Rain fell in thin sheets over Little Whinging, turning streetlights into smudges of orange. Elias stepped into the night, hood pulled low, breath coming in uneven clouds.
Every instinct screamed at him to run the other way.
Not toward the demon.Not toward danger.Not toward the thing hunting him.
But the system's flare pulsed again:
[DEMONIC SIGNATURE: CLOSE]Distance: 19 metersTarget: You (Primary)
Elias's throat tightened.
He didn't want anyone else drawn in—especially not Hermione.
He swallowed hard and whispered,"Show me."
A map flickered to life in the corner of his vision—a ghostly outline of streets and buildings.
A blot of inky black moved along a wall two blocks away—slithering instead of walking,dripping instead of stepping.
The demon.
Elias's heart crashed against his ribs.
"Okay," he breathed shakily. "Okay. I can do this. I did it before."
But last time had been instinct.A miracle.A flare of holy panic.
This time, he had to be in control.
He walked faster.
His breath fogged in the air.Lights flickered as he passed under them, reacting to the unstable mix of holy power and arcane energy inside him.
The demon paused, twitching, as if sniffing for him.
Elias ducked into an alley, gripping his hands tightly together.
"System," he whispered. "How do I… how do I push the light out?"
[HOLY PERCEPTION: ACTIVE]Calm your breathing.Focus on the point between your heart and your throat.The fire will answer if your intent is clear.
It sounded simple.
It wasn't.
His breaths came too quick.His hands shook.His vision swam.
The demon's whisper curled around the corner of the building—cold, reaching, hungry:
"…there you are…"
A shiver ran through Elias's spine.
He forced his breathing to slow.In through his nose.Out through his mouth.
His heart hammered.
"Light," he whispered. "Come out. Please."
A faint warmth stirred in his chest.
Then footsteps splashed on the pavement.
Not demonic.
Human.
A girl's voice—small but irritated:
"Honestly, why do streetlights always go out when I walk under them?"
Elias's blood froze.
Hermione.
She stepped out from under an umbrella, a thick raincoat on, hugging a book protectively beneath the fabric. Her steps were quick—half jogging toward the main road.
Right into the demon's path.
Elias felt the system pulse a warning:
[ANCHOR SIGNATURE DETECTED]Hermione Granger: In RangeEmotional Stability: HighMagical Potential: HighRisk: IMMINENT
"NO—"
The demon surged toward her.
Elias didn't think.
He shot forward, holy fire bursting under his skin like a heartbeat misfiring.
He grabbed Hermione's wrist and yanked her backward just as a dark blur scraped across the pavement she'd been standing on.
She stumbled, wide-eyed.
"Wha—?! Who—? Get off me!"
She raised her book like a weapon.
Even terrified, she was logical.
Elias hissed, "Don't move—"
A shadow detached itself from the wall.Spindly limbs stretching.Mouth splitting without shape.
"…hungry…"
Hermione froze, breath catching in her throat.
She couldn't see it.Couldn't hear it.
But she felt something—a cold crawling wrongness sliding over her senses.
Her voice trembled."W-what is that?"
Elias pushed her behind him.
"Nothing," he lied. "Just—run. Please."
But she didn't.
Of course she didn't.
Her fear sharpened into confusion.Confusion into calculation.
"But the streetlight— The cold— Why can't I see it—?"
Elias didn't answer.
The demon lunged.
This time, Elias didn't wait for instinct.
He stepped forward, sparks flickering behind his eyes.
"Light—"
He pressed his palms together.
"—come out."
A pulse of golden heat burst from his chest, racing through his limbs to his fingertips. His hair flashed white. Rain evaporated midair around him.
The demon screamed—a sound Hermione couldn't hearbut felt like a spike of pressure behind her eyes.
Golden fire erupted from Elias's hands, slicing through the dark mass like sunlight through fog.
The demon convulsed—light boiling through its formuntil it burst apart into drifting ash.
Hermione gasped, stumbling backward, nearly slipping on the wet pavement.
Elias sagged to his knees.
His breath came in ragged heaves.His glow dimmed.The power flickered out.
Hermione stared at the boy in front of her—
Small.Drenched.Shaking.
But his hair…His eyes…
"Your eyes," she whispered. "They were… glowing."
Elias stiffened.
He couldn't tell her anything.
He opened his mouth—
A sharp crack echoed down the alley.
Hermione flinched.
Elias froze.
Footsteps.
Measured.Cold.Controlled.
Then a figure stepped into view—tall, dark robes soaking in the rain, hair plastered to his face.
Black eyes gleamed like polished obsidian.
Professor Severus Snape.
He looked from Eliasto the scorch mark on the groundto Hermioneand back again.
His voice was low.
"What," he said,"exactly… was that?"
Hermione's mouth worked soundlessly.
Elias swallowed hard.
Snape's gaze locked onto him—not with hatred,not with anger,
but with something far more wary.
Recognition.Fear.And curiosity sharp enough to cut stone.
Elias whispered, barely audible:
"…I didn't mean for anyone to see."
Snape's eyes narrowed.
"Oh," he murmured softly,"but I see you, boy."
He stepped forward.
"And I will find out what you are."