In one of the deeper, torch-lit cells beneath the mansion, Max grinned wickedly as he stared at the monstrous figure locked behind thick steel bars. Rex, the demon hound, stood tall in its full, hulking size, its muscles rippling beneath its leathery skin, nearly brushing the cell's low, stone ceiling. Its eyes glowed an eerie red, fixed on Max with a gaze filled with rage and hunger. It bared its jagged teeth, grinning like it longed to rip him limb from limb. But it couldn't, not here.
This was a demon domain, a space where only Max and his friends could use their power, but not everyone else. Rex's claws couldn't so much as scratch the enchanted metal that made up its cage.
"Here, eat this, big boy! I promise you'll love it!" Max taunted, tossing a blood-dripping thigh of meat into the cell.
Rex didn't even look at the meat. He growled instead, a guttural roar that echoed off the damp stone walls of the underground chamber.
