Lewis looked out the window alongside Hazel. “My best guess is that we have until dawn before they come looking for us.” He glanced over to Xeik, as if to ask a question. Xeik shook his head. “I thought so. Rhenakos won’t be awake until then, so we’d have to leave someone behind.

There was silence. No one wanted to be the one to say it.

“I’ll st-” Xeik started to say, trying to raise his hand.

“I’ll stay behind” Rex interjected. “I’m…useless in a fight.” He crossed his arms. “I’d just get in the way.”

Simone and Lewis seemed to nod in agreement, though it may have been less about the lack of skill and more about keeping their child safe. Even Xeik was in agreement.

“So…we hit them hard and fast now?” Izzy asked, attempting to draw her sword.

“You’re staying too,” Rex replied with a dull tone. “Even Osiria might trip over you…”

“Hey! At least I can fight!” Izzy snapped back as she fumbled with her blade in the confined space they had. “Unlike SOMEONE.”

“Now isn’t the time,” Xeik said as he tried to get between the two. “Just let it rest. Izzy and Rex will stay behind. The rest of us can move now. From what Hazel saw, they’re probably doing the ritual tonight. If we can interrupt it…”

Lewis nodded. “We can stop the whole thing before it becomes a problem.”

“So we move now?” Izzy asked, hoping to sneak herself in.

“You are going to need to stay with Rex to protect him and your father,” Osiria stood up. “I’m going.” Putting her hand on her hip Osiria sighed a bit, “We have three phoenixes. We can hit them from above while the rest of you hit from the bottom.”

Simone nodded, “Mia can go in the close encounter since she is faster and stronger than the rest of us. Xeik can provide the backup since he is more aligned for a support situation. Lewis can provide long-distance support with a bow since they will be expecting us.”

Raine jumped around and threw up her hands, “And that lets us rain fire on everyone while keeping it away from Mia!”

“How do you expect us to control our fire like that?” Osiria asked.

“Just let me worry about that! You just blast them and I’ll control it!” Raine did a twirl.

With the plan set, the group moved out. High above, three magnificent phoenixes circled the cliffside. Mia led the charge, with Xeik and Lewis following close behind. Both had daggers ready, and Lewis was more than prepared to back off with bow support once the time came.

They approached the hoard, but there were three silver haired men waiting for them at the entrance. Lewis skid to a halt, drawing his bow and letting loose an arrow. It whizzed past Xeik and Mia, only to be deflected by a flaming sword from the middle man.

“No hesitation Mia! Go in full force!” Xeik yelled as he threw his own daggers, forcing another block from the middle demon. Mia took advantage, weaving her fist past the guard and slamming him dead center in the face. The demon flew back. On either side, the demons tried to strike Mia, but an arrow from the left and a dagger from the right made each step back.

From the skies above, Simone let out a beautiful shriek, sending black flames cascading down from her side, with Osiria mirroring her.

Lewis cursed, readying another arrow. This isn’t good. There’s more than expected. Didn’t Rhenakos say something about killing his ‘brothers’? Just how many are there!?

—

Rex and Izzy were at the window, watching as best they could.

“They can win, right?” Izzy asked.

“Of course,” Rex replied. “I haven’t the slightest doubt, but-” His eyes widened as he noticed a flash of silver in the streets below. “Shit. Izzy, is tha-”

A man in the crowd stopped, and looked straight up. It was the silver haired demon from the last night. Astreus. He leapt above the crowd, a wicked smile across his face as he sent a blast of flame at the side of the building, seeming not to care about anyone who might get in their way.

Mia let out a huff as she stomped her way forward before running forward full force slamming herself into someone. Xeik had let the beast loose as soon her body fully shifted into a bipedal lycanthrope form. Something she had been working on rather recently. In this form, she was even stronger and she had a bite to her bark.

Simone was doing her best to control her flames to attack the demons but she got worried about Mia. That was when Raine swooped in and weaving between the fire attacks of Osiria and Simone. There was a joyful cry, “LET IT ALL LOOSE!” The fire became rainbow as it swirled around her and she led it to where it would hit allowing it to avoid Mia.

Raine… She is out of my league Lewis.

Osiria was having the same thoughts as she flew wide and let more fire go. As she let it go Raine took control and added her own fire. The rainbow wonder was unleashing hot melting flames. Hot enough that Simone retreated near Lewis.

It’s too hot even for me to fly that close to her… She’s got too much.

Osiria was different though with her heat tolerance allowing her to get closer. Her slender phoenix form shifted into her human form. Large red flame wings were coming from her with fire armor adorning her body. Long red hair that faded down into a yellow hung from her. Others had never seen her like this but Rhenakos. She was entrancing almost immediately.

Taking her sword she whipped out fire even faster than her actual phoenix form. “I’m sorry, I haven’t been training my body like Simone. This is the best I have.” She had been so focused on Reva the last four years.

As the group fought off the other demon brothers, Rex and Izzy were somehow holding their own in the streets. The whole front of the tavern had been destroyed, but thanks to Izzy, the flames had died down and the rest of the building was still intact. Rex was barely holding on though. He had already taken several heavy blows defending Izori as she doused the flames.

“So…” Rex said, panting. “You’re what…my Uncle? Uncle Atreus?”

The crazed half demon merely grinned.

“Well, you can’t be worse than Rhenakos,” Rex replied. “Uncle Atry? Can you maybe…not hit so hard?” As if to reply, the half demon lunged forward at frightening speed, and slammed his fist into Rex. The teen tried to dodge, and ended up getting hit in the shoulder. The strike sent him spiraling back, and skidding across the ground.

Rex stumbled up, groaning. “See…a few months ago…that might have killed me,” he said, laughing weakly. “But…now, that just…tingles a bit…” Blood trickled down his arm, and it seemed to not want to respond when Rex tried to move it. “Oh…not a good tingle…”

Izzy scampered from where she had been protecting Rhenakos, drawing her short sword. “Back the fuck off!” she yelled, raising her sword. “I know how to use this!”

Atreus grinned madly, and lunged forward again, this time grabbing Izzy by the head and lifting her. She tried to fight against it, but couldn’t manage a hit. Rex roared, and tried to strike with his working arm, but was slammed to the ground. Atreus stomped on Rex with his foot, pinning him.

“Mother…will be…” Atreues started to giggle. “Mother will be happy…” He started to squeeze, and Izzy cried out in pain. “Mother will be-”

The half demon blinked. Something was wrong. He felt. Wrong. There was a man in front of him now, with red hair and a missing eye. Mother had told him to watch out for that man, that he was the scary, older brother. Mother wouldn’t be happy…no, she wouldn’t be.

Atrues’ smile faded as the remnants of his left arm fell to his side. Rhenakos had Izzy cradled in one of his arms. There was fury in his right eye as he slammed his leg into Atrues, knocking him back.

“Rex…take Izzy,” he said as he helped his son up.

Rex was merely standing in awe. “How…”

“Shut up. Take Izzy. Go.” Rhenakos growled. “Time for the older brother to teach a few things…” He rushed forward, a small black cylinder in hand.

—

Mia was hopping up and down, a smile on her face. The woman who claimed to be Rhenakos’ mother was cornered, with nowhere to go. Her sons had failed her, and died to the onslaught of phoenix flame.

“As long…as my Lord escaped…” She cackled. “It doesn’t really matter, now does it?”

Osiria heard the words coming from her mother-in-law. Literally, her mother-in-law. “You know the way I see it is…” She cradled her own face, “So many women would kill to be in my position.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” The mother looked at her.

“Killing their mother-in-law of course. You tried to hurt my children. You did hurt my husband.” She took a step forward. “You hurt my pride as a fucking wife.” She had flames in her hand as she slammed it into the mother’s face listening to her scream.

“HUNT THAT FUCKING DEMON BITCH DOWN,” Osiria yelled. “I’m going to fucking kill him for disrupting my family!” She looked around.

“Wait,” Osiria’s eyes got wide. “The fucker from earlier…”

The mother started to laugh, “Your kids are probably dead.”

“WHAT?!” Simone and Osiria both responded as they brought their feet down stomping the woman’s chest in.

“We need to get back to the hotel. We’ll get the demon later. The kids first.”

Mia shifted into her four-legged form and pulled Xeik on her huffing at Lewis and Simone. “Right…” Simone looked at Raine. “The three of us should make sure the body for the demon is destroyed. Osiria, Xeik, and Mia can go save the kids.”

When the three arrived, Rhenakos was sitting at the ruined front of the tavern, with Izzy resting in his lap. Rex was to his side, also resting, but his eyes were open, as if waiting for something else to go wrong.

“Well look who it is,” Rhenakos said as Mia and Xeik arrived. His eyes went to Osiria, and there was a mix of longing, followed by an eyes wide. “Oh shit. Rex…take Izzy quick before-”

Rex was already on it, pulling his sister away from Rhenakos as the demon hunter stood up.

“Osiria…” He held his arms out for a hug. “You came, even though I told you not to. You really do love me don’t you.” His words were genuine.

“RHENAKOS YOU FUCKING MORON,” Osiria came flying at him, literally in her phoenix form, kicking him into the tavern ruins. “I don’t love you?! Are you a fucking idiot?!”

There was literal fire leaving her lips as she stepped on his chest and let her heel go into his chest, “You moron, I love you so much that Raile told me to go. He has Reva. Mia came and got me because clearly only one of us can knock sense into your dumb ass.”

Finally, she calmed down and her form changed as she fell on him and beat his chest with her fists. “How can you just leave me again like that?” She was crying as she slapped his face hard once. “Of course I love your stupid ass why else would I put up with you?”

Osiria hated to cry and yet here she was in front of everyone. “I even cried in front of Izzy, Rex, and Hazel. Take responsibility moron.”

Once it was all out of her system, Rhenakos was holding Osiria as she cried. It was all he could do not to cry along with her, and he merely squeezed her tighter, whispering apology after apology to her. The reasoning behind it all could come later. For now, they were back together. Soon, though, Osiria stood up, and the two walked hand in hand out of the ruined tavern.

“Aww, it’s kind of cute,” Rex said sarcastically, taking Hazel’s hand.

“It’s gross…” Izzy replied flatly.

Xeik sighed, looking at the state of the tavern. He cleared his throat, and stomped his foot on the ground, yelling at the sky. Everyone around him jumped, surprised that his voice could get so loud.

“HEY ANGELA! GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!” At once, the tavern seemed to rebuild itself.

Rhenakos and Osira stared in surprise. “She….she can do that?” He wondered just how much he could have saved in reparations from bar fights.

“Eh…every so often,” Xeik said. He turned around, and was immediately slapped by a surprise vine. “OH DON’T YOU START!”

Soon, Lewis, Simone, and Raine joined back up, and they all found themselves in the tavern proper with a round of drinks. With all of them present, the whole ordeal was presented, and explained. By the end of the tale, Rhenakos was six pints in, closely followed by Rex, who was five.

“So, Xeik,” Rhenakos asked, his face a little flushed from the alcohol. “What…what does this mean for me?”

“Well,” Xeik said as he nursed his second drink. “We can get you a new eye. Past that…the demon blood that you have doesn’t just magically go away. Whatever you got from it is permanent. The only thing that might change is that your eye won’t burn out. It’ll be the eye socket instead. Which might hurt more…”

“Oh joy…” He downed the sixth drink, and raised his hand for another.

Hazel smiled up at Rex, “Yeah… Kinda.”

Osiria snuggled up to Rhenakos as they walked out and squeezed his hand. His apologies were enough for right now.

Raine swooped in, “SHE CAN DO A GREAT MANY THINGS! However, it takes a lot of energy to do it in Parvpora so she can’t do it often. Like Xeik said.”

Osiria was doing a shot for Rhenakos’s shot and her face was flushed as she sat on his lap. Rhenakos’s arm was tight around her lap as if not to let her escape him.

The door slammed open, “I can make a new eye right now. It can do everything his demon eye did but it won’t possess him or make my grandchild cry.” Angela was glaring at Rhenakos now but first, she detoured and slapped Xeik hard upside his head. “DON’T YOU START.”

After being pleased she walked up to Rhenakos, “What color?”

Before Rhenakos could answer Osiria opened her mouth, “Blue you fucking moron. Choose blue… like the waterfall. That blue.”