Chapter 41: Let the Demons be

After encountering the strange-looking creature, Edward thought it would be an easy fight as soon as he grasped its mouth.

“They might not call me the hybrids' savior, but they sure will call me Edward the mighty monster slayer,” he bragged, flinging the creature’s head aside.

“That was hardly a fight,” Red laughed, tossing him a small pouch. Edward, having morphed back from his wolf form, had no clothes on. The magical pouch Red threw at him was used for storing clothes, a necessity for werewolves who often found themselves in such situations.

Unbothered by his lack of attire, Edward grinned at Red. “No one needs to know it wasn’t a tough battle.”

“Would you hurry up and put some clothes on?”

Once dressed, Edward walked towards the head he had flung aside. He noticed black smoke moving inside the left ear. As he moved closer to investigate, Red swiftly struck the head with a branch.

“Next time, finish the job properly,” Red said, watching the black smoke disperse into the air.

The demon, which had planned to possess another vessel, lingered inside the head. It had forgotten that the sun was its enemy. Patiently, it waited for someone to get close enough to the head to possess them. Edward had been close, but Red sensed the evil presence just in time.

“What even was that?” Edward asked.

“I don’t know. Take the body; we’ll need to inspect it,” Red replied, feeling that something was off.

****

Mitchell and Xavier returned to the others at the Alpha’s house. Later, Penny sent for Clara, who was escorted by Drake to Penny’s house.

With nothing much left to do at Dark Night, Mitchell thanked Paul, his wife, and Penny for their help.

Xavier carried the still-asleep Sage out of Penny’s house. “Xavier,” Penny whispered. “Make sure she doesn’t take that bracelet outside a veil. If possible, get another witch to create a veil inside the room where she stays. It’ll be safer for her to practice there.”

Xavier understood. Sage needed to harness her hybrid energy in a controlled environment to avoid attracting unwanted attention, especially from Soren.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Xavier placed Sage in the back seat of his car. This time, everyone rode in the same car. Leo sat in the passenger seat, while Mitchell sat in the back with Sage’s head on her lap and Clara beside her.

Once they were all seated, Xavier drove through the veil, heading back into the woods.

****

By the time Xavier returned to his pack, it was already dark, but the day wasn’t over yet. As soon as he stepped out of the car, Red, who had been sitting on the Alpha’s house balcony, ran to hug him tightly.

“Xavier, I’ve missed you. Come, I need to tell you what happened at the school today,” Red said, pulling him away from the car. She knew Sage was with him and didn’t want to lose his attention.

Xavier had planned to carry Sage up to his room, but Red didn’t give him the chance. Leo stepped in to help, taking Sage after Clara stepped out, following Mitchell into the house.

When Xavier entered Valarie’s house, they went to a lair where Mrs. Devon, Valarie's mother worked. The room resembled Penny’s, but with fewer items on the shelves.

Mrs. Devon was examining something that caught Xavier’s attention. It was a headless, fat body with excess skin. “What the hell is that?” Xavier asked, approaching the table where it lay.

“Edward and I encountered it at the school today. It almost took my life,” Red exaggerated.

“Are you okay?” Xavier asked, cupping Red’s face with concern in his voice. Seeing the size of the unknown creature, he knew it was dangerous.

“I’m alright. Edward kept me safe,” Red smiled, pleased by Xavier’s reaction.

“I couldn’t determine what kind of creature this is,” Mrs. Devon said. “But given the description of what they saw after killing it, there’s no doubt it was possessed by a demon capable of altering the creature’s original structure.”

“My mom mentioned demons being present in the woods,” Xavier recalled. His mother had also kept a formerly possessed man locked up. “How much trouble would these demons cause if they were let loose?”

“Since they are uncommon in our world, my knowledge is limited. But one thing is certain: without sorcerers' help, defeating them would be difficult. Like vampires, they don’t come out during the daytime and are extremely hard to fight when not in a vessel,” Mrs. Devon explained. “The best course of action would be to find the gate they seep through and seal it.”

From what he had been told, Xavier knew these demons would eventually be trouble. However, he wasn’t in a rush to deal with them. Finding the gate would be a different mission he wasn’t ready to embark on yet. His priority was to protect Sage and help her learn to control her energy.

Xavier pinched the skin on his forehead and sighed. “For now, we’ll let them be. If you find information about the gate, let me know,” he said before leaving the lair.

“Xavier, hold on,” Red called, running to catch up with him. “You’re not planning to leave those demons free, are you?”

“That’s exactly what I plan to do,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“You’ve heard how dangerous they are. They could hurt someone.”

“Yes, I know.” Xavier stopped in his tracks. “We have no way of combating them. Putting ourselves out there would just give them more vessels to possess.”

“We can fight them, Xavier. Edward proved that today.”

“Listen, Red. These creatures only come out at night in their ethereal form. We can’t fight them then. They are less dangerous in that form. But if they possess a strong werewolf, it could be disastrous. So I’m letting them be.”

Red considered Xavier’s words. Unless they had a way to defeat the demons in their ethereal form, fighting them would be useless or could lead to worse outcomes. Xavier didn’t want to expose his people to that threat. If one of them got possessed, he feared they might have to kill that person to protect the others.

“I understand,” Red said, stepping aside to let Xavier go home.