking it with all his might.
BOOM!
The moment his foot connected, an invisible force held the door steady and seemed to fight back!
A violent, invisible energy erupted from the wood, throwing Riko backwards as if he weighed nothing.
He tumbled down the stairs, landing hard on the stone floor with a grunt of pain.
Realizing the door was magically sealed, Riko lashed out, punching the ground.
"That fucking cunning bastard!"
He screamed, his voice echoing in the chamber.
Which made Seth want to punch the idiot...
They were in a demon's chamber, why was he screaming so loudly?
Does he wanna be heard that badly?
"I knew something was fishy! Since when had Boss Steel send a team like ours on a sneaky investigation? We're not built for this! And he hogged all the demonic weapons! He never planned on letting us protect ourselves!"
Sophia, her face pale, cautiously approached the stairs.
She didn't touch the door.
Instead, she held her hand a few inches away from it.
A visible force pushed back against her palm.
"He's right," she whispered, her voice shaking.
"The door is sealed with power... a few different kinds, I think. One feels like cold iron, another like rotting filth, I can't tell what the other one is... If we attack it, it will just throw us back."
Seth's face darkened.
He knew they were in serious trouble...
His eyes fell on the pistol that had slipped from Philip's hand.
He walked over, knelt down, and gently picked it up.
"Who here knows how to use this properly?"
He asked, his voice calm but firm.
Arthur, who had been quietly kneeling beside Philip's body, looked up.
"Give it to Riko," he said.
"He has the best aim."
Arthur then turned back to Philip as he murmured a quiet prayer, "May the heavens take you in..." and used his fingers to gently close the young man's staring eyes.
Then, he placed a hand on Philip's chest.
A faint, dark mist seeped out of the body and was absorbed into Arthur's palm.
He was drawing out the lingering sins, ensuring Philip's soul wouldn't be twisted into a demon after death.
As a wielder of the Sin of Coldness, Arthur's emotions were naturally numbed, making him the calmest person there besides Seth.
He stood up, his expression icy but focused.
"I have a wife and a daughter waiting for me to bring them good food tonight..."
He stated, his voice low and steady.
"So let's focus on surviving and getting out of here. If we can't break the seal, our best bet is to wait. Steel Heimer, the boss of the Iron Jackals, will notice when four of his members go missing after a mission. He will investigate and most likely will question Reymond in regards to this."
Seth did not say anything about Arthur taking Philip's sins.
Philip was a close teammate of theirs, and even Sophia who was in the same gang as them did not to mind Arthur taking it.
Seth listened, but he had his doubts.
He voiced his concern.
"Reymond will be aware of that too..."
Seth said.
"He knows your boss will come looking. Which means he has a plan to hide or escape your boss's anger."
Riko, now holding the pistol, frowned.
"Why do you say that?"
"I've looked into Fredero Tangen, he has connections to very powerful witches."
Seth explained.
"He does indeed own this warehouse. And since this kid says that Reymond has brought people here before... it most likely means that Reymond has been working with him, probably bringing people here to be sacrifices for a long time."
Seth chose his words carefully.
He didn't mention the Priestess Putrescence or the Coven of Abomination by name.
If that powerful witch found out he was talking about her, she might come to silence him personally...
"Of course, it could also be that even your boss is in on this."
He stated.
"But I've never heard of other Iron Jackals going missing after an operation in the past few months..."
Sophia chimed in, confused.
"It doesn't have to be gang members."
Seth replied.
"He could be using ordinary citizens, like this boy. As a gangster, he'd know how to find people no one would miss."
He paused, letting that grim idea sink in.
"Besides, the fact that Reymond just sacrificed all four of you—including two witches from his own gang—means he knows this is a big risk. He knows it will get him caught. So he must be prepared. He's probably either planning to run, or he's found a powerful protector."
Seth was about to continue analyzing the situation, when suddenly... a sound from the deep darkness in front of them made everyone freeze...
Screech...
It was a horrible, grating noise that sounded like the screams of numerous people, all mashed together into one single, terrifying voice.
It was far away, but it was definitely coming from deeper in the dungeon.
Sophia began to tremble.
"This area is too narrow..."
She whispered, her voice full of fear.
"If that demon finds us here in this hallway, we won't be able to hide. We won't be able to fight back properly. And we can't go up the stairs!"
Arthur's expression became even grimmer.
He peered into the oppressive darkness ahead.
"We can't stay here in the open..."
He immediately commanded them.
"Everyone, spread out a bit. Look for a side room, an alcove, anything we can use for cover to hide."
He then added a crucial warning, his cold eyes scanning each of them.
"But do not, under any circumstances, separate too far. If we get lost in this darkness, we are as good as dead..."