The Secrets of CHIAROSCURO (The Demon's Eye)

The café was as Joseph remembered it—quaint, tucked away on a quiet street corner, the perfect place to unwind after a long day. It had been a regular spot for him, David, and Lopez for years, a place where they could talk without the pressures of their world weighing down on them

Today, though, something felt off.

The three of them had barely exchanged words during the drive over, the tension from earlier still lingering in the air. Joseph parked the car, his mind racing with thoughts of Adam, the mysterious events happening around the city, and the shadowy threats he couldn't quite explain.

They took their usual table by the window, the golden hue of the late evening casting long shadows through the glass. The café's interior was bathed in a warm glow, and the soft hum of conversation around them should have been comforting, but Joseph couldn't shake the gnawing unease in his gut.

David was the first to break the silence, forcing a smile as he leaned back in his chair.

"Come on, man. You've been brooding all day. What's going on? Is it really just Adam? Or is it... something else?"

Lopez glanced between the two of them, her brows furrowed in concern.

"You've been different, Joseph. Ever since... well, ever since that night at your house."

Joseph's eyes darkened, his mind flashing back to the encounter with the demon general. The memory of the demon general's chilling words and past memories, its presence that had loomed over him like a dark cloud, still haunted him. He hadn't told them everything—how could he?

Before Joseph could respond, the world around them seemed to shift. The buzz of conversation from the other tables dimmed, the clinking of glasses and the sounds of laughter fading into an eerie silence.

Time had stopped.

The air grew heavy, thick with an unnatural tension. Joseph's breath hitched, his body instinctively tensing as a familiar, sinister presence made itself known.

The café's warm light seemed to flicker, and then, emerging from the shadows, the demon general appeared—his dark, menacing form towering over their table. His red eyes gleamed with a terrifying intensity, and his presence felt as though it sucked the very warmth from the room.

"You again… just when thought of the devil" Joseph muttered, his voice low and filled with anger.

David and Lopez, frozen in place, were oblivious to the creature's arrival. Only Joseph could see the demon general standing there, a twisted smirk on his face.

"So, we meet once more, Joseph," the demon said, his voice echoing unnaturally through Joseph's mind. "Still playing pretend among the humans, are we?"

Joseph's fists clenched under the table. "What do you want now?"

The demon leaned forward, his sharp features growing even more menacing. "A warning. These humans you so desperately cling to—they are their own worst enemy. Greed, jealousy, hatred... it festers within them, far worse than anything we demons could ever conjure."

Joseph's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

The demon's grin widened, revealing sharp, jagged teeth. "Humans betray each other for far less than power. They tear each other apart for money, for fame, for nothing more than a fleeting sense of superiority. They don't need monsters to destroy them—they do that well enough on their own."

His words hit something deep within Joseph. Memories of betrayal, the constant pressure, the way the world seemed to twist around those very vices the demon described, all came flooding back. And with them, the anger.

The demon continued, his voice like poison in Joseph's mind. "You think you can protect them? You think they deserve it? They'll turn on you in a heartbeat. Just like they've always turned on each other. Mark my words, Joseph—humans are worse than demons."

As Joseph's anger surged, fragments of a deeply buried memory clawed their way to the surface. The demon's words echoed in his mind, stirring emotions he'd long fought to suppress.

"Ahh Yes~ The heartbeat... once humans had also stopped the heart of your loved ones."

A face flickered in his thoughts—soft, kind, and distant. Someone who had once been the centre of his world. Joseph clenched his fists, trying to shake off the memory. He didn't want to go back there. Not now.

He had been young, too young to fully understand. But he remembered the warmth, the safety, the way she had always smiled at him despite the dangers of the world around them. It had been years, yet that warmth had been ripped away from him in a single, tragic moment.

The circumstances of her death were hazy, always kept from him. Joseph had asked questions, but the answers were always vague, avoided, as if the truth was too dangerous to reveal. The world had moved on, but for Joseph, the loss had become a scar, a constant reminder of how cruel people could be.

The demon's words twisted the knife. "Humans are worse than demons."

The anger that had been simmering within Joseph now flared, fuelled by the weight of the past. He knew humans were involved. He didn't know how, but he had felt it deep down all these years—there was more to her death than anyone would tell him. Those responsible had walked away free, leaving him alone in his grief.

The demon, sensing the storm building inside Joseph, smirked darkly. "Ah, yes… the pain of losing someone. Humans have a talent for turning on their own, don't they?"

Joseph's heart raced, the image of the woman's face flashing before his eyes again. Her laughter, her gentle hands, the way she had shielded him from the world's harshness. Now, it all felt like a dream—one that had been violently shattered, leaving him with nothing but rage and unanswered questions.

His blood, thick with his dual nature, pulsed through his veins, amplifying his strength and the fury that burned within him.

"You think they deserve your protection?" the demon's voice whispered again, insidious, and persistent. "They betray their own."

The final taunt pushed him over the edge. His hand slammed down on the table with a force that splintered the wood, cracking it clean in two. The sound echoed sharply through the café, pulling the world back into its ordinary rhythm.

Around him, time resumed, but for Joseph, the past and present were now tangled together, bound by a fury he could barely control. The crowd's whispers and curious stares faded into the background, but in his mind, that face—the woman who had been everything to him—remained. His questions about her death were no closer to being answered, and his anger, once controlled, now simmered dangerously close to the surface.

David and Lopez flinched as the table shattered, both jolting in their seats. Around them, every head in the café turned to stare. The conversations that had once filled the room died immediately, replaced by the heavy silence of disbelief.

Joseph, breathing hard, realized what he'd done. His hand was still pressed into the broken table, his knuckles white, the raw strength of his outburst undeniable. He glanced around, seeing the shocked and confused faces of the café's patrons. Whispers began to spread through the crowd, voices rising as they recognized him.

"That's him," a voice hissed from a nearby table. "He's the guy from the news!"

"He broke the table with his bare hands?" another murmured.

The crowd's curiosity quickly turned into something more sinister. People pulled out their phones, snapping pictures, recording videos. Joseph could feel the pressure building, the walls closing in as more and more patrons stood from their seats, their eyes wide with fascination and fear.

Lopez, her eyes darting around the room, leaned in and whispered urgently, "We need to get out of here. Now."

David, already on his feet, nodded in agreement. "Come on, Joseph. Let's go before this gets worse."

But the café's patrons weren't giving them an easy escape. The crowd began to circle them, cameras flashing, eager whispers turning into a low buzz of excitement. Someone was shouting for answers. Others were just filming, hoping to capture the next viral sensation.

Joseph's heart raced. The demon's words echoed in his mind, taunting him.

"They'll turn on you... Just like they always do."

With David and Lopez at his side, Joseph pushed through the crowd, his mind reeling as the café's patrons closed in from all directions. They managed to reach the door, practically running to the car.

David takes the driving seat and Lopez with Joseph on back seat, as they drove off Joseph glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. His eyes were still faintly red, the anger from earlier simmering beneath the surface. The demon's warning echoed in his mind as the city lights blurred past them.

The world outside seemed normal again. But nothing about this night felt normal.

As the city lights blurred past them, Joseph could not shake the feeling that things were about to get far worse.

To be Continued...