Kim’s voice cut through the swirling chaos like a blade, her frustration as sharp as the winds buffeting the desolate landscape.
"So, what now?!" she hissed, spinning on her heels to glare at Victor. Her expression was twisted in disdain, her eyes aflame with a frustration she no longer cared to mask. "They get to summon that woman back while we’re left with nothing? How pathetic is that? How pathetic are we?"
Victor hesitated, her words striking deeper than he expected. The accusation hung in the air, echoing with a truth he couldn’t dismiss. The notion of summoning her back hadn’t crossed his mind, but now it clung to his thoughts like a parasite.
What if Kim was right? What if they truly had achieved the impossible?
He swallowed hard, his throat dry, but before he could respond, an odd smile tugged at his lips—brief and unbidden. It wasn’t amusement, but a flicker of something that bordered on resignation or bitter acceptance. He quickly suppressed it, though, glancing at Saoirse to ensure she hadn’t noticed. She didn’t need to see his uncertainty.
"I don’t believe they can," he said finally, his voice soft and almost drowned out by the howling wind. "After all, what lies beyond is nothing but an empty void."
His gaze shifted toward Samantha’s house, the crumbling structure standing as a defiant monument to whatever had transpired. The eerie silence surrounding it seemed almost unnatural, a mocking calm amidst the turmoil.
Deep down, Victor suspected Kathleen and her allies had done something extraordinary—blocked whatever force was meant to emerge. If they hadn’t, the rift wouldn’t feel so hollow, so lifeless. And yet, the question gnawed at him, relentlessly in its pursuit: But how?
"How did they manage that?" he murmured under his breath, the words barely audible even to himself. He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface as the question echoed unanswered.
Above, the heavens remained fractured, the jagged split in the sky visible only to those cursed to perceive it. Victor could see it clearly, the unsettling rupture that tore across the clouds like a scar.
It was a sight that defied reason, a glimpse into the realms beyond that few could endure without losing their sanity. Those attuned to the demonic pathways—Victor, Saoirse, and others like them—were bound to its haunting presence, a grim reminder of the chaos lurking just beyond the veil.
"So what are we still doing here?!" Kim’s voice rose again, this time laced with a venomous edge as she turned her fury toward Kaiser. Her patience had worn thin, and her words came out sharp and biting. "This is so disappointing! What now, fearless leader? What do you want us to do?"
Kaiser’s face betrayed no emotion as he turned his gaze from the house to the ground, avoiding Kim’s piercing stare. He seemed to weigh his options, though the tension in his jaw hinted at the irritation brewing beneath his stoic exterior.
Finally, he spoke, his tone flat but decisive. "You go first."
Kim’s eyebrows shot up, incredulity written all over her face. "Is that it?" she scoffed, crossing her arms as if daring him to say something more.
"And what do you expect me to say?" Kaiser snapped, his voice rising just enough to reveal his irritation. "That we should march straight into that damned portal? You heard him!" He gestured toward Victor without looking at him. "Do you want to get trapped in an empty void for nothing?"
Kim’s expression darkened, her frustration mounting. "No," she replied evenly, though her calm tone was a razor-sharp rebuke. "I expected you to give a better command. For someone who’s supposed to lead this movement, you seem... afraid."
Her words lingered, a direct challenge that hung in the air like a storm cloud. Kaiser’s jaw tightened further, and for a moment, his eyes flicked toward Scott’s direction. Kim caught the subtle glance, her lips curling into a smirk as her gaze darted between Kaiser, Scott, and the men under Kaiser’s command. The tension between them was palpable, a silent power struggle threatening to ignite at any moment.
Victor observed the scene with detached amusement, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "I’m still having a hard time believing you lead this underground movement," he said casually, his tone laced with mockery. "Even Scott had a sterner image—and at least the intent to kill."
Kaiser didn’t respond. His expression remained unreadable as he turned away, striding toward Scott without a word. Victor chuckled softly, shaking his head.
He glanced at Saoirse, who lingered by his side. She was uncharacteristically quiet, her gaze fixed intently on Samantha’s house. Her lips curled into a sly grin, one that sent a shiver down Victor’s spine. It had been a long time since he’d seen her like this, as though she were taunting someone—or something—he couldn’t see.
"So, yet another failed endeavor on your part?" Victor remarked, his tone sharp, hoping to draw her attention.
Without turning to face him, she let out a low, sinister laugh. "Not entirely," she said, her voice calm but laced with an unsettling confidence. Her eyes remained locked in the house. "The vessel I covet most is on the verge of breaching this realm."
Victor’s brow furrowed at her cryptic words, unease creeping into his chest. Before he could question her further, a deafening thunderclap shattered the oppressive silence. The skies above roared to life, lightning writhing across the heavens in jagged, frenzied streaks. It was as though the very fabric of reality was tearing apart, heralding the arrival of something ancient and malevolent.
The ground trembled beneath Victor’s feet as he instinctively ducked, shielding himself from the violent gusts of wind that threatened to sweep him away. Desperately, he searched for the others, his heart pounding in his chest. But the storm had swallowed them whole just like him; their figures were nowhere to be seen.
"W-What was that?!" he shouted to Saoirse, his voice barely audible above the howling winds. Raising his arms to shield his face, he turned to her—only to find that she was gone.
Panic surged through him. Saoirse had been his unwavering companion, bound to him in ways only the two of them can explain. She had never strayed from his side—until now. Frantically, he scanned the chaos, his eyes stinging from the swirling dust and debris. At last, he spotted her.
She was walking toward Samantha’s house, her movements deliberate and unrecognizable. Though tangible, she looked as though she had taken the form of a human.
"Saoirse! What are you doing?!" Victor’s voice cracked with desperation, but she didn’t look back. She didn’t even flinch.
Struggling against the storm’s unrelenting force, Victor pushed himself forward, but the winds were too strong. The pressure drove him to his knees, leaving him powerless to do anything but watch as Saoirse approached the house. Her figure began to dissolve, consumed by the maelstrom of dust and debris. It was as though the storm itself was claiming her, pulling her into the void she had always longed for—FOR WHAT?!
She agreed to claim him for the entire reason of leaving the realms of demons, why is she stepping into it now?
Victor’s mind raced. He knew of her desire for a physical body, her relentless yearning to be whole even at great cost. She had fixated on a single vessel ever since they are bound with each other. And now, as she disappeared before his eyes, an unsettling realization began to take shape.
"C-Could it be?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "Could it be that... they had summoned Samantha back?"