Chapter-45 Train 6

After leaving the hollow forest with Aaliyah, they split up, and Daemon headed back into the city. With no immediate way to return to the cartel hideout, he decided to take the city train. By then, it was already morning.

Inside the train, which was about to leave the station, Daemon sat down and noticed there were only about fifteen riders despite it being a compartment that could hold around thirty. As he looked around, he sensed a familiar presence that he instantly locked onto.

"Hi, Mortis."

A female voice sounded from the direction of the presence. When he looked, he saw it was Adriana. She had also boarded the train and sat right next to him, which made him feel suspicious, especially as the train started to move.

Of all the people, why her? 

Daemon eyes narrowed at Adriana. "Are you following me?" he asked.

"No, why would you think that?" Adriana replied, her gaze steady but her fingers fidgeting with her coat button.

'Is she lying? She's too calm for this to be a coincidence. ' Daemon thought before saying as he leaned back but kept his eyes on her. "Well, maybe because being a detective, you should have your own car,"

Adriana shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. "Public transport has its perks. You never know who you might run into." she said.

Daemon raised an eyebrow, his suspicion not entirely dispelled. "Convenient timing, don't you think?"

Adriana's smile faded slightly, her tone becoming more serious. "Maybe. But trust me, running into you wasn't planned."

I hope he buys it. I can't afford to raise more suspicions.

Daemon studied her for a moment before responding, "...So, how have you been? Did you find anything out any good?"

Adriana sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Yes, but it was hard. You know that cartel members are very loyal, but I could tell who was lying and who was telling the truth. So through them, I managed to stop a couple of transports of kidnapped victims."

He understood that the cartel member are loyal to do a lot of stuff that happening with the blood banker he thought most would have run away but they didn't expect leaving Jason which he still didn't fell like betrayal.

"But how does that help with linking back to the cartel?" Daemon admitted.

"We've got a few more pieces of evidence that could bring down the auction," Adriana said, her eyes lighting up with determination.

Daemon nodded slowly. "Good. Tell me when you're ready to take them down." he said.

Adriana paused, then shifted the conversation. "After I went back to the precinct, I thought heavily about your gift." she said her voice empathized on gift. "You said you're not a vampire and that your rebirth is not a curse but a gift. It's rare for a creature in this world to have rebirth, and it usually takes a long time to happen. So, my suspicion is that you gained your rebirth from a pact made with a demon," she said, looking toward Daemon. "Am I right?"

"I don't know. How about you tell me your god pact first and how you gained it?" Daemon said, deflecting the question he doesn't want other to know about his pact yet unless given a good reason.

Adriana nodded, seeming to accept the trade. "Sure, if it helps me learn more about you. Well, my god is Thalia, the deity of justice, truth, and protection," she began, her voice softening. "I gained my power on the day I lost my sister."

Daemon's gaze softened slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"...My family has always been involved with law enforcement, detectives, and the military. I wanted to follow that path and did everything possible to achieve it. My older sister, on the other hand, wanted to be a combat medic. Despite her efforts and our connections, she didn't make it. She became depressed, and our relationship deteriorated. Meanwhile, I received recommendations and became a detective thanks to my father's influence."

Before her pact her she had already gathered info on pact because of her case like aby mortals can enter into a pact with either a god or a demon, each offering distinct powers and influencing their mortal hosts in different ways. The terms of the pact, powers granted, and consequences are specific to each deity or demon and tailored to the mortal's desires, personality, and life circumstances.

Once enough time had passed...she realized that the gods and demons are ancient beings with their own agendas, often in conflict with each other. Gods generally seek to maintain balance and order, while demons thrive on chaos and disruption. However, the morality of gods and demons is not black and white; some gods can be ruthless, and some demons can be strangely benevolent.

Adriana took a deep breath before continuing. "...One day, after an argument, my sister left. I tried to follow her, to convince her to come back, but I saw her talking to an unknown woman before getting into her car. She disappeared and was never heard from again." she thought. 'My sister... I miss her every day.'

As years passed she came to see...that if she had tried more to get her recommendation she couldn't have possible given a chance stopping what happened it was also because of her ignorance of what was happening back then.

She looked at Daemon. "Now, what about yours?"

"I gained my power through the framing and death of my family, and my own death," Daemon explained. "I don't really know how to categorize them because the power can be used for good or bad... so I just call him Azrael, the god of death."

"Interesting," Adriana said. "Sorry about your family."

They realized that they had a similar background but they each ended up the different paths.

A shared pain... maybe we understands more than we thought.

Daemon was silent for a moment before speaking. "...Sorry about your sister," he replied.

She appreciated that they were able to open up for some reason she felt she needed to.

Adriana had a small sad smile. "Thanks"

Looking back, Adriana was the only person with a pact he had ever encountered before.

"Have you ever encountered anyone else with a pact before?" Daemon asked.

"Only one, but there are multiple people with pacts all over. It just depends on the path you take and what the pact causes you to do," Adriana said.

"Oh, so who has the most popular pact in the city?" Daemon asked.

"Hmm, well, it's got to be Loki, the god of mischief. He is also known to be one of the five who has had a pact for over ten thousand years," Adriana said.

"How is that possible?" Daemon asked.

Ten thousand years... what kind of power does that entail?

"Well, despite being over ten thousand years old, he mainly keeps a low profile, doing most of his mischief in secret. And if it's not in secret, well, it's impossible to pin anything on him," Adriana said.

He assimilated that some pact have different thing to do some have just one and other have about three.

Daemon was surprised that he decided ask the system on what are the other consequences of a pact.

'There Physical, Changes in appearance and abilities that mark the pact-bearer as different from ordinary humans, Psychological new Mental strains from wielding powerful forces and making ethically challenging decisions.'

While Daemon was talking to the system, Adriana suddenly saw something that caused her eyes to widen. "Oh no, I was so focused on following you that I ended up on the wrong train," she said.

"What wrong" Daemon asked.

Adriana looked down at the train number and then at a figure in a flowing mist carrying a sharp scythe. "This is Train 6. It's like a curse,it's like its own realm where an entity harvests the souls of those who ride it," she said.

Daemon looked down at the figure, recognizing it as a reaper-like apparition, so he asked the system.

;Survivor, that's a fake reaper. They probably got their power through a pact with a demon who told them they could become Death by harvesting souls. These entities are often adept at creating illusions of fear and confusion. Their primary ability lies in siphoning life energy from their victims, using a scythe imbued with dark magic. While dangerous, their strength typically lies in psychological manipulation rather than physical prowess.'

'What do you mean?' Daemon asked mentally.

'Well, they probably got their power through a pact with a demon who told them they could become Death by harvesting souls.'

As the system spoke, Daemon also noticed the fake reaper's scythe slamming into the bodies of the riders, causing them to slump with white eyes. He also noticed that the other riders didn't react to what was happening around them.

At the same time, he saw Adriana snap to attention after the fake reaper had absorbed two souls so far. Daemon instantly grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing?" Daemon said.

When he grabbed Adriana, he had to pull her back, causing her to trip on his foot and land on his lap. They both stayed quiet for a couple of seconds before Adriana looked back at Daemon.

"...Just because I said that I will follow you doesn't mean I won't stop helping others," she said.

Daemon's grip loosened, but he didn't let go entirely. "That thing is more powerful than it looks. How are you going to deal with it?"

Adriana's eyes flashed with determination. "I don't care. Those souls need saving, and I won't stand by and do nothing."

Daemon sighed, his frustration evident. "You're going to get yourself killed if you keep acting recklessly."

"And what about you?" Adriana shot back. "You're always so cold and detached. Do you even care about the people we save, or are they just pawns in your life?"

"...Fine," Daemon said, releasing Adriana.

He realized that...As a detective known for her dedication and righteousness, Adriana harbors an intense fear of failing in her duties, this fear stems from a traumatic event of not saving her sister, this fear also often leads to burnout and exhaustion, as she rarely allows herself to rest or delegate her tasks. It also caused friction with colleagues who might feel she is overly critical and controlling. Her relentless pursuit of perfection can sometimes cloud her judgment, making it difficult for her to see the bigger picture.