Third Person's POV
They were gone, vanished without a trace.
While capturing the brute hostage, he had also searched the immediate area with his soul sense, but there were no signs of struggle, no blood, and no footprints that didn't belong to them.
Their small camp was exactly as it had been, with small bits of remnant firewood and totally empty.
That alone told him that something far stranger was at play here, and whatever had happened, it wasn't something he understood yet.
And if he was to uncover the truth, he would have to start somewhere—anywhere.
The stick-thin demon's bony brow lifted slightly at Ethan's demand, though his voice stayed even.
"And what's the guarantee," he asked, "that you will actually spare my friend's life?"
Ethan's lips tugged into a smirk, but there was no mirth in it, only a cold edge.
"There isn't one. You will have to gamble on my character."
