"If you want, I can follow them and find out their hideout while you focus on unsealing as many inner seals as possible," Fiona offered.

"Inner seals aren’t that simple," Shin replied, his voice tense. "I've already burned a lot of energy unlocking the outer ones. It'll take me at least 2 days to break through the inner seals properly. By then, the children... they’ll be sacrificed."

Fiona frowned, the gravity of the situation settling in. "Alright, then let's head to the police station. We can track him from there."

Shin shook his head, his focus sharpening. "He's not at the station anymore. He’s near Morville Beach."

Fiona gave him a sharp look. "How do you know that?"

"When I shook his hand, I enchanted a demon-tracking spell on him." Shin replied.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Won’t he sense it? A demon like him—"

"Relax," Shin interrupted. "He’s just mid-grade. He wouldn’t notice a higher-level spell."

Fiona hesitated, then nodded, ready to take off. "Fine, I’ll get there and—"

"Don’t bother," Shin cut in, stepping forward. "Teleportation will get us there faster. No point wasting energy running across the city."

Fiona's jaw tightened. "No, I’m not using your demonic spell. I can get there on my own." Her stubbornness flared, an instinctive resistance to the dark magic she still wasn’t comfortable with it.

Shin gave a quiet laugh, a smirk forming on his lips. "And you were the one preaching about teamwork just a while ago. Don’t worry, Fiona, it won’t mess with your ‘pure energy.'"

"I may be working with you, but I won’t participate in your demonic rituals," she shot back, starting to walk away. But Shin was quicker. He grabbed her hand, and in an instant, black smoke coiled around them. The world spun, the darkness enveloping them, and the next moment—

*Thud*

They landed on cold stone pavement, just steps away from the beach.

"You demonic wre—" Fiona growled, shaking free from Shin’s grip, her eyes flashing with rage.

"Shh." Shin silenced her with a finger to his lips, his gaze locked on something in the distance.

A police car was parked near the beach, it was a night before the new moon, the waning crescent moon was shining on the two figures standing, smoking and conversing casually, the sound of the waves were clearly audible even from afar. Shin heightened his hearing senses to catch their words.

"Chief, who do you think is behind the incident?" James asked, his voice low.

"I’m not sure yet, but they’ve got to be big players to pull something like that off," Wenton replied, exhaling smoke.

"No vehicles were caught on camera, no witnesses... it’s like that car just appeared out of thin air," James muttered, his tone uneasy.

"Yeah, well, some things are better left unexplained," Wenton said with a smirk. "But don’t worry about it too much, lad. You’re getting married next month, right? You should be thinking about that."

"Thanks, Chief, but it’s not next month—it’s two months away," James corrected with a chuckle.

"Ha, right. I’ve got too much on my plate to keep track of time these days. Speaking of, did that lunatic spill everything yet?"

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"You mean the guy from the abductions? Yeah, after you questioned him, he spilled everything. It was like you put him under a spell."

Wenton puffed out his chest. "These fists of mine work wonders when it comes to scaring the truth out of people."

James grinned but his expression darkened. "You must be worried about your daughter, Chief... she’s the same age as the victims."

Wenton’s smile faded slightly. "Yeah... I should probably head home. I need to see her face, make sure she’s safe."

With that, the two finished their cigarettes, climbed into the car, and drove off.

Shin released his hold on his heightened senses and turned to Fiona. "They must have used magic to keep themselves off the cameras."

"Even a low-grade demon could pull that off," Fiona said, folding her arms. "You think the portal they used had something to do with it?"

"Maybe. Do you still have those symbols you mentioned?"

"Yeah, I copied them down." She extended her arm, looking at all the symbols she etched on her skin.

"There must have been a sigil on top of that incantation can you explain me what does the sigil look like." Shin asked with a glint of fear on his face.

Fiona looked at her arm.

The sigil was a striking symbol with a central arrow pointing upward. Curved lines spiraled out from the sides, giving it a balanced yet complex look. At the bottom, sharp, angular shapes resembled anchors or tridents. The design had a mix of elegance and hidden power.

Fiona explained the sigil to Shin.

The fear which was inside Shin subsided and he gave a little sigh of relief.

"It's not the high-grade demon that I knew." Shin said with a bit of relief.

"You’ve already encountered a high-grade demon before?" Fiona’s curiosity spiked.

"Not now. We need to follow Wenton," Shin deflected, standing up.

Fiona eyed him suspiciously but let it slide. "Fine, let’s keep our distance and see where he goes."

They teleported near Wenton's home, hiding in the shadows as he arrived. His daughter, a small girl with wide eyes and an innocent smile, greeted him at the door.

"Dad, you’re back!" she exclaimed, running into his arms.

Wenton smiled—an expression that was almost painful to watch given what they knew was lurking beneath. "Look what I got for you, my little angel." He pulled out a doll set from his work bag.

"Wow! Thanks, Dad!" She hugged him tightly, her joy oblivious to the darkness around her.

Inside, they sat down for dinner, Wenton playing the role of a doting father. As they began to eat, his wife paused.

"Honey, we haven’t prayed yet," she reminded him gently. "You’ve never forgotten before. Tasha will pick up on that bad habit."

The demon inside Wenton was enraged, his fury barely contained, but he forced a smile. "Of course. Let’s pray."

It was a sickening charade, but he went through the motions, biding his time.

Later that night, as Wenton tucked Tasha into bed, she wrinkled her nose. "Dad, your stories are so boring. The villains always lose. It's lame."

He laughed, his tone warm but his eyes cold. "So, you like the bad guys, huh?"

"No, but why do the good guys always win?" she asked, her innocence shining through.

"Because in the end, the good guys are always stronger," he said, stroking her hair. "Now go to sleep, my little angel."

"Dad you're the strongest, so you’re a hero too," Tasha murmured, drifting into sleep.

Wenton closed the door behind him, his smile twisting into something far darker.

**Ha, a hero? When I will sacrifice you and those other trash, I’ll be more powerful than any of them.** He sneered inwardly, his demonic presence seething beneath the surface.

Morning came. Shin was awake, keeping watch while Fiona was resting they both took turns to keep a watch on Wenton, the sun was already up and Fiona too woke from her sleep.

"Anything?" Fiona asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Nothing yet," Shin replied.

"He’ll make his move tonight," Fiona said, stretching. "We should rest now and keep watch again later."

Shin wanted to argue but knew she was right. He nodded reluctantly.

Later, Wenton left his house for the police station, and Shin and Fiona followed him again in the noon after resting a bit in their home. They watched him throughout the day, but nothing unusual happened. Wenton performed his duties as a normal police chief, and no one noticed they were working alongside a demon.

That night, Wenton returned home from his day at the station, his routine unchanged. But as the night deepened, so did the atmosphere around the house. Shin and Fiona were already near his house keeping surveillance.

Suddenly, the sound of an engine revving filled the quiet street.

Fiona shot forward, following Wenton’s car as it sped into the fog-shrouded night. Shin prepared to teleport, keeping his senses sharp.

The car pulled up to an abandoned building.

"Father, I thought we were going to Burger Palace," Tasha said, confusion lacing her voice as she looked out the window.

"We are, sweetie," Wenton lied smoothly. "I just need to take care of something first. Oh, look—a cute dog."

"I’m not that little anymore, Dad," Tasha said with a frown, not falling for the distraction.

Wenton chuckled darkly. "No, I suppose you’re not." His hand shot out, fast as lightning, striking Tasha’s neck. She slumped unconscious in her seat.

Wenton’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Now that I’ve gathered all the pieces, it’s time to begin the ritual."