The moment her lips touched his, the world crumbled.
Rein didn't even have the strength to gasp. His legs gave way beneath him, but he didn't fall—because she caught him.
The succubus held him like a lover, her fingers threading gently through his golden hair. His eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, glassy and confused, before closing again. His body went slack, breath shallow, arms dangling uselessly at his sides.
Ciena's voice tore through the night. "Rein!"
From the brush, magic surged like a dam breaking. Her staff glowed with burning sigils, and a line of arcane fire tore toward the succubus.
But with Rein in one arm, the demoness simply twirled—graceful, effortless. The spell missed by inches, searing the earth behind her.
Kael burst forward with a feral yell, sword raised high. His footwork was precise, his form trained and flawless. He brought the blade down, aiming for her neck.
She caught it mid-swing with a single hand.
Her fingers wrapped around the steel, unbothered by the magic reinforcement, and she yanked the weapon from his grip with a clatter. "Too slow," she purred, tossing the sword aside like scrap metal.
Still holding Rein, she pirouetted, kicked Kael in the chest, and sent him flying backward into the trees. He slammed into the bark with a dull crack, coughing blood as he crumpled.
"Kael!" Diana cried, rushing past him. Her hands glowed with combat magic, spear flickering into being with a trail of light. She lunged at the succubus, trying to aim low, careful to avoid hurting Rein.
But the succubus laughed, amused. Still one-armed, still cradling the dazed boy, she parried the blow with her forearm and twisted to avoid the follow-up. The shaft of Diana's spear cracked as the succubus shoved her back with a telekinetic pulse. She stumbled, gritting her teeth.
"This is touching," the succubus mocked. "You care for him so much. But you don't even know what he is."
Ciena struck again from behind, this time with a complex rune circle—six layers deep, glowing with intricate sigils.
It hit.
The explosion rocked the clearing, sending leaves and dirt flying.
When the smoke cleared, the succubus stood perfectly still, her clothes singed, wings flared wide. Her eyes glowed, and her lips curled into a smirk.
"Oh, that tickled," she said softly.
Diana tried again, stabbing forward—but the succubus's tail snapped around and caught her mid-thrust, wrapping around her waist and slamming her to the ground.
Kael dragged himself up, wobbling, blood dripping from his mouth. He reached for his sword—
"Ah ah," the succubus crooned. She raised her hand, and Kael's blade ignited with black fire, melting in his grasp.
Ciena's staff began to glow again, but the succubus turned her gaze to her—and the staff cracked in two before she could even finish the incantation. Her spell shattered in her throat.
"This is sad," the demoness sighed. "You thought you could trick me?"
The wind picked up. Her wings stretched wide. In her arms, Rein murmured something, delirious, brow furrowed like he was having a dream. She nuzzled her face against his cheek, inhaling deeply.
"You don't get to take him," Ciena growled. "You'll have to kill us first."
The succubus chuckled. "Darling, if I wanted to kill you, you'd already be ash."
Then, with a powerful flap of her wings, she launched into the air—dirt and leaves scattering below her. Diana tried to fly after her, but the currents knocked her off balance and she hit the ground hard.
"You never had a chance," the succubus called down, her voice echoing like a lullaby made of silk and knives. "He came to me willingly. You just didn't see it."
Diana sprinted after her, ignoring the sting in her ribs and the blood in her mouth. "No!" she screamed. She leapt into the air, wings conjured in a flash of mana, but the currents from the succubus's ascent were too strong.
She was knocked back mid-flight—spinning, crashing hard into the ground. A sharp crack echoed as she landed wrong on her side. Her breath left her in a choking gasp.
Still, she tried to get up.
Her limbs trembled, bones protesting, but she crawled forward through the dirt, eyes locked on the silhouette vanishing into the clouds—on him.
"Rein!" she screamed again, throat raw. "Give him back!"
There was no answer. Just the cold wind and the rustle of broken leaves.
Tears stung her eyes, hot and unwanted. She slammed her fist into the ground, once—twice—three times, until her knuckles bled.
Kael staggered toward her, battered and pale, but Diana didn't look at him. She didn't even seem to hear him.
"He was right there," she whispered. Her voice cracked. "I could've grabbed him. I should've—"
Ciena knelt beside her, but even she didn't know what to say. Not this time.
Diana pressed her forehead into the dirt, her shoulders shaking. "I was supposed to protect him."
And they all stood in silence, in the ashes of their plan, under a darkened sky—
With Rein gone.