In the city of Elijah, there was a mansion at the center of the city. The mansion was filled with different guards and maids walking around, doing their duties. Inside the mansion, a man sat in a chair near a window, reading a book. The chair he sat in was the type that would swing gently. After some time, someone entered the room where the man was reading. It was David, the butler of the Elijah family. He was in charge of ensuring the maids and guards were in order. After the household of the Elijah family, David was responsible for maintaining order. As David entered the room, he saw his master, Jerry, sitting near a window, lost in thought. Since the chaos that occurred at Eric's birthday ceremony at the Elijah Hall, Jerry had not been the same. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to his son, Eric. Even the witch in charge of ensuring the ceremony's success had no explanation for the events that transpired. If Eric had indeed died, his body would have been found. However, the fact that they hadn't found him led Jerry to believe that his son might still be alive somewhere. Jerry had dispatched many guards to search the city of Elijah, but they had found no sign of Eric. David walked towards Jerry and bowed his head. "Sir, we've found another one of those creatures." Jerry looked at David before saying, "Okay, good. Tell Jenny to extract information and torture the creature until it reveals everything it knows." As Jerry said those words, David nodded his head and left Jerry alone in the room. In one of the rooms in the big mansion, Jenny was stretching as she had just woken up from bed. Though she was a very hardworking woman, she didn't skimp on her sleep, sometimes sleeping for close to ten hours before getting up. As Jenny finished stretching, she heard a knock on her door. When she opened it, she saw Emma. Emma greeted Jenny and handed her a pair of clothes. Jenny took the clothes, went to the bathroom, took a bath, and changed into the clothes Emma had given her. Afterward, Jenny walked outside her room and saw the butler, David, walking towards her. As David approached, Jenny greeted the butler. David said, "Your father wants you to extract information from our captive. He said you can use any method you want, as long as you don't kill it." Jenny nodded, "Okay, I'll go see the captured creature now." As Jenny walked towards the place where the captured creature was, she decided to stop at a particular room. She entered the room without knocking or announcing herself. Inside, she found an old woman who appeared to be in her eighties or nineties. The woman looked extremely old and needed a stick to stand. It was none other than the witch who had been responsible for Eric's attribute selection ceremony. Due to her staff being destroyed, she had lost all her powers. A witch's staff was the embodiment of their magic, and with her staff shattered at the gathering, she was left powerless. She would have to start from scratch to create another magic staff. The old woman sat on the bed, lost in thought, worrying about her sudden decrease in ranking within the witch's realm. Though she knew it was because she no longer had her powers, the reality was too much for her to bear. She hadn't even bothered to return home, choosing to stay in the Elijah family residence. The witch's name was Scarlet, and Jenny had become close friends with her. Jenny often checked in on Scarlet, ensuring she didn't harm herself due to the frustration of losing her powers. Though no one else knew the full extent of Scarlet's misery or the circumstances surrounding Eric's disappearance, Jenny had to move on.
After spending some time with Scarlet, Jenny decided to leave and head to the location where David said the creature was being held. As she entered a room, she approached a wall and pressed a hidden button, causing a door to slide open and reveal a staircase leading underground. Jenny descended the stairs and reached a room with two candles lit in front of a creature.
The creature had red eyes, a human-like figure, and possessed wings on its back, along with fangs and claws. It wasn't a vampire, but something else entirely. As Jenny sat opposite the creature, it gazed at her with menacing intent. In a low, ominous voice, it said, "You'll never get anything from me. Your entire world is going to collapse."
To outsiders, the Elijah family appeared to be one of the strongest families in the human world, renowned for creating powerful ability users and skilled fighters. However, there was a secret aspect of the Elijah family that remained unknown to everyone except themselves. They were the guardians of the human world, tasked with preventing celestial beings and demons from entering. In the human world, the Elijah family acted as a shield, protecting the entrance of the human world from unknown entities.
They didn't concern themselves with the threat of vampires, considering them insignificant compared to celestial beings and demons. To the Elijah family, vampires were inconsequential, and if they wanted to eradicate the entire vampire race, they would have sent one of their sons to do so.
The creature sitting with Jenny in the underground cage was a demon, and recently, demons had begun to infiltrate the human world. This made the Elijah family puzzled. Celestials typically viewed humans as inferior and avoided interacting with them. However, demons were a different story, often sending minions to possess humans and turn them into devoted followers.
Only the Elijah family knew about the realm of the celestials and the demons. To protect the human race, they developed a way to drastically enhance human capabilities and amplify their abilities to a deadly level, allowing them to stand toe-to-toe with divine beings.
After some time had passed, Jenny walked out of the room and went outside to meet her father. Jerry was still sitting in the same spot where David had left him. When Jenny approached the door, she knocked. Her father told her to enter. Jenny entered the room, seeing her father still sitting in his chair with his book in hand.
"Father, those demons are something," Jenny said. "This one decided to explode by itself." Jerry looked up, intrigued. "You couldn't extract any information?" Jenny shook her head. Jerry was wondering what it meant. "Perhaps we'll have to send your brother to investigate the demon realm and see what they're up to."
The Elijah family was comprised of powerful individuals, including Jenny herself. As a celestial, she had trained her body and abilities to the maximum, earning her the title of Ruler of the Sea. Jenny had complete control over the seas.
Jerry instructed Jenny to inform Nick that he would be going to investigate the demon world. Nick was an exceptionally powerful Elijah, with two distinct personalities: one with the light attribute and the other with the dark attribute. This unique duality granted him two abilities.
His light attribute allowed him to sign a contract with a god, while his dark attribute had a contract with a devil, making him a formidable and complex individual. Jerry's decision to send Nick was strategic, given his unique abilities.
Nick was known for being a destructive force within the Elijah family. His ability to enter the demon realm unscathed was due to the powerful devil his dark persona had contracted with, who held a high rank in the demon realm. Jerry believed that Nick's connection to the demon realm would provide valuable insight into the recent influx of demons into the human realm.
After Jenny left, some time passed before she returned with Nick. Jerry could tell which personality was in control due to Nick's demeanor. Currently, Dark Nick was in control, and he exuded confidence and disrespect. Dark Nick walked towards Jerry with an air of superiority and took a seat.
"Old man, what do you want me to do for you?" Dark Nick said with a smirk. "Are you too old to handle things yourself?" Jerry, familiar with Dark Nick's character, had already informed him of his mission: to gather information from the demon realm about the recent influx of demons into the human realm and to find out what could be done to stop it.
Dark Nick responded with a mixture of disdain and mockery. "Just because you're my father, you think you can boss me around? Make me go to the demon realm and meet my 'friend' I signed a contract with? Who do you think you are?" Dark Nick's words were laced with provocation, aimed at pushing Jerry's buttons.
Jerry's eyes flashed with anger, as he grabbed Dark Nick's neck. He knew Dark Nick was trying to provoke him, but his patience was wearing thin, especially after Eric's disappearance. Jerry's temper was on edge, and Dark Nick's insults made him want to lash out. However, he restrained himself, remembering that Dark Nick was still his son.
After a moment, Jerry dropped Dark Nick to the floor and said, "When your other self comes into control, tell him to meet me in my chamber." With that, Jerry left the room.
Jenny gazed at Dark Nick and said, "I can never get used to your character," before exiting the room and leaving Dark Nick alone.
As Jerry entered his room, he saw his wife Emily lying on the bed, visibly ill. The disappearance of their son Eric had taken a toll on her body and mind. Emily wasn't originally part of the Elijah family; she had married Jerry and become a part of it by marriage. Unlike the Elijahs, she didn't possess any special abilities or physical strength.
As she lay on the bed, her thoughts were consumed by worry about Eric's fate. Despite Jerry's reassurances that Eric was likely still alive, Emily's concerns only grew. She couldn't shake off thoughts of her ten-year-old son struggling to survive, possibly hungry, or even enslaved. The uncertainty was agonizing her.