The room trembled.
Dark shadows twisted violently across the walls like living creatures crawling out of the abyss. The air grew unbearably cold, and the officers' flashlights flickered uncontrollably.
"What the hell is happening?!" one officer shouted.
Another officer stepped back, his hand tightening around his gun.
"Is this some kind of trick?!"
But deep down, every one of them felt it.
This wasn't a trick.
This was something far worse.
Elena's heart pounded violently as she stared at the growing darkness around them. The shadows were no longer just crawling across the walls—they were rising from the ground itself, swirling around Azrael like a storm of black flames.
The demon stood calmly in the center of it all.
His crimson eyes glowed brighter than before.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
Elena's breath caught in her throat.
"Azrael…"
He didn't respond.
His gaze was locked on the officers standing in the doorway.
For the first time since meeting him, Elena saw something truly terrifying in his expression.
Hunger.
The officer in front raised his weapon.
"Hands up!" he barked at Elena. "And don't try anything stupid!"
Elena didn't move.
Behind her, Azrael slowly stepped forward.
But the officers didn't react.
They still couldn't see him.
Azrael leaned close to Elena's ear again, his voice low and dark.
"You see?"
"The world is simple."
His fingers brushed lightly against her shoulder.
"Those who threaten you…"
His eyes flashed.
"…disappear."
Before Elena could stop him—
The shadows exploded.
Black tendrils burst from the floor like violent serpents, wrapping around the officers' legs.
"What the—?!"
One officer fell to the ground with a shout as the darkness tightened around him.
"Get it off me!"
Another officer fired his gun.
BANG!
The loud shot echoed through the building.
But the bullet never reached its target.
It stopped in midair.
Frozen.
The officer stared in horror.
"What…?"
Azrael slowly lifted his hand.
The bullet turned to dust.
The room fell silent.
Even the officers stopped struggling.
Fear filled their faces as the shadows tightened around them.
"Impossible," one officer whispered.
Elena felt her chest tighten painfully.
"Azrael, stop!"
The demon's gaze slowly shifted toward her.
His glowing eyes softened slightly.
"You told me they didn't deserve to die."
His voice was calm again.
"But they are still a problem."
The shadows lifted the officers slightly off the ground.
They struggled helplessly.
"Elena!" one officer shouted desperately.
"Call this thing off!"
Elena clenched her fists.
"They're scared," she said quietly.
Azrael tilted his head.
"So?"
"They're human."
"And?"
Her voice rose slightly.
"And they don't deserve to die for doing their job!"
For a moment, the entire building seemed to hold its breath.
Azrael stared at her silently.
Then, slowly…
The shadows stopped moving.
The officers dropped back onto the floor with loud thuds.
They gasped for air, clearly shaken.
Azrael sighed.
"You are incredibly inconvenient."
Elena released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"Thank you."
But the situation was far from over.
The officers quickly scrambled to their feet again.
One of them pointed directly at Elena.
"That monster came from her!"
Another officer shouted into his radio.
"We need backup immediately! Something supernatural is happening here!"
Elena's heart sank.
More police were coming.
Azrael crossed his arms, looking mildly annoyed.
"This is becoming tedious."
The officers slowly began circling Elena again, keeping their distance this time.
One officer swallowed nervously.
"Whatever you summoned… control it!"
"I didn't summon him on purpose!" Elena shot back.
"Yeah, right."
Another officer aimed his gun again.
"This ends now."
Azrael's expression darkened.
His patience was clearly wearing thin.
"Elena."
His voice was colder now.
"Yes?"
"You are too kind."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you are making things more difficult than necessary."
His eyes flickered toward the officers again.
"They will keep chasing you."
"They will keep trying to capture you."
"And eventually…"
His voice lowered dangerously.
"They will hurt you."
Elena looked at the officers.
Then back at Azrael.
"What are you saying?"
Azrael stepped closer.
"I am saying…"
His crimson eyes locked onto hers.
"You need to choose."
"Choose what?"
"Your path."
Outside, more sirens began approaching.
Backup was arriving.
The officers heard it too.
Relief spread across their faces.
"Good," one officer muttered.
"More units are coming."
Elena's stomach twisted.
If more police arrived…
She would never escape.
Azrael leaned close to her again.
"This is your last chance."
"Last chance for what?"
"To decide what kind of person you want to be."
Elena stared at him, confused.
"I don't understand."
Azrael's smile returned—but this time it was darker than ever.
"You can continue running."
He gestured toward the officers.
"Let them take you."
"Let them lock you in a prison for a crime you didn't commit."
Elena's chest tightened painfully.
"Or…"
Azrael's voice dropped to a whisper.
"You can accept what fate has given you."
The shadows around him stirred again.
"You can stand beside a demon."
Thunder roared outside.
Red and blue lights flashed through the broken windows.
Police cars were arriving.
The officers moved closer again.
"Enough talking!"
One officer lunged forward, grabbing Elena's arm.
"You're coming with us!"
Everything happened in a single second.
Azrael's expression changed.
The air exploded with dark power.
The officer holding Elena suddenly screamed as an invisible force threw him across the room.
He crashed violently into the wall.
The other officers raised their weapons in panic.
"Fire!"
Gunshots filled the building.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
But the bullets never reached Elena.
The shadows swallowed them whole.
The room plunged into chaos.
And standing in the center of it all…
Azrael slowly spread his wings.
Massive.
Black.
Terrifying.
The officers froze in absolute horror.
Because now…
They could finally see the demon.
And Azrael looked furious.
His glowing crimson eyes burned with dark fury as he looked down at them.
"You humans…"
His voice echoed through the building like a thunderstorm.
"…have tested my patience long enough."
The shadows surged violently.
The entire building began shaking.
Elena's heart raced as she realized something terrifying.
Azrael wasn't just defending her anymore.
He was about to unleash something far worse.
And outside…
Dozens of police officers were about to enter the building.,