I Bear The Devil's Eye

Chapter Five, titled: Two demoness in red

Micheal stood frozen for a moment, his gaze locked on the towering plume of black smoke rising from the explosion that he had unleashed. His intentions had never been to harm his partner, Mary—only to free her from the strange creature's grip. So, he waited, his heart heavy with anticipation. The thick black smoke swirled, shrouding the scene in darkness. Then, a figure began to take its shape within the dark haze. It was a woman which gave Micheal a little sense of relief, but something was clearly wrong. This wasn't Mary.

As the figure stepped forward, Micheal's eyes widened. She was impossibly tall, standing at least eight feet, her body encased in a grotesque red mass that pulsed and writhed with multiple tendrils. Her face was entirely black, devoid of any features—an eerie faceless void. What was more terrifying was the manner in which she walked, almost like a zombie, her legs bent in an unimaginable manner.

"Mary?" Micheal muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief. He hoped for an answer from the Mary he knew, but instead, the creature let out a piercing shriek, a sound so sharp it seemed to rip through the very air around them. Cars, water hydrants and many other items were thrown around like ragdolls just by the force of her shriek. Before Micheal could react, the monstrous figure charged at him, its movement unnaturally fast and aggressive.

Caught off guard by its speed, Micheal struggled to regain his composure. The creature had already closed the distance between them in mere seconds, its clawed hand raised high to strike. But Micheal was no novice, just like Mary had mentioned before, Micheal was infact the strongest heavenly sorcerer to exist, unlike every other heavenly sorcerer who had faced countless demons and returned with injuries or ended up dead. Micheal never failed. With practiced agility, he dodged the attack in one smooth motion. The creature wasted no time, spinning around yo launch another deadly assault, this time with its fist. Yet, it missed again as Micheal evaded with precision.

As the relentless attacks continued, Micheal's mind raced. He hesitated, trying to surpress the undying urge to fight back. If this creature was somehow still connected to Mary, he feared that he would harm her. But ad he observed its monstrous form and unnatural ferocity, a grim realization began to take hold—this wasn't Mary anymore. Whatever humanity she had left was gone.

Left with any other choice, Micheal steeled himself. If ge couldn't save Mary, he would have to end this creature before it caused more destruction.

With a fluid motion, Micheal leaped into the air and vanished in an instant. The creature, taken aback by this movement whipped its head around frantically, searching for him, its faceless form writhing in frustration. Its search ended abruptly as it tilted its head upward, spotting Micheal perched atop a nearby building. The index and middle fingers of his left hand were raised, pointing directly at the creature below.

The creature let out a deafening shriek, its grotesque body swelling as it grew in size and height prepared to strike again. With a graceful leap, it launched itself toward him.

Micheal sighed deeply, lowering his head in disappointment. From the tip og his extended fingers, a translucent but quite visible vortex began to form, spinning rapidly and drawing in all the air around him. The force of the vortex immediately halted the creature mid-air, pulling it back with an invisible grip.

He stared at the monster with a sorrowful expression, but his heart heavy with little regret. There was no doubt in his mind—this attack would be the end of her eventually. As the vortex continued to pull, a faint yellow light began emerged within its center, growing brighter and more intense.

"I'm sorry things had to end like this, Mary," Micheal said softly, his voice trembling with a little bit of emotion. "Maybe in another life… we could meet."

The yellow light flared ever so brightly, illuminating the creature's monstrous form before it was completely engulfed. In a brilliant flash, the light consumed the monster completely, disintegrating it into nothingness.

Within moments, the city seemed to return to its original state, calm and quiet as if nothing had happened to begin with. The buildings and roads had been restored. But Mary was gone. Michael remained on the rooftop, his head bowed, the weight of his actions pressing heavily on him.

As he sat in silence, a voice suddenly broke through the stillness.

"Are you seriously crying at a time like this? Aren't you supposed to be the almighty, unstoppable Michael O'Neil?"

Michael's eyes widened, and he slowly turned toward the voice. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Mary standing there. She looked completely unharmed, her familiar annoyed expression plastered across her face. Her body was modestly wrapped in a white towel, as if nothing had happened.

"How...?" Michael muttered, his mind reeling with so many thoughts on how Mary stood before him.

Mary folded her arms, her irritation clearly evident in the tone of her voice. "You idiot," she said sharply, her tone dripping with annoyance. "Do you have any idea that was my favorite outfit you just ruined?"

She brushed off the fact that she had survived such a deadly attack, focusing instead on her outfit, as if scolding Michael for something as trivial as a fashion mishap. Michael stared at her, utterly speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

While Micheal and Mary's situation had come to an abrupt resolution, Henry Adams, the main attraction, found himself wrestling with his own set of problems. Questions plagued his mind as he struggled to piece together what had happened. Why was he here? Who was the mysterious lying next to him? Its not like he knew her from anywhere, she didn't seem to be a relative or friend from high school or college. The most baffling of all, was how he was still alive even after experiencing death twice in a row.

His thoughts were interrupted as the woman shifted beside him, her expression . Henry turned his gaze toward her, his eyes involuntarily following her every move and as well as her voluptuous frame as she rose from the bed. The white sheets fell away, revealing her stark naked form.

Henry's throat tightened, and it could be clear he was having a slight erection, his voice came out unsteady as his mind jumped to the worst possible conclusions. "Hey… who are you?" he asked, his words trembling as his heart raced.

The situation at hand was surreal and unsettling, his confusing and apprehension growing with each passing moment. Whatever answers she held, Henry wasn't sure he was ready to hear them, but that was the only way he could find out why he was brought here and how he is still alive.

The mysterious woman, identified and known as Lady Velvet, which Micheal and Mary also worked with as they had mentioned her name on most occasions moved gracefully across the room. With the help of the enigmatic Source before it finally disappeared, walked to the closet at the foot of the bed, her back turned to Henry, leaving his question unanswered. She paused for a moment before glancing back a sly smirk. Opening the closet, she pulled out a velvet-colored bathrobe and began to put it on.

Once dressed, she turned to face him snd his question, her smirk replaced by a neutral expression. "There are clothes in the lower drawer of the closet," she said flatly. "Put on something and head downstairs. I believe you have some questions that you want to be answered." Without waiting for a response, Lady is Velvet strode out of the room, leaving Henry alone to grapple with the surreal situation.

Henry sat on the edge of the bed, his thoughts spiraling. How was he still alive? His mind flickered to the idea of reincarnation, but he quickly dismissed it as nonsense—something confined to movies and novels. Reincarnation had no scientific basis, yet here he was, breathing, thinking, and existing in a body that felt entirely different from the one he'd known.

The sheer weight of confusion pressed down on him hard, each thought more overwhelming than the last. It was too much. Suddenly, an excruciating pain surged through the left side of his face, sharp and unrelenting.

"Agh!" he cried out, clutching his left eye as the pain intensified. He could feel something writhing beneath his skin, moving unnaturally around his eye. Panic and fear gripped him as he struggled to make sense of the sensation.

Desperate for answers, Henry forced himself up from the bed, stumbling toward the bathroom adjacent to the wardrobe. He barged in, his unsteady steps echoing in the spacious, luxurious room. Gripping the sink, he leaned forward and faced the mirror, reluctantly removing his hand from his face.

What he saw completely froze him in place. His reflection stared back at him, but it wasn't entirely his. The left eye glowed with an otherworldly light, pulsating with red energy. The sight sent chills down his spine and his blood ran completely cold. It was rhe same eye—the same Source—he had once rejected now greeting him.

[Good morning, Bearer of the Devil's Eye]

"How is this possible?..." Henry whispered, his voice trembling as dread consumed him.