Modern World Warlock

When Megan pointed her pistol at Sabelio, the old man was momentarily confused until she took down her hood to reveal her face.

"You…!" Sabelio said with anger, grinding his teeth.

"Do you know who I am?" Megan asked, her expression cold and her gaze piercing.

"How could I not? You are a carbon copy of 'him'..." the old man replied.

"You are just as stubborn as them. If Alan had simply listened to me…!" he continued.

"Why would my grandfather listen to you?" Megan cut him off.

"You ended up betraying him and proving him right… You are an insect that doesn't deserve to be in the mafia," she said, her expression still cold and unwavering.

"Girl… You and your ancestors are too naive," Sabelio muttered in response.

"You don't know the threats looming over Novis—This is the only way to protect it!" the man shouted.

Megan couldn't comprehend the man's words, as it made no sense to her how summoning a powerful demon would protect the city.

She thought about ending Sabelio's life right there, but she was curious about what made him take such drastic measures.

Surprisingly, the old man seemed open in sharing, saying that it had all started twenty years ago when Megan was just a baby.

Alan Dunlap was the leader of the Jade Dragons at the time, and he was known all throughout the country since his deeds genuinely made the city of Novis one of the best in the whole world.

Sabelio worked closely with Alan, acting as his right-hand man for a long time. He was a passionate man who had a deep love for his city, so working with Alan was the most fulfilling thing he could do.

One day, there was an event known as the Stellar Reunion, where the handlers of the Stellar families would meet in one place to discuss their affairs.

The leaders of the main four mafia families were also invited to these meetings, so Alan attended with Sabelio and Camille's grandmother, the Winter handler at the time.

During that meeting, Sabelio realized that their strength was lacking compared to the other three mafia groups, and the man felt threatened—especially when he saw one specific person who made his skin crawl.

On the other hand, Alan didn't seem worried at all, which made Sabelio get somewhat angry at him, saying that he wasn't looking at the big picture.

"You worry too much, Sabelio… There is no reason for us to fight them," Alan said after hearing the old man's concerns.

Still, Sabelio couldn't get the idea of them going to war with another mafia family out of his head, knowing that they would be extinguished if it happened.

One rainy night, Sabelio decided to take a stroll along the empty streets when a man spoke to him from an alley.

"You are Sabelio, correct?" The mysterious man asked.

Sabelio realized that it was a member of the Onyx Cartel, one of the four mafia groups, which was supported by the Summer family.

"What do you want?" Sabelio asked, displeased with seeing one of them in their territory.

"I bring a message," the stranger replied, taking out a thick book from his bag.

Sabelio grabbed the book skeptically and noticed that it had no title—it was just a tome with no description.

Before he could ask what the contents of the book were, Sabelio was grabbed from behind and knocked unconscious.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself tied to a chair in a dark room with members of the Onyx Cartel sitting around him.

Sabelio didn't have a single scratch or bruise on his body, which surprised him momentarily before getting his attention caught by the eerie presence in front of him.

"What the hell happened to you, Darius?" Sabelio asked the mysterious figure.

As Darius stepped out of the shadows, the bandages that covered his body became fully visible to Sabelio, who carefully scrutinized the man.

However, when he gazed at his uncovered glowing eyes, he felt a chill down his spine and an overwhelming sense of horror.

At that moment, Sabelio was given two options:

He could get twenty years to become the leader of the Jade Dragons, or the Onyx Cartel would forcefully take their position from them.

Sabelio didn't understand why they were going to such lengths, as those threats could create animosity with the other mafia families.

"We are giving you the tools to complete the job…" Darius said, his voice deep and intimidating.

The old man kept telling Megan the story, which everyone at Camille's tower could hear through her microphone, leaving everyone silent as they paid close attention.

"So, then what? You decided to summon demons and kill everyone to save yourself?" Megan asked, her aim not budging an inch from the man.

"NO!" Sabelio shouted.

During the night that he was kidnapped by the Onyx Cartel, he saw 'something' that made the man so scared that he couldn't refuse their task.

"I told Alan to listen to me—we could have all saved ourselves!" Sabelio said, speaking loudly and desperately.

"Your father was the same… They couldn't see the true danger!" he continued, his anger apparent.

"What did you see!? What was in the book!?" Megan asked, yelling out her questions with a commanding tone.

"Aaarghh. Shut it!" Sabelio answered with an altered war cry, releasing a wave of umbra that was clearly visible to Megan.

The brunette was a bit surprised at the fact that she could see Sabelio's umbra, as it was only meant to be visible when it was highly condensed.

Sharpening her gaze, Megan understood that the old man wasn't as frail as he looked, pulling on her trigger several times.

However, the bullets stopped abruptly mere centimeters away from Sabelio, suspended in the air for a few seconds before dropping to the ground, making the old man straighten his back.

As he seemed much taller, he opened his robe to reveal the repulsive protuberance on his chest, beating to the rhythm of his heart.

Sabelio had a few hairs on his head, and his face could barely be recognized as a human. Moreover, his slightly deformed body seemed to be caused by the demon's heart beating loudly in his chest.