The Heavenly Demon of Terror-Chapter 319: After The Storm Ended

Samuel's POV

The air was still, finally.

Ash floated like snowfall through the ruined cavern of the Null Spine, settling over the broken stone and scorched earth. Ezra was gone — truly gone. The threat had passed, and all that was left... was the silence after war.

I wiped the blood from my face with the back of my hand, glancing around at the others.

Henry lay on a rock slab, catching his breath, eyes half-lidded but alert. Owen stood a few feet away, his coat torn, claw marks across his arms still slowly healing. And Roselle... she stood tall and composed, despite the shadows flickering faintly around her form.

Roselle turned toward me, her voice calm and cool. "Alright," she said, brushing dust from her sleeves, "I'm going to Nerezza. She'll want to know it's over... and that the seal held."

I raised an eyebrow. "You sure you want to go alone?"

"I wasn't planning to." Roselle's eyes slid toward Nocturne.

The Goddess of Despair stepped forward, her expression unreadable but her gaze soft. "I'm coming with you," Nocturne said simply, brushing a hand across her pale hair. "She'll want to hear it from both of us."

Roselle gave her a nod, and for a brief moment, something passed between them — quiet understanding... or something deeper. I didn't press. Gods had their own way of grieving. Of remembering.

Owen stretched his shoulders and glanced at me with a sigh.

"I'm returning the scroll to her," he muttered. "Yvette."

I smirked a little. "And what does she get in return?"

He gave me a flat look. "The scroll. And peace of mind. That's enough."

"Fair," I said, nodding. "Just try not to slam the door on your way out."

He snorted, turning to walk toward the exit. "No promises."

Roselle paused before leaving and looked back at me. "Try not to get into any more trouble while we're gone."

I gave her a lazy salute. "No guarantees."

Nocturne just smiled faintly. "Trouble finds you like a shadow finds light."

They vanished into the veil between planes — a ripple in the air, and then nothing.

And I was left standing in the fading warmth of battle's end, my sword slung across my back, the weight of war finally lifted... for now.

I closed my eyes for a moment and let out a long breath.

It was over.

But something told me...

Not for long.

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Owen's POV — Return to Yvette

The weight of the scroll felt heavier than ever as I stepped through the familiar doorway of Yvette's house in the human world. The air smelled faintly of jasmine and old paper — just like I remembered.

Yvette stood there, her eyes sharp as ever, arms crossed, waiting.

I didn't waste words. "The scroll. As promised." I held it out.

She took it slowly, her fingers brushing over the ancient text like it was a lover's whisper.

"Good," she said, voice cool but with an edge I hadn't heard in years. Then she looked up at me, and my blood ran cold.

"I want you."

I blinked, stunned. "Excuse me?"

She smirked, eyes gleaming with that familiar dangerous light. "You heard me right. After all the years, after all you left behind... I want you — here, now, and completely."

The room seemed to shrink around me.

I swallowed hard, the past crashing like a wave — betrayal, broken promises, sleepless nights. The reasons I left, the scars she never stopped tracing.

"I'm not... that man anymore," I said carefully, heart pounding. "And you know what I am."

Yvette stepped closer, voice dropping low. "I don't care what you've become. I want the man I knew. The one I lost."

I clenched my fists, torn between anger and something darker — old desire, old wounds reopening.

She tilted her head, waiting.

And in that moment, I realized her demand was no longer about possession — it was a test. A claim. A challenge.

"You want me," I said finally, voice rough.

"Yes," she whispered. "But only if you can prove you're still mine."

I exhaled, the battle outside nothing compared to this war between us.

"Then we'll see," I muttered, stepping past her.

Because some debts... aren't paid with blood alone.