Chapter 234: Demonic Trade II
As the heavy, rune-etched cage creaked open with an eerie groan, a thick fog of corrupted mana briefly spilled out. The Darkhold sat on its pedestal, ominous and quiet—as if it was waiting, watching.
Before anyone else could move, Dave raised his hand with casual authority. The book shivered—then snapped off the pedestal and flew straight into his palm like a loyal hound returning to its master. The very air around it seemed to twist, reality warping subtly in response to the presence of the cursed tome.
Director and Fury both instinctively took a step back, even the demons behind Dave tilting their heads slightly, as if sensing the book's presence.
Dave glanced at it with a faint smirk, flipping through a few pages without flinching. The cursed words, the blighted runes, the whispers that would normally drive men to madness—he treated it all like light reading.
"Hmm," Dave muttered, tone dismissive. "The influence is weaker than I thought."
With a wave of his fingers, the book shimmered with dark light and disappeared into his inventory as if he had never touched it at all.
The pedestal remained empty. The room felt lighter somehow, as though a storm had passed—but the underlying tension never quite vanished.
Director gave him a sharp look. "You just... pocketed the Darkhold?"
Dave shrugged. "Why not? Safer with me than locked in a glorified jewelry box."
Fury's eye narrowed. "You do realize most people can't even look at it without going insane?"
"I'm not most people," Dave said, smiling faintly. "And I don't let cursed books do the thinking for me."