A GAME OF SHADOWS

ASMODEUS' CHAMBERS – DEMON PALACE...

The silence in Asmodeus' chambers was suffocating.

The torches flickered restlessly, their dim glow barely illuminating the three figures standing before the Demon King. Shadows twisted unnaturally along the stone walls, shifting as if they, too, could sense the storm brewing in the room.

Umbra and Noctis had returned.

And they had brought answers.

Answers that could change everything.

Asmodeus leaned back on his throne, crimson eyes fixed on the worn file in his hands. Even without opening it, he could feel the weight of its name pressing down like a suffocating force.

PROJECT AZRAIL...

His fingers ran over the name, tracing the faded ink. It had been buried for a reason. Erased from records. Forgotten. Or so they had believed.

His jaw tightened as the flickering flames around him danced erratically, responding to the surge of energy pulsing from his very being. He exhaled slowly, willing himself to remain composed. This was not the time for anger.

Not yet.

"Speak," Asmodeus commanded, his voice low but carrying the promise of destruction.

Umbra's form flickered, the dark wisps that clung to him vibrating slightly. He hesitated—something he rarely did.

"The file is incomplete," he admitted, his voice edged with frustration. "But we've confirmed one thing—Azrail wasn't just involved. She was the key."

Noctis stepped forward, his deep-set violet eyes glinting under the dim light. His voice was quieter but just as sharp. "And there's more. The humans weren't the only ones experimenting. The demon scientists—"

"—were part of it," Umbra finished.

A slow, deadly silence followed.

The temperature in the room dropped.

The walls seemed to tighten, the very foundation of the chamber trembling under the weight of what had just been spoken.

Asmodeus' fingers tightened around the file.

Of course, they were.

Foolish, arrogant creatures.

The demons had always thought themselves above such things, but they were no different from humans. Greedy. Reckless. Willing to tear open doors that should have remained sealed.

They had already caused enough destruction.

And now, it seemed their sins stretched far beyond what he had imagined.

Asmodeus exhaled slowly, a dangerous calm settling over him. The flickering torches dimmed even further, their light barely clinging to existence.

"Find them," he said, voice dangerously soft. "Bring me their leader."

The twins didn't question him. They never did.

With a synchronized nod, they melted into the darkness.

And then, they were gone.

Left alone, Asmodeus turned his gaze back to the file. His fingers brushed over the brittle edges before finally opening it.

The first page alone was enough to make his blood boil.

A name.

A name he hadn't seen in centuries.

One that should have never resurfaced.

AZRAIL'S QUARTERS – DEMON WORLD...

Azrail's sleep was never peaceful.

But tonight, it was worse.

The visions came like shattered glass, piercing her mind with fragments she couldn't understand.

A dark room.

A boy's scream.

A voice—familiar, but distant.

Her breath hitched. The echoes in her mind were too sharp, too real. She felt the cold press of steel against her wrists. The phantom pain of something being torn from her.

And then—

"Azrail… wake up."

Her eyes snapped open.

She sat up too fast, her breath sharp and uneven. The air in her chambers felt too thick, pressing down on her like a heavy weight.

The candle beside her flickered violently, reacting to the storm inside her.

Something was wrong.

Not just with her.

With everything.

She could feel it in the way the shadows around her shifted unnaturally, curling and twisting like restless serpents. The way her pulse was hammering in her skull, like a warning she couldn't yet decipher.

Her gaze flickered to the mirror across the room. For a moment, she swore she saw something move within it—something not her.

She exhaled sharply, pushing back the growing unease.

Then she reached for the silver chain around her neck, fingers tracing the metal absentmindedly. It was the only thing she had from before. From the life she could barely remember.

And now, it felt heavier than ever.

ASMODEUS WAS HIDING SOMETHING.

She knew it.

And she was going to find out what.

Even if it destroyed everything.

DEMON PALACE – THE FORBIDDEN ARCHIVES....

Umbra moved like a phantom, slipping past the barriers surrounding the archives. The scent of old parchment and dust filled the air, but beneath it was something darker. Something rotting.

Noctis followed, silent as death itself. He didn't speak, but he didn't need to. They both felt it—the weight of the truth pressing against the walls, trying to claw its way free.

The documents they needed were buried deep.

For good reason.

Umbra reached for the first set of records, his gloved fingers barely brushing the surface before the energy in the room shifted.

A presence.

Noctis tensed. "We're not alone."

They turned as the shadows in the room twisted unnaturally.

A low chuckle echoed through the space. "Digging up old ghosts, are we?"

The figure emerged from the darkness—a demon with hollow eyes and a smile that held nothing but ruin.

Umbra's fingers twitched toward his blade. "Stand down."

The demon tilted his head. "Oh, I would. But you see… you're not supposed to be here."

A pause.

Then the attack came.

Fast. Merciless.

Umbra and Noctis barely dodged as the room exploded into chaos.

Dust and torn pages filled the air, the walls shaking under the force of the battle. The demon moved like a wraith, but Umbra was faster. His blade sliced through the air—

A flash of silver.

A spray of dark blood.

The demon stumbled, his grin faltering. "Fools… you don't even know what you're chasing."

Noctis stepped forward, voice cold. "Then enlighten us."

The demon laughed, coughing on his own blood. "Project Azrail… was never about power." His eyes flickered. "It was about control."

And then, before either of them could stop him—

He vanished.

Leaving only his words hanging in the air like a curse.

AZRAIL'S QUARTERS – THE TRUTH UNFOLDS....

Azrail stood at the edge of her balcony, staring into the abyss beyond the palace walls.

Her fingers were still curled around the chain on her neck, but her mind was elsewhere.

CONTROL.

The word wouldn't leave her.

Somewhere deep in her bones, she knew what it meant.

She had been part of something far bigger than she had ever realized.

And Asmodeus had known all along.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

NO MORE SECRETS.

She turned sharply, the candlelight casting a long shadow against the walls as she moved.

If Asmodeus thought she would stay in the dark—

HE WAS WRONG.

Because she was done waiting.

It was time to find the truth herself.

Even if it meant walking straight into the lion's den.

Even if it meant facing the demons of her past.

Even if it meant becoming something she no longer recognized.

PROJECT AZRAIL WASN'T FINISHED.

And neither was she.