5. Galen

Determination burned in me as I wiped my face, a gesture that sought not only to wipe the sweat from my brow, but also to free me from the fear that Alex Gem's energy had planted deep in the recesses of my mind.

It only took one look for me to remember the night my parents died, the terror of facing an experienced demon hunter despite how much I had trained.

Every bead of sweat seemed to carry with it the tangible reminder that I was immersed in a world of danger. I steeled myself internally, determined to face what was to come with a mental clarity that would defy the shadows that tried to darken my judgment.

The balcony opened before me as a haven of serenity in the midst of the unsettling revelation I had just experienced. However, the calm vanished when my gaze fell upon the imposing figure of a turtle demon. Its shell, a dark shield reflecting the moonlight, emanated a majestic and unnerving presence.

My eyes widened in awe as I beheld the demonic creature. Its eyes, two orbs glowing with mysterious wisdom, connected with mine in an instant of inexplicable connection.

I felt caught in the intensity of that gaze, as if I was being evaluated by forces beyond the earthly. Every detail of the creature, from the texture of its shell to the way it moved with calculated slowness. A messenger from the underworld, someone who had helped me in several of my missions.

The towering figure of the turtle demon moved with surprising grace, extending toward me a letter sealed with a dark emblem. I accepted it with care, feeling the weight of responsibility in the stiffness of the parchment and the seal that sealed its contents.

With trembling hands I broke the dark seal, releasing the revelation hidden within. The letter unfolded its contents, revealing meticulous details about Alex Gem. My eyes swept over the information, absorbed by the narrative unfolding before me.

I looked at the photo, he looked like a younger Alex Gem, barely in his early twenties, still dressed in student clothes and in his eyes reflected the innocence of a teenager.

As I read the log, I found myself immersed in Alex's imposing reputation as the most powerful demon hunter of his generation. The description painted an individual capable of challenging any demon with the sheer intensity of his gaze, a prowess that resonated with supernatural power.

The reality of Alex Gem, once just a trace of energy and an unsettling presence, came alive in the words of the letter. Each line contributed to weave a portrait of a fearless hunter, a man capable of unleashing the power of destruction with the sheer force of his will. I found myself in awe, not only of Alex's skill, but also that he might murder me if he found out who I was.

The night was growing thicker around me, charged with the magnitude of the information I held in my hands. In that instant, I understood that my connection to Alex Gem was beyond anything I could have imagined, and that my role in this mysterious chessboard was far from resolved.

My eyes read on, and between the lines of information about Alex Gem, the shadow of a love cut short emerged. The story echoed with the echo of a broken connection, a bond that the demons, in their malevolent ingenuity, had used as a weapon to hurt the hunter.

The burden of my mission weighed on every line of the letter, but the need to fulfill it drove me to read on. I sought not only information about Alex Gem's strength, but also any chinks, any weaknesses I could exploit in the battle ahead.

Mixed emotions churned within me as I absorbed the complexity of Alex's life. Compassion and determination intertwined, forming a web of motivations that compelled me to understand beyond the surface. I knew I would face unsuspected challenges, but the need to protect what was important drove me to explore every dark corner of the information before me.

The letter unveiled Alex's move to another city after the painful breakup, offering me a unique opportunity to get closer to him without arousing suspicion. The idea of leveraging this knowledge to unravel more secrets and strengths resonated in my mind, but I soon realized that fate had woven its threads differently.

The unexpected twist was revealed when Alex returned just as the demons were plotting to wipe out the city's demon hunters. With the Gem family. Opportunity that seemed clear blurred in the uncertainty of a reality altered by dark forces. Now, the line between ally and enemy became more blurred, and my connection to Alex Gem took on a deeper and more challenging dimension.

The plot became more convoluted, and as I continued reading, a hint of empathy crept into my heart. Alex's tragic story, marked by betrayal and pain, evoked a human connection that struggled to emerge amidst the shadows of the mission.

Duty weighed on my shoulders as I remembered the cardinal rule of demon hunters: kill without mercy. They had killed my family and I had sworn to kill every one of them.

The decision was forged in the forge of necessity and cunning. If the key to getting close to Alex lay in hiding my own demonic aura, then that would be what I would do. I remembered sharply the moments in the bar when our gazes met, when something in his expression seemed to indicate an interest that showed more than curiosity.

Taking advantage of that interest became my strategy. I would hide my true nature, become someone Alex Gem might find intriguing and, hopefully, trust. The subtle dance between duty and cunning was becoming my only path in this labyrinth of secrets and deception.

With determination, I turned again to the turtle demon.

"I need to hide my demonic aura when I'm with Alex again, if they want to eliminate him."

"There is an artifact," the turtle demon said, his voice ringing with solemnity. "It can nullify any power, including your own demonic essence. However, be aware that you will lose your powers in the process."

The prospect of giving up my demonic gifts, even temporarily, loomed as a dilemma before me. It was a choice between the cunning necessary to get closer to Alex and the loss of my supernatural strength, a price I had to weigh in the balance of crucial decisions that would define my path in this dangerous dance between hunters and demons.

"I don't think we have much choice" I said, after letting out a sigh.

After uttering those words, the ancestral creature vanished behind a smoke of black, leaving me alone with my thoughts in the dark corner where we stood. Uncertainty hung in the air as I awaited his return, hoping that the promised artifact would provide me with the necessary tool for my risky strategy.

As I waited, my attention returned to Alex Gem's report, a manuscript that seemed to contain his every secret and challenge. The reality unfolding before me was a complicated puzzle, and my duty as a hunter was intertwined with the inevitable human connection I was forging with my target.

For an instant, I stared at Alex Gem's photo. Indeed, he was handsome. A mixture of emotions swirled inside me as I gazed at that face. The irony of the situation came through strongly: had the circumstances been different, had we not been enemies by nature, perhaps I would have attempted a real love affair, beyond the trickery and fiction that life between hunters and demons imposed on us.

The sigh escaped my lips, laden with bitter reflection. The war between hunters and demons allowed no such luxuries, and my persistent duty reminded that even fleeting sparks of sympathy must be buried on the altar of battle.

I had to kill every single demon hunter, I had to take revenge, for my parents, for the demons who had raised me.

I walked to my closet and thought about putting on the best clothes to show off. For a moment I looked at my red eyes in the mirror and thought that I should also cover my murderous aura if I didn't want Alex to discover me.

I decided to take a bath that night, trying to erase the fear that had permeated my skin.

A smile crept over my face, cursing my bad luck, I wasn't capable of facing Alex Gem, not in my situation.

I knew he was my enemy, but a natural attraction was pulsing. I would wait for the artifact to hide my demonic presence, it was the only way to get close to Alex, I just hoped he wouldn't connect me with demons, one look was enough to assassinate me.

I shook my head, I too had trained to exact revenge, a report was not enough to scare me. I had the power in my hands to face any demon hunter, I just had to focus.