The forest had grown quiet once again.

Not the natural quiet of a peaceful woodland—but the kind of silence that came when predators moved through territory that belonged to something stronger.

Actually, it only felt that way to Damien who was overly sensitive to the area around him. To any other average person—who isn’t Damien or comes from the Terrace lineage and isn’t nearly as skilled as he was—the forest would seem normal.

The river behind Damien continued its slow murmur through stone and roots, but everything else had settled into stillness.

The sky above the dense canopy had already begun darkening into deep twilight.

Damien stood on a raised stone ledge overlooking the narrow valley where the river curved sharply between two ridges of ancient rock. It was the kind of terrain that created natural bottlenecks—perfect for trapping something that believed it was the hunter.

Fenrir stood beside him.

The white wolf’s crimson eyes glowed faintly in the growing darkness, its massive body still as a statue.

Cerbe rested behind them, three heads watching different directions with tireless patience.

Luton bounced quietly at Damien’s side, its silver surface rippling slowly as if sensing the tension in the air.

Damien glanced upward.

"Alright."

With a flick of essence from his core, Aquila appeared some seconds after he muttered the words. "Summon Aquila."

The griffin materialized above the clearing in a burst of faint light, wings spreading wide as it caught the evening air. Its golden eyes scanned the forest immediately, sharp and intelligent.

Damien looked up at it.

"I’ve got a job for you."

Aquila tilted its head.

Damien pointed toward the direction the demons had been tracking from.

"Three demons. Not far behind."

The griffin’s feathers bristled slightly.

"Your job isn’t to fight them."

Aquila listened carefully.

"You’re the bait."

Fenrir huffed quietly.

Cerbe’s middle head chuckled in a low rumble.

Aquila screeched softly in understanding.

Damien continued calmly.

"Fly low enough for them to sense you."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then lead them back here."

The griffin’s wings flexed.

It understood perfectly.

Damien crouched slightly and extended his senses through the forest.

The demon trackers were still approaching.

Slow.

Methodical.

Disciplined.

They hadn’t rushed the hunt.

That meant they were experienced.

Which also meant they were dangerous.

But they were also predictable.

Trackers followed trails.

And when they found prey, they chased.

Damien pointed once more toward the dark forest.

"Go."

Aquila launched instantly.

Its massive wings beat the air with a powerful gust that sent leaves scattering across the clearing.

Within seconds the griffin disappeared above the canopy.

Fenrir watched the sky for a moment before turning its attention back toward the forest.

Damien sat down on the stone ledge.

Now, they would wait.

Several kilometers away, three demons moved silently between the massive roots of an ancient tree line.

The tracker demon stopped suddenly.

Its nostrils flared.

The other two halted immediately.

"What is it?" the scaled demon asked quietly.

The tracker slowly raised its head toward the sky.

Then it smiled.

"There."

A shadow passed briefly across the canopy.

A large shape.

Moving fast.

The blade-backed demon crouched slightly, peering through the trees.

"A flying beast."

The tracker nodded.

"Yes indeed."

The scaled demon’s eyes glowed faintly.

"It is most likely the human’s beast."

That confirmed it.

Their prey was close.

Very close.

The tracker pointed ahead.

"It’s moving toward the valley."

The blade-backed demon cracked its neck slowly.

"Then we follow."

The scaled demon raised a hand.

"Carefully."

The tracker’s grin widened.

"Of course."

But excitement had already crept into their movements.

They had finally found the human.

High above the forest, Aquila glided through the twilight air.

It deliberately kept its aura slightly exposed—just enough for experienced hunters to detect.

Its sharp eyes occasionally glanced behind it. And through those eyes, Damien could also see them closing in.

They were following.

Good.

The griffin let out a loud screech that echoed across the forest.

Then it lowered its altitude slightly.

Just enough to make itself easier to track.

Then it turned toward the valley.

Toward Damien.

~~~~~

Back at the river bend, Damien opened his eyes slowly as he disconnected the (Sensory Link) skill he’d been sharing with Aquila.

Fenrir lifted its head.

Cerbe’s three heads turned simultaneously toward the same direction.

Damien smiled faintly.

"They took the bait."

Luton bounced once.

The forest ahead rustled faintly.

Very faintly.

But Damien’s senses were far sharper than most creatures inside the forest.

Three presences.

Approaching quickly now.

Fenrir’s muscles tensed.

Cerbe’s claws dug into the stone.

Damien raised a hand calmly.

"Not yet."

The demons were still several hundred meters away.

They needed to come deeper. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Closer.

Into the valley.

The terrain here would limit their movement.

It would also prevent them from escaping easily.

Damien’s plan was simple.

Capture.

Interrogate.

Kill.

Preferably in that order.

But if they proved stubborn, Luton could always assist.

Aquila suddenly appeared above the valley, diving low between the trees as if fleeing something.

The griffin screeched loudly and landed briefly on a large branch before launching again toward Damien’s position.

Behind it, three dark figures burst through the forest.

The demons moved fast now.

Very fast.

Their patience had vanished the moment they saw the griffin.

"There!" the blade-backed demon shouted.

The scaled demon leaped over a fallen tree trunk.

"After it!"

The tracker demon grinned.

"The human is near!"

They burst into the valley clearing.

And stopped.

Because the griffin wasn’t fleeing anymore.

Aquila calmly landed on the stone ledge.

Beside a human.

Damien sat casually with one leg crossed over the other.

Fenrir stood beside him like a silent executioner.

Cerbe rose slowly behind them.

Luton bounced once.

The demons froze.

They had expected a chase.

Instead, they had walked straight into a waiting predator.

Damien tilted his head slightly.

"Well."

His voice was calm.

Almost polite.

"You found me."

The scaled demon’s eyes narrowed.

The blade-backed demon flexed its claws.

The tracker demon slowly began circling.

"You knew we were coming."

Damien shrugged.

"You left very obvious tracks."

The tracker’s grin faded.

Damien stood slowly.

His gaze swept across the three demons.

High-grade.

Experienced.

But not captains.

Good.

Exactly what he wanted.

He cracked his knuckles lightly.

"I’ll make this simple."

His eyes sharpened.

"You answer my questions..."

Fenrir’s claws scraped lightly against the stone.

Cerbe’s flames flickered darker.

Luton rippled ominously.

"...and maybe you leave here alive."

The blade-backed demon laughed.

The sound echoed across the valley.

"Human."

Its claws extended fully.

"You think you’ve trapped us?"

Damien’s smile widened slightly.

"No."

His aura flared. It was cold, heavy, and predatory.

"I know I did."

The forest held its breath as the battle was about to begin.