Chapter 30: Suffer
[Error: Time dilation detected]
Amon opened his eyes as the morning light hit his face. The notification floated in front of his face again.
Again?...
He slid it aside with a thought and sat up. The smell of coffee hit him right away. Strong. Fresh. There was a cup on the table next to the bed, still warm.
Claude sat in the chair across from him, drinking from his own mug. "Morning."
"Morning to you, numbstick." Amon picked up the cup and sniffed it. "Aaaa, I missed this... the smell... and the taste... ummm, chef’s kiss."
He took another sip. The heat went down his throat, and he let out a short breath. "Yeah. You made this coffee alright." He tilted the cup and finished the rest in one go. "Okay. Let’s get out of here."
Claude set his mug down. "Wait... Amon."
Amon stopped at the door. "What is it, numbstick?"
"Wanna try another route. Let’s not go through the city bridge."
Amon looked at him. "Hmm... instinct?"
Claude nodded once. "Instinct."
"Alright. Other way it is."
Claude gave a small smile. "You always believe whatever I say, don’t you."
Amon stepped closer and put a hand on Claude’s head, ruffling his hair. "Listen. You have zero talent for most things.
But that gut of yours has saved me more wasted effort than I can count. Your gut feeling beats mine most days. That’s why I keep you around, buddy. When everything starts going wrong, the only thing I need to do is follow you. So let’s go."
They left the room and headed down to the car. Claude took the driver’s seat, and Amon sat in the passenger side and leaned back.
Instead of the main road that led to the city bridge, Claude turned onto the side highway. Traffic was lighter. Fewer cameras. Fewer places for an ambush to sit and wait.
Claude kept both hands on the wheel and his eyes moving. He checked the mirrors every few seconds while Amon stayed quiet for a while, watching the road.
After a few kilometers, Claude spoke again. "Do you know any indications of magic related to the color purple?"
Amon’s eyes opened fully. He sat up straighter. "Why do you ask?"
"Last night, when you were asleep, I saw something."
"Something... purple?"
"A woman. Outside the window. I don’t know who she was. I only saw her for a second."
Did he reach her early?... Bastard must have kept tabs on me.
Amon let out a long breath. "Haaa... Claude. You wanted some action, right? Looks like you got it."
Light started to gather under Amon’s skin. It moved down his arms and settled in his palms. "Purple is the shade of darkness. It belongs there. The woman you saw, did she have purple hair?"
"Don’t know. Maybe. It was only a second. But her stare stuck with me. And it looked like a death stare, I’m sure about that."
"Then it’s her. Good that you told me early." Amon looked out the window. Daylight. Her power would be weaker under the sun, but not weak enough to ignore.
Liliana, if you are half as smart as I think you are... then you will hold him down for me, Amon thought.
[Skill activated: Light’s Mirage, B-tier]
The car began to change. The paint turned clear, then the metal itself faded. In less than ten seconds the whole vehicle was invisible. Only the soft hum of the engine remained.
"Ride carefully, numbstick," Amon said. "They can’t see us right now. Neither can anyone else."
Claude nodded and pressed the accelerator a little harder, running two red lights without slowing. The road stayed empty ahead of them, so it was much easier than before.
"So who is this woman?" Claude asked. "You talk like you know her. Another demoness?"
"A witch. The witch. The one we should have met, but... didn’t."
Claude took a sharp turn onto a smaller road. "Huh. The one you called my sister — your other disciple? Is she mad because we took the key and didn’t say hello?"
Amon stayed quiet for a few seconds. The real reason sat in his head and refused to leave his mouth. She was mad because he had chained her in curses before he left.
The mind-eraser spell had done its work on most people, but Claude carried his blood. Hints could wear the spell down, and one wrong word and the memories might start coming back.
"Maybe," Amon said at last. "Who knows. Women are mysterious. Perhaps she’s just on her period."
"Oh, she sounds like a handful."
"She is. But don’t talk about her too much. She’s your elder. Don’t forget that."
"Roger."
They drove in silence for a while. The invisible car slipped past other vehicles without notice. Claude kept checking the mirrors even though nothing could reflect them.
Amon watched the sky and the roadside trees. Every few minutes he refreshed the mirage so it wouldn’t thin out.
"How long can this last?" Claude asked.
"Long enough to get us out of the city zone. After that we switch cars or go on foot. Light’s Mirage isn’t perfect. Strong enough eyes can still catch the edges if they know what to look for."
He glanced at Claude. The younger man looked calm, but his knuckles were white on the wheel. Claude felt the danger even if he didn’t understand the full shape of it. That was enough for now.
"Once we’re clear of the outer checkpoints," Amon said, "we find a quiet place and I teach you how to sense residual darkness. How’s that?
Purple traces leave a smell if you know how to look for it. Next time she shows up, you won’t need to wait until she’s standing outside the window."
Claude gave a short nod. "You said many times I lack talent, but let’s see what I can do. Alright."
They passed the last major interchange. The road opened into longer stretches with fewer exits. Amon finally let the mirage fade. The car became solid again under the afternoon light. No one had followed them that he could see.
Claude exhaled. "Still think we should keep moving?"
"Yes. We don’t stop until nightfall. Then we pick a place with thick walls and no windows on the ground floor."
Claude turned the car onto a smaller provincial road. Trees closed in on both sides. The city was behind them.
—
On the upper floors of a building near the city bridge, Liliana opened her eyes. The connection she had placed on the main route had gone silent. She could no longer feel the two of them.
She was sure they would follow the route to the bridge, where she had staged everything.
"Sneaky shits," she muttered.
The plan had been simple. Trap them on the bridge the same way she had done before, only this time with a loop of everlasting time.
Amon was immortal.
He would not die. But he would still grieve for the twerp. Grief made people stupid. While he was stuck in that loop, she would use the dark matter Baal had given her.
Crush the bridge. Kill Claude. The weakest link. Then lock Amon inside darkness again, this time powered by something that even his light could not burn through quickly.
But they had taken another route. They had known she was waiting. Somehow.
Liliana did not give up, though. She would not attack yet, as she had received new information.
She was not the only one hunting him. Other forces had started moving the moment the keys were released.
She looked toward the window.
"Give me his vision, as I am worthy of his darkness."
Her vision shifted, and she saw them, and saw it. The veil. The veil between realms was already thin.
From the ground below, shapes rose — devils climbing out of cracks that should not have been there. She looked up. From the sky, angels fell in slow arcs, their wings half-folded, their expressions hard.
It should have been forbidden for them to appear in this world. The cost for both Heaven and Hell was high.
But Amon had done this to himself. Releasing the keys had sent the alarm through every layer. Now the balance was breaking, and everyone wanted a piece of him.
A part of her felt slight pity, but she ground it down, all the memories he had once locked away flourishing back.
"Suffer."