Chapter 7

The battlefield was alive with shadows and flame. I stood in the thick of it, my body moving in perfect synchronicity with the darkness swirling around me. Demons clashed and screamed, their blood staining the air as swords clanged and spells crackled with energy. The ground shook beneath the weight of our war, and Hell itself seemed to roar in fury.

Lucian had sent me here, as always. This fight was for him—a show of power, a reminder of who reigned supreme in Hell’s twisted hierarchy. And me? I was the sword that cut down any who dared defy Lucian’s will.

A vicious grin curled across my lips as I slammed an opponent into the ground with a surge of shadow. The Infernians had tried to challenge Lucian’s territory, foolishly thinking their forces could overwhelm us. They were wrong.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent the shadows slicing through another demon’s throat. Blood sprayed across the battlefield, and I was already moving, already anticipating the next strike. The high of battle coursed through my veins—pure, unbridled adrenaline.

A hulking demon charged at me from the side, roaring with fury. I sidestepped the beast with inhuman speed, letting it stumble past before plunging my blade into its back. The demon howled, collapsing to its knees before I twisted the blade and ripped it free.

The scent of sulfur and death filled the air, thick and suffocating. I reveled in it.

“Is that all you’ve got?” I snarled, scanning the battlefield for my next target.

As I tore through the ranks of Infernian soldiers, a piercing shriek cut through the air. I whirled around to see a massive, winged demon descending from the blood-red sky, its talons gleaming in the hellfire light.

“Ah, finally,” I growled, a wicked grin spreading across my face. “A real challenge.”

The beast landed with an earth-shattering crash, sending lesser demons flying. Its eyes, burning like twin suns, locked onto me. I could feel the raw power emanating from it in waves.

“Come on then,” I taunted, twirling my blade. “Let’s dance.”

The winged demon roared, spewing a torrent of acid-green flame in my direction. I dove to the side, rolling across the scorched ground as the fire melted everything in its path. The acrid smell of burning flesh and sulfur filled my nostrils.

I sprang to my feet, shadows coiling around my arms like living armor. With a thought, I sent a barrage of shadow spikes hurtling towards the beast. They struck true, embedding themselves in its thick hide, but the demon barely flinched.

It charged, moving with impossible speed for its size. I leapt, using my shadows to propel me higher than any mortal could jump. As I sailed over its head, I slashed downward, my blade biting deep into the creature’s neck.

The demon howled in pain and fury, whirling around faster than I anticipated. Its tail, lined with razor-sharp spikes, caught me mid-air. The impact sent me flying across the battlefield, crashing through the ranks of warring demons.

I hit the ground hard, tasting blood in my mouth. Pain lanced through my body, but I pushed it aside. There was no time for weakness.

The winged demon was already airborne, diving towards me with lethal intent. I waited until the last possible second before rolling away, feeling the rush of displaced air as its claws gouged the earth where I’d been lying.

In one fluid motion, I was on my feet, my free hand thrust forward. Tendrils of shadow shot out, wrapping around the demon’s wings. With a grunt of effort, I yanked hard, using the beast’s momentum against it.

The demon crashed into the ground, its wings crumpling beneath it. Before it could recover, I was on it, my blade a blur of motion as I hacked and slashed at any vulnerable spot I could find.

But the beast wasn’t finished. It thrashed violently, throwing me off. As I stumbled back, it reared up on its hind legs, spreading its mangled wings wide. The air crackled with energy as it summoned a maelstrom of hellfire around itself.

I gritted my teeth, feeling the heat sear my skin even from a distance. This was it – the final push. I gathered every ounce of strength I had left, channeling it into my shadows.

The demon unleashed its inferno just as I released my attack. Shadow and flame collided in a cataclysmic explosion that shook the very foundations of Hell. The shockwave rippled across the battlefield, incinerating lesser demons and sending others fleeing in terror.

For a moment, everything was chaos and blinding light. Then, as the dust settled, I stood alone amidst the carnage. The winged demon lay at my feet, its once-mighty form reduced to a smoldering husk.

I raised my blade, still dripping with demon blood, and let out a victorious roar that echoed across the hellscape. The remaining Infernians, seeing their champion fall, turned tail and ran.

As the last echoes of battle faded, I surveyed the destruction around me. The field was littered with demon corpses, the ground soaked with blood and ichor. And at the center of it all stood me – battered, bleeding, but undefeated.

It should’ve felt like victory. It was victory. The Infernians were falling back, their forces retreating, bloodied and beaten. I had done what Lucian had asked—I’d won the battle.

But as the adrenaline started to fade, the ache in my muscles grew more pronounced. My shadows flickered, struggling to maintain their form. My chest heaved, lungs burning as I forced myself to take steady breaths.

I was… tired.

Too tired.

I wiped the blood from my blade, my eyes scanning the battlefield as the few remaining demons fled. It was over. The fight was won. But the rush of triumph I usually felt was absent. Instead, there was an emptiness, a gnawing hunger that clawed at my insides.

I frowned, clenching my fist as I tried to summon my shadows. They responded sluggishly, barely a whisper of their usual strength. My energy reserves were dangerously low. Too low for comfort.

“Getting soft, Caspian?” Lucian’s voice echoed from behind me, cutting through the chaos like a blade. “Or is your little distraction making you weak?”

I didn’t turn to face him, didn’t rise to the bait. I was too drained to care about Lucian’s taunts right now.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, sheathing my blade. “The battle’s over.”

Lucian chuckled, his voice dripping with amusement. “For now. But we both know this war is far from finished.” He stepped closer, his smirk audible in his voice. “You should feed, Caspian. It wouldn’t do for my prized weapon to lose its edge.”

My jaw tightened. I didn’t need Lucian’s reminder. I already knew I was running on fumes, and the bond humming in the back of my mind was impossible to ignore now. It had been subtle before, just a whisper, but now… it was pulling at me. Tugging at my consciousness like a beacon.

“I’ll feed when I’m ready,” I replied tersely.

Lucian laughed, a low, rumbling sound that grated on my nerves. “Of course you will. But don’t wait too long. We wouldn’t want you… distracted.”

I resisted the urge to snap back. I knew what Lucian was getting at. The bond with Daphne was an enigma, one I hadn’t fully figured out yet. But now, more than ever, I needed to feed, and there was only one person who could give me the energy I craved.

Without another word, I turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Lucian’s mocking laughter behind.

My destination was already clear.

It was time to feed.