The night wraps around them like a cold breath as they turn into a narrow alley. The wind whistles between the buildings like an omen, and the silence feels too thick, too perfect.
Dave leads the way, eyes fixed on the darkness, when a sharp sound slices through the air.
A whistle. A flash. A dull impact.
"Heinz!"
Dave turns just in time to see Heinz collapse against the wall. A crimson gash blooms along his side, soaking through his dark shirt.
The hunter draws his sword in a heartbeat, instincts flaring.
"What the—"
Something stirs in the shadows. Not one. Not two. Multiple figures.
He sees them emerge from the dark like specters. Black robes, faces concealed, eyes glowing with unnatural light.
Dave growls.
"Great. Knew the night was being way too quiet."
Heinz tries to push himself upright, bracing against the wall, one hand pressed to his wound. His breathing turns ragged, but his gaze stays composed.
"This… is no coincidence…" he murmurs.
Dave clicks his tongue.
"Yeah, thanks, Sherlock!"
At that moment, one of the attackers steps forward with fluid grace, brandishing a curved blade that catches the pale moonlight.
"Dave. He's not part of the deal," the figure says in a rough, rasping voice.
Dave narrows his eyes.
"Deal?"
The attacker raises the blade.
"Axel wants you back. That one beside you is just baggage."
Dave feels his blood boil. Of course. Of course his dear brother is behind this. But before he can fire back a biting reply, the assassins charge.
Dave reacts instantly, spinning with his sword raised, carving a deadly arc of silver through the air.
Steel clashes with steel in a violent clang.
The fight explodes in the alley.
Dave moves like an unleashed beast—slashing, dodging, laughing between gritted teeth. But something is wrong.
Heinz isn't fighting.
Dave catches a glimpse of him on his knees, blood soaking his side. He grips his knife tightly, but he's not moving with his usual sharpness.
The attackers notice.
One of them shifts direction, lunging straight at Heinz, blade aimed at his chest.
"NO!"
Dave crosses the distance in a blink, his sword cleaving the attacker clean in two before he can make contact.
The body hits the ground with a wet thud.
Heinz gasps, his dark eyes lifting to meet Dave's.
"You… didn't have to…"
"Shut the hell up!" Dave snarls, turning toward the others. "Don't you dare die. Or I'll drag you back just to kill you myself."
The attackers pause, reevaluating. Heinz is wounded, but Dave is untouched.
One of them clicks his tongue.
"Retreat."
And in a blink, they vanish into the shadows.
Silence returns, but this time, it's soaked in blood.
Dave leans toward Heinz, who struggles to stand.
"It's not… fatal," Heinz mutters, teeth clenched.
Dave snorts.
"Oh, good. You'll just slowly bleed out in this shit alley."
Heinz manages a faint smile.
"You have… a lovely way of comforting people. You know that?"
Dave helps him up.
"Yeah, I'm a real charmer. Come on. Let's get out of here before those morons decide to change their minds."
They stumble into a clearer area, Dave staying alert, watching their surroundings.
This wasn't a random attack.
This was planned.
Then, turning a corner, he sees the smoldering ruins of where the portal once stood.
His body goes rigid.
Heinz looks up, face grave.
"No…"
The ground is scorched, the intricate symbols reduced to ash.
There's nothing left.
A knot tightens in Dave's chest.
"Goddammit."
Heinz shuts his eyes.
"Someone destroyed it."
Dave takes a deep breath, letting the fury settle in his gut.
"Axel."
It's not a question.
Heinz looks up, his dark eyes reflecting the misty night.
"If it was him…" he murmurs, "he didn't just want to stop you from returning. He wanted to trap you here."
Dave smirks coldly.
"Well, that bastard… even in this dimension, he knows exactly how to keep life interesting."
But beneath the sarcasm, a single thought hammers in his skull. If the portal is gone… how long can they last in this world?
Dave clenches his jaw. His only way out—reduced to ashes.
Axel hadn't just sent assassins.
He made sure there was no escape.
The smoke still lingers as Heinz steps away. His face is pale, the wound trailing blood, but he doesn't seem to care.
"I need… to see it up close."
Dave shoots him a sharp look.
"Yeah, sure. Why not bleed out while you're at it?"
Heinz ignores him and steps forward. He kneels by the charred remains, his trembling fingers brushing the blackened ground.
Dave watches in silence.
Something in the way Heinz touches the earth, in how his expression hardens, steals the air from his lungs.
"Is it… completely destroyed?" he asks, though he already knows.
Heinz, wincing with the pain, closes his eyes, as if trying to feel beyond the surface.
"There's no residual energy. No fractures. It's as if… it never existed."
The blow lands like a fist to the gut.
A broken portal always leaves traces—flickers of power, a hum, a memory of what once was. But this… this is emptiness.
"Shit," Dave mutters, crossing his arms. "So much for patching it up with duct tape."
Heinz lets out a dry, mirthless laugh. His posture, his distant gaze, betray the way his mind is processing it all, temporarily forgetting the wound.
Dave can't help glancing at him. He looks frailer than usual. Or maybe… more human.
An impulse makes Dave step closer, but Heinz rises before he can act.
"If it was Axel… it's because he knows something we don't."
Dave snorts.
"Of course. Axel always knows more. That's part of his bastard charm."
"If this was our only way home, then…" Heinz trails off, his throat tightening.
He doesn't have to finish.
They're trapped.
The thought alone makes Dave's chest clench.
He doesn't belong here.
This isn't his world.
Here, Axel hates him—and it hurts.
He looks at Heinz suddenly, unable to ignore the strange pull between them.
He hates it.
It makes him feel out of place. Makes him question everything.
Dave runs a hand through his hair, exhaling hard.
"Look, if there's nothing we can do now, how about we get the hell out of here before something else tries to break my face? Plus… you're injured."
Heinz nods slowly, his usual calm mask slipping back over his features.
Dave watches him a moment longer, then silently turns and starts walking.
He doesn't look back.
But he hears Heinz's footsteps behind him. Feels his gaze on his back. It's intense, but not invasive.
Like he's being studied, even now. Like Heinz is searching for something in him Dave isn't sure he's ready to reveal.
Their boots echo along the empty street. The lights overhead flicker, as if the city itself is holding its breath.
Heinz breaks the silence.
"We can't rule out that someone else is involved."
Dave lets out a rough laugh.
"Sure, because Axel's such a sweetheart he probably has a whole fan club helping him."
Heinz tilts his head, watching him from the corner of his eye.
"Don't underestimate him. He's always three steps ahead."
Dave stops abruptly, scowling. This is new.
"You say that like you admire him."
A flicker crosses Heinz's eyes. Not quite admiration… but not hate either.
"I just recognize his skill."
Dave laughs bitterly.
"Yeah. And I recognize I'd love to smash his face in right now."
Heinz allows himself the faintest smile.
That small gesture distracts Dave more than it should.
Before he can say anything else, a crack in the distance snaps their attention toward the noise.
Footsteps. Multiple.
Heinz looks up.
"They've found us."
Dave narrows his eyes.
"Give me good news. Just once."
Heinz clenches his jaw.
"I have none."
The shadow moves first.
A figure steps from the gloom, followed by five more. Their bodies are thin, distorted, eyes glowing, movements jerky. Tracking demons.
Dave exhales heavily.
"Looks like my baby brother left us a present."
The creatures charge without warning. Dave reacts on instinct, blade flashing, slicing the first clean in half.
A roar rips through the air as dark blood splatters the pavement.
Heinz retreats, muttering a spell. Twisted shadows rise around him, ready to strike.
But something's wrong.
Dave sees it before it happens.
One of the demons isn't heading for him.
It's going straight for Heinz.
Dave turns fast—but too late.
A curved dagger sinks into Heinz's side.
"Shit!"
Heinz lets out a choked gasp, stumbling.
Dave doesn't give the demon time to savor the blow. His blade flashes, severing its head in a single motion.
The others freeze. Not out of fear—because they've completed their task.
Dave curses, catching Heinz before he collapses.
"Hey! Don't you dare pass out now!"
Heinz's eyes are open, but his breathing is shallow. Dave sees the fresh wound—and the chill slithers down his spine.
The blade is coated in a dark venom, glistening under the weak light.
These demons weren't just here to take him.
They came to eliminate Heinz.
And that can only mean one thing.
Someone else is pulling the strings in this game.