Four demons enter the realm, and just when I think that's it, someone else comes out. Yet this person doesn't have the typical demonic appearance. Dressed in a dark blue suit tinged with red, he appears to be humanoid.

The moment his feet touch the ground, the portal behind him closes.

I sneak a glance at Ze and note the tightening of his jaw.

"What's going on?" I whisper. "Who's that?"

"A son of Tenebreis—an archdemon."

"But what are they doing here? Didn't you say they can't move around in corporeal form?"

"They should not be able to," he answers tersely.

The archdemon is talking to the four demons, seemingly giving them some orders before they flash themselves out of sight. Alone, the archdemon removes something from his pocket. From this distance, I can't see what it is, but as he holds it in his hand, a red light emanates from his palm, surrounding the object. His lips move, too, and I assume he's chanting something just as the light intensifies.

Ze's arms tighten around me, his breathing harsh against my flesh.

When the archdemon has finished chanting, he throws the object onto the ground, the light infiltrating through every crack and crevice, melting onto the very fabric of the earth.

Then he disappears as well.

"What the hell was that, Ze?" I whisper, still staring at the canyon.

"Something that should not have happened," he says with a twitch of his cheek.

"I don't understand..."

"This is bad," he mutters to himself. "This is bad," he repeats, almost like a robot. He takes a step back, his shrewd eyes taking in his surroundings, his body taut and primed for war. "I need to send a message to my generals. Stay here," he orders, but his attention is not on me.

"But... What if they come back?" I blink.

"They are no longer around," he replies absentmindedly, moving away from me without sparing me a glance.

"I'll come with you," I quickly say, hurrying after him.

He doesn't acknowledge my words, and before I can blink, he's gone from my sight.

"Ze?" I call out, my eyes widening with fear. I run toward the spot he disappeared from, anxiously calling out his name. "Don't leave me alone..." My lips tremble as a sliver of fear washes through me. Maybe it's because we've been inseparable until now, but the thought of being alone in this world terrifies me.

Foolish thoughts and scenarios inundate my mind as I dash after him, still calling his name. It's as if between me and doom there's only him—only Ze. He's my buffer... my rock.

So focused am I on finding him that I no longer mind my surroundings or watch my steps.

A sharp pain erupts in my knees and palms as I trip and fall to the ground. But in my desperation, I barely register the fall. I get up, ready to continue my search for him.