[Abandoned Warehouse - Suburb, Morning]
This old warehouse was once a textile factory—now it was just an empty concrete frame with broken windows and a leaking roof. It was perfect for what Raven needed: privacy and space to wreak havoc without consequence.
he stood in the middle of the cavernous space, his breath puffing in the cool morning air. Sunlight streamed through a hole in the roof, illuminating the floating dust.
"Wake up early," Azaelith's voice echoed in his head, its tone sharp. "You have 48 hours before the Spirit Tamer finds us. There's no time to waste."
Raven rolled his shoulders, warming up. His body felt different. Lighter. Stronger. Like some dormant energy was waiting to be released.
"Where to start?" he asked.
Azaelith manifested—a translucent figure appeared in front of him, standing with perfect posture, her hands behind her back like a military instructor.
"From the basics. Control."
[PHASE 1: STRENGTH CONTROL - 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM]
Azaelith pointed to a pile of bricks in the corner of the warehouse—leftover construction materials.
"Pick one up," she ordered.
Raven walked over and picked up a brick. His fingers touched the rough surface—
CRACK.
The brick shattered into pieces in his hand.
Raven looked at his hand, then at the broken bricks on the floor.
"Fuck."
"Exactly," Azaelith said, unsympathetically. "Your strength is now five times that of a normal human. But your brain is still calibrated for the old powers. Every movement, every touch—you have to relearn."
She pointed to the pile again. "Again. And this time, slowly."
Raven took a breath and approached the second brick. This time with awareness—his fingers touched it very carefully, like touching an egg.
Lift it slowly.
The brick lifted intact.
She smiled faintly.
"Don't celebrate yet," Azaelith interrupted. "Now throw it at the wall—but don't break the brick. Control the trajectory and power."
Raven stared at the wall 10 meters ahead. Gauging the distance. Adjusting the grip.
Throw.
The brick shot out—too fast—and hit the wall with a loud bang, shattering into dust.
"Again."
Two hours passed.
Raven sat on the concrete floor, sweat soaking his shirt. All around him—shards of brick, impact marks on the wall, his hands shaking slightly from the effort.
But in front of him—three bricks neatly arranged. Intact. He had managed to lift, move, and place them without breaking them.
Progress.
"Better," Azaelith said, her tone slightly softer. "You're learning fast. But this is just physical. Now..."
Her translucent figure walked to the center of the room.
"mobility."
[PHASE 2: DEMON STEP - 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM]
Azaelith pointed to a spot on the floor—5 meters from Raven.
"Demon Step. Instant movement over short distances. Maximum range 5 meters. Cooldown 2 minutes. Limitation: You must clearly see the target location."
Raven stood up. "How do I do it?"
"Feel the energy within you. The contract marking on your back—it's not just a symbol. It's the gateway to my power. Focus on the marking. Feel its warmth. Then—"
Azaelith's figure disappeared—and reappeared 3 meters to the left.
"Push."
Raven closed his eyes. Focused. Feeling the marking on her back—warm, beating like a second heart. he visualized the spot on the floor Azaelith had indicated.
Then pushed.
A strange sensation—like the world folding. Like reality glitching for a split second.
he opened his eyes.
Still in the same spot.
"Again," Azaelith said, patient but firm.
Fifth attempt.
Raven focused again. The marking felt hotter now—like it was responding to her intent. he visualized the spot. Breathe. Push—
Reality blink.
he felt gravity disappear for an instant, then return.
And he was standing at the target spot.
5 meters from her starting position.
Instant.
His breath hitched—not from exhaustion, from pure adrenaline. he had just teleported.
"Good," Azaelith's voice sounded behind him—he turned, and a translucent figure stood there with a hint of a smile. "Now you know the feeling. But again—two-minute cooldown. Use it too soon, and the marking will overload and you'll be stuck."
"What happens if you get stuck?"
"Best case: you can't teleport for a few hours. Worst case: you're stuck in between spaces—half here, half nowhere."
Raven stared at her. "Are you kidding?"
"No. Don't overuse."
[Lunch Break - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM]
Raven sat on the floor, eating the onigiri she brought—convenience store food, cold and tasteless. But calories are calories.
Azaelith's manifest sat across from him, though she wasn't eating. She didn't need to. She was just observing.
"Question," Raven said between bites.
"Ask"
"Why are you so strict? Aren't we partners?"
Azaelith stared at him with intense red eyes.
"Because a weak partner is useless. And a dead partner is even more useless."
Silence.
"I didn't survive thousands of years by being soft, Raven. I survived because I'm strong. Ruthless. And I need you to be the same—because if you die, I'll be trapped in the void again."
"The Void?"
"Where we existed before the contract. Timeless darkness. Without sensation. Just nothing." Her expression—for the first time—showed something other than confidence. "I don't want to go back there."
Raven nodded slowly. "So this is survival for both of us."
"Exactly."
They were silent again. The only sound was the wind through the broken window.
"Continue," Raven said, standing. "What's next?"
Azaelith smiled—genuinely this time.
"Fire."
[PHASE 3: DEMON FLAME - 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM]
Raven stood in the center of the room, arms outstretched in front of him. Azaelith stood beside him, instructing.
"Demon Flame is no ordinary fire. It's a manifestation of demonic energy—it burns both physically and spiritually. It can hurt humans and spirits alike."
"How do you summon?"
"Same as Demon Step. Focus on the marking. But this time, instead of pushing... pull. Draw the energy out. Channel it through your hands."
Raven focused. The marking on his back heated up. He visualized energy flowing—from his back, through his shoulders, down his arms, out his palms.
Pull.
His right hand burned—literally.
Black-red flames appeared, enveloping his fingers like a glove. It wasn't hot—to him. But the air around him vibrated with heat.
Raven stared at his hand with pure fascination. The flames moved as if alive, waving despite the lack of wind.
"Control intensity," Azaelith said. "Imagine a dial. Turn it up for stronger, turn it down for subtlety."
Raven concentrated. The fire grew—flames rose half a meter, glowing bright red. Then he turned it down—flames shrank to tiny flickers at his fingertips.
"Good. Now throw."
She pointed at a metal trash can 7 meters away.
Raven formed a ball of fire in his palm—compressing the flames into a baseball-sized sphere. Then he threw.
The fireball shot out—a black-red trail through the air—hitting the can.
WHOOSH.
Flames exploded, enveloping the can in seconds. The metal melted, turning red, then black, then ash. Gone was nothing.
Raven stared at his hand. The power to destroy something completely at his fingertips.
"Impressive," Azaelith said, and for once, she sounded genuinely impressed. "But there's a price."
Raven felt it now—exhaustion creeping. Like stamina draining. The marking on his back felt sore.
Overused.
"How long can I maintain it?"
"Depends. Small flames—a few minutes. Full power bursts like earlier—30 seconds tops before you collapse. And Holy energy—"
"Weakness," Raven interrupted.
"Yes. If you're exposed to Holy energy while using Demon Flame, the flames will backfire. Burn you from within."
Raven nodded, making a mental note. "Avoid priests and churches. Got it."
[PHASE 4: SPIRITUAL AWARENESS - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM]
The sun was starting to set. Orange light streamed in through the window, casting long shadows.
Azaelith stood before Raven, serious.
"This is the most important thing. You now exist in two worlds—physical and spiritual. But your eyes are still limited to the physical. You need to learn to see."
"See what?"
"Spirit. Energy. Aura. The world beyond the world."
She stepped closer, touching Raven's forehead—a transparent finger somehow solid enough to touch.
"Close your eyes."
Raven complied.
"Forget physical senses. Your eyes lie. The world is more than what is visible. Focus on the marking. Let it guide you. Feel the energy around you. Signatures. Pulses. Presences."
Raven focused. In the darkness, he sensed something.
Like ripples in the water. Like heartbeats in the distance.
"That's me," Azaelith whispered. "My energy. Demonic, strong, ancient. Do you feel it?"
"Yes," Raven breathed. "Like a bass drum. Heavy."
"Good. Now expand your awareness. 10-meter radius. What do you feel?"
Raven pushed his senses outward—like invisible radar.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Then something.
Faint. Distant. But there.
"There are two signatures. Weak. Outside the warehouse. East."
"Rats," Azaelith said. "Alive. Warm energy. Good. You can detect living things."
She pulled her finger from Raven's forehead.
"Open your eyes. But keep your awareness active."
Raven opened his eyes—and the world was different.
Still the warehouse. Still concrete and metal. But now there were layers.
Like overlays. A faint aura over everything. The walls had a faint gray glow. Azaelith glowed an intense red—even in its transparent form.
And in the corner of the warehouse—two small, warm orange dots. Rats.
"I can see them," Raven murmured, amazed.
"That's spiritual sight. With practice, you can toggle it on and off at will. Use it to detect invisible spirits, sense Tamers from afar, read hostile energy."
"Tamer have a distinct signature?"
"Yes. Holy energy—golden-white. Distinctive. If you sense it, run or fight. No middle ground."
Raven nods, absorbing the information.