Dreyl hated school.
Not because of the homework, the uniforms, or the constant stares—but because normalcy was the biggest lie in his life.
He sat at the back of the classroom, chin resting on his palm, pretending to listen to the history teacher drone on about ancient wars. His desk was covered in doodles and faded burn marks from days he'd "accidentally" lost control of his powers.
Yumi sat three rows ahead.
He tried not to stare too long—but her smile from earlier that week still haunted his thoughts like a curse sweeter than any fate. She'd asked him out. Him. The cursed son of Hell. And somehow, she hadn't screamed or run.
"Oi," came a whisper.
Dreyl turned.
It was Renji. Again. Bandaged from their last run-in. Still cocky.
"Word is, you're cursed," Renji sneered. "People talk, Sakashita. Possessed girls, broken windows, freaky red eyes... they say you're a demon."
Dreyl smiled darkly.
"They say I broke your jaw too. Want a round two?"
Renji recoiled slightly, but masked it with bravado. "Careful. One day someone's gonna put you down."
"Line starts behind you," Dreyl muttered.
Before Renji could retort, the bell rang. Lunch.
Dreyl stood, already scanning the room for Yumi. She was waiting at the door, a tiny wave just for him.
His heart thumped.
He met her near the lockers, doing his best to look cool and failing miserably.
"Hey," Yumi said brightly. "Still up for lunch?"
"Totally," Dreyl said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I mean, yeah. Let's go."
They walked side by side, down the path toward the nearby café she'd suggested. Normal. Calm. For once, he felt like a teenager, not a ticking time bomb.
But halfway there, Dreyl paused.
The Fatebreaker in his pocket pulsed. Once. Twice.
He glanced around. No sign of danger. No eerie voices.
Yet.
Meanwhile…
Viper stood in a dark alley behind the school. His whip hissed softly in his hand like it was hungry.
The girl from the courtyard—the one who'd been possessed—was standing perfectly still in front of him. Alone. Unmoving. Pupils wide. Not blinking.
"She followed me," he muttered, fangs half-bared. "Or... something followed her."
He approached slowly.
"You got a message, freakshow? Or is this some discount Exorcist crap?"
The girl suddenly smiled.
But it wasn't her smile.
"The fire will fall."
Her mouth didn't move.
The air behind her shimmered—distorted—and something stepped out of the shadow.
A figure cloaked in robes of smoke and bone. Masked. Holding a staff with a burning eye embedded at its top.
Viper raised his weapon instantly.
"Now we're talkin'."
The figure didn't flinch. Instead, it pointed the staff—and time slowed. A pulse shot toward Viper like gravity collapsing.
Viper rolled sideways, slammed against the brick wall, but managed to land on his feet.
"You cult freaks are getting bolder," he growled.
The masked figure whispered something ancient. The possessed girl collapsed.
And then the figure vanished.
But not before leaving a mark.
Burned into the alley wall—an emblem of a serpent strangling a flame.
Viper stared, breathing heavy.
"The Coils," he muttered. "They're coming faster than we thought."
He vanished in a blur of motion.
Back at the café…
Yumi was laughing. Dreyl couldn't believe how easy she made things feel. No cults. No dice. Just smiles and tea.
But as she leaned closer to him, her eyes briefly shimmered.
Gold.
Just for a second.
And Dreyl's heart stopped.
Not her too…
But she blinked—and everything looked normal again.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
Dreyl forced a smile. "Nah. Just… thought I saw something."
A single word flashed across the Fatebreaker.
"RUN."
"...Huh?" Dreyl muttered to himself. A bit too loud for Yumi to hear his confusion.
"You ok?"
Dreyl looked up. And gave a false smile.
"Yeah! Of course, I'm fine!"
But he really wasn't.
He just sensed a presence.
And it felt worse than last time.
Much worse.
Just then, Viper came crashing through the window in the cafe, that Dreyl and Yumi were seated.
Dreyl shot up out of his seat.
Then realized that he can't make a thing of this.
Becasue of Yumi.
"Yumi! Get out of here!"
"Ok! But what about you?"
Dreyl smirked. And adjusted his jacket.
"I'll be fine."
Yumi ran out of the cafe. Just like everyone else. All that remained was Dreyl and Viper. And that faint presence.
"Who's the girl?" asked Viper. Knowing.
"Not now."
Viper stood up. Broken glass surrounding him. He dusts himself clean.
"What sent you flying then?" Dreyl asked.
Viper chuckled. And looked at Dreyl.
"I'll say this... We're dealing with a crazy one."
Dreyl's jaw tightened.
"Define crazy."
Viper flexed his shoulders, rolling out the tension from his crash landing.
"Picture this—robed freak with a staff that bends time. Not slows it down, bends it. Like reality's just putty in his hands."
"Time manipulation?" Dreyl's hand instinctively moved to the Fatebreaker.
"That's... new."
"Gets better," Viper continued, his serpentine eyes scanning the empty café.
"Left behind a calling card. Serpent strangling a flame. Ring any bells?"
Dreyl's blood went cold.
"The Coils of Kaen."
"Bingo." Viper's whip coiled around his arm.
"And they're not playing games anymore. This wasn't some low-level grunt—this was a Flame Keeper."
The name hit Dreyl like a punch to the gut. Flame Keepers were the Coils' elite. The kind of operatives who could level city blocks without breaking a sweat. The kind his father would send when he was done being patient.
"How many?" Dreyl asked.
"Just one. For now." Viper's grin was all fangs.
"But here's the kicker—it wasn't hunting me. It was watching you."
Dreyl's stomach dropped.
Through the shattered window, he could see Yumi standing across the street, looking back at the café with concern. She hadn't run far. She was waiting for him.
"It's escalating," Dreyl muttered.
"First the possessed students, now this. Dad's getting impatient."
"Your old man wants you home that bad?"
"He wants his heir." Dreyl's voice turned bitter.
"The throne of Hell isn't exactly something you can pass down through a will. It requires... willing succession."
Viper snorted.
"And you're not willing."
"Would you be?" Dreyl shot back.
"I didn't ask to be born the Devil's son. I didn't ask for any of this."
The Fatebreaker pulsed again, stronger this time. Dreyl pulled it from his pocket—the ancient die glowing with hellish red light. Numbers shifted across its surface like living things, never settling on any one result.
"It's trying to tell me something," Dreyl said.
"Yeah? What's it say?"
Before Dreyl could answer, the temperature in the café plummeted. Their breath became visible. The broken glass on the floor began to frost over.
"Aw, hell," Viper groaned.
The shadows in the corners of the room began to writhe and stretch. Something was coming through—not physically, but spiritually. A presence so cold and vast that it made the air itself feel heavy.
And then a voice spoke.
Not heard, but felt in their bones.
"My son."
Dreyl's hands shook.
"Dad."
The shadows coalesced into a vague humanoid shape—tall, imposing, with eyes like burning stars. It wasn't really the Devil, just a projection, but the power radiating from it made Viper take an involuntary step back.
"You've been difficult to reach," the voice continued, amused but with an edge of steel.
"Screening your calls, as it were."
"I've been busy," Dreyl said, forcing his voice to stay steady.
"Playing house with mortals. Pretending to be something you're not."
The shadow-figure gestured toward the window where Yumi still waited.
"Tell me, does she know what you really are?"
Dreyl's jaw clenched.
"Leave her out of this."
"She's already in it, boy. The moment you chose to involve yourself with her, you dragged her into our world."
The Devil's laugh filled the space like the sound of ice cracking.
"Golden eyes, wasn't it? Such a lovely shade."
Dreyl's heart stopped.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing. Yet." The presence seemed to lean closer.
"But the Coils are growing restless. They believe killing you will send a message to Hell's hierarchy. Prove that even the Devil's bloodline isn't untouchable."
"So stop them," Dreyl said.
"Why would I do that?" The Devil's amusement was palpable.
"They're doing exactly what I need them to do. Pushing you toward home. Toward your destiny."
Viper stepped forward, his courage finally overriding his survival instincts.
"You're using your own son as bait."
The shadow-figure turned toward him, and Viper immediately regretted speaking.
"Careful, little serpent. You exist because I allow it."
But Dreyl stepped between them.
"Don't. He's with me."
"Yes, I noticed. Another stray you've collected."
The Devil's attention returned to Dreyl.
"This charade ends now. Come home, take your place, and I'll call off the Coils. Refuse..."
The shadow gestured toward the window again.
Yumi was still there, but now she was staring directly at them. Her eyes were glowing gold.
"And everyone you care about pays the price."
The projection began to fade, but the Devil's final words echoed in the growing darkness:
"The Flame Keepers are just the beginning, my son. Next time, I send the Throne Guard."
The shadows vanished.
The temperature returned to normal.
The café fell silent except for the sound of settling glass.
Dreyl stood frozen, staring at the window where Yumi waited with those unnatural golden eyes.
"Well," Viper said after a long moment.
"That was fun."
Dreyl's hand tightened around the Fatebreaker. The die had finally settled on a number.
One.
The worst possible roll.
"We're screwed," he whispered.
Outside, Yumi smiled and waved.
But it wasn't her smile anymore.
It was his father's.