The Ethermal Chronicles-Chapter 8: Reunion of flames

When she peeked, all Chloe saw was a demoness with a long tail, spiky back, and claws attacking a barrier, blocking her view of the individuals inside.

A voice rang out from the barrier.

"Can't you just leave me ? I'm not in the mood to fight," said the man lazily.

"Well, you can just hand over the baby then," the demoness replied.

"Are you dense? You want me to hand over my grandson? You're not smart at all," the man retorted.

Chloe, listening to the exchange, found the voice familiar.

She brainstormed and then remembered it.

"Dad!" she exclaimed.

In her surprise, she forgot she was trying to hide, revealing her position.

The demoness turned toward her. Seeing Chloe trying to hide, she recognized her as one of the people to be killed and began to chase after her.

Sam, hearing someone call out, didn't care at first. But when the demoness pursued Chloe, he saw who was being chased. His eyes narrowed, and his carefree expression faded. His aura began to radiate, and his focus sharpened.

Chloe noticed her cover was blown and began to run.

The demoness was hot on her heels, and despite Chloe's head start, the demoness kept up effortlessly.

Chloe frantically searched for a place to hide, but there was nothing. She just kept running.

Suddenly, a blur appeared in front of her, accompanied by a massive presence. Chloe froze in place, the pressure overwhelming.

She hugged the baby arm closer to her chest the last remaining pice of her baby.

"My daughter," a voice called out.

"Daughter?" Chloe muttered in confusion.

She looked up in shock, seeing her father standing before her.

Her eyes shifted to his hands, where he held her son, Alex—his gaze unfocused from the disorienting movement caused by Sam. At the sudden call of his name, Alex's eyes flickered with recognition.

She had thought the demon had killed him, yet here he was, wrapped in a thin membrane of ether.

"Alex!" she cried out in joy, reaching to take him from Sam's grasp.

Behind her, the demoness appeared, flustered at the sight of Sam standing with Chloe.

Her thoughts raced in surprise, recalling how she had chased Sam, only for him to hide within a barrier.

"How did you get here before me?" she demanded.

Sam didn't answer. His gaze softened as he watched Chloe hold her son close.

"Why are you crying?" Sam asked, concern in his voice.

Chloe tried to wipe away her tears, but more came flooding out due to the overwhelming joy she felt.

"Father, I finally found my son! I thought he was dead."

"Dead? Why would you—" Sam began, but before he could finish, the demoness lunged at him, claws aimed straight for his heart.

She didn't get far. With a single, dismissive motion, Sam struck her, sending her crashing into the wall. Blood poured from her mouth as she struggled to breathe.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to interrupt a family reunion?" he said coldly.

Turning back to Chloe, his expression softened as he watched her joyfully cradling her son. "Why did you think Alex was dead?" he asked gently.

Still cradling Alex, Chloe answered, "When I got to his room, all I saw was blood, and a piece of an arm laying on the floor. It looked like it had been ripped off."

"How's my bodyguard?" Chloe asked, her concern rising as she remembered her loyal protector.

"The arm was your bodyguard's," Sam explained.

"Your baby was attacked by a demon. Your bodyguard came to defend Alex, but in the process, he was gravely injured.

When I found them, your bodyguard was close to death, so I saved both Alex and him, but the demon escaped."

Chloe's eyes widened in realization.

"Whose blood was that?" she asked.

"That was the demon's blood. He kept regenerating and refused to die," Sam said. "I saved both Alex and your bodyguard, but the demon managed to escape."

Chloe, upon hearing her father's story, suddenly recalled some characteristics of the man who attacked her and Inferno.

"Does he have horns and long teeth?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, he does. Have you seen him?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Chloe replied.

"How are you still alive? He was a demon lord when I faced him," Sam said, his voice laced with surprise.

"Inferno fought against him," she added.

"Who is that?" Sam asked, confused.

"That's Aron's spirit," Chloe replied.

"Ah, Aron's spirit..." Sam muttered, remembering.

"Where's Aron, by the way?" Sam asked.

"He went to face off against an intermediate demon," Chloe said.

"I'm not sure Aron's spirit can handle that demon, though," Sam added. "That demon is an early lord realm demon like me, and he can regenerate from any injury. Aron's spirit might need our help, and if he dies, Aron might be in a dangerous situation against the demon he's facing."

Sam turned his gaze toward the demoness, who was coughing up blood and lying by the wall.

He walked closer to her, pointing his finger at her chest, a white glow emanating from it. A hole opened in her chest, revealing her heart, which was more than half gone.

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.

The demoness stared at Sam in shock, then breathed her last.

"Well, that's that. Let's go check on Inferno," Sam said, turning to Chloe.

He coated both Chloe and Alex in a white membrane and moved at lightning speed, causing the ground to crack with each step. The environment around them became a blur in Chloe's eyes.

While moving, Sam communicated with his daughter mentally.

"Where did you last see Inferno?" Sam asked.

"He was in the combat wing, along the hallway, that's where we separated," Chloe replied.

Sam nodded and made a turn, quickly arriving at a bloody hallway.

"I guess this must be the demon's blood," Sam said, following the trail of blood.

The trail came to an end.

"Looks like he's losing ground. The demon's blood stops here. Inferno is probably dead or hiding," Sam said.

Suddenly, a massive explosion rang out not far from them.

Both Sam and Chloe rushed toward the source of the explosion.

When they arrived, they saw flames and heard explosions in the distance.

"This is probably Inferno's doing," Sam thought.

He tried searching for Inferno or the source of the battle but couldn't find anyone.

Then, a crimson light appeared in the distance. Sam rushed toward it with Chloe and Alex in tow.

When they arrived, they saw two figures—one was the demon Sam had faced earlier, and the other was Aron, now surrounded by flames. His tattoo and King Word were glowing crimson, and flames enveloped his entire body. His eyes blazed with the same fiery energy.

Sam couldn't find Inferno.

"I don't think Inferno is dead. Aron doesn't look weak," Sam thought.

Chloe, noticing Aron, called out to him.

"Aron!"

Aron, facing off against the demon, looked toward the voice and saw Chloe. His expression shifted from happiness to confusion when he saw his child.

He also noticed Sam standing beside her.

"Hey, Chloe," Aron waved at them, momentarily forgetting he was in the middle of a battle.

Chloe smiled briefly, but then her expression changed to one of horror and panic.

"Look out!" she shouted.

Aron, confused, remembered the battle and turned just in time to see darkness enveloping him.

A voice called out, "Too late."

A pair of hands, despite burning from the heat, grabbed Aron's face and slammed him into the ground repeatedly before releasing him to let his arm heal.

Aron lay on the ground in a bloody mess.

"Aron!" Chloe shouted in panic, turning to her father for help. She grabbed his hands and pleaded, "Dad, save him!"

"I don't think he needs help," Sam said, pointing at Aron, who was rising without any serious injury, despite being slammed repeatedly.

Sam sighed, thinking to himself, Their bloodline is a cheat. How could getting slammed in the head that many times not cause serious injuries?

The minor injuries on Aron's head healed rapidly, and his flames grew brighter. He turned to Chloe, smiled, and said,

"I'll be there shortly, wife."

He then declared, "Fire Domain," and an environment of fire erupted from him, expanding until it reached a radius of 200 meters.

Sam moved Chloe and Alex out of the range of the domain.

The demon, unwilling to be left out, activated his own domain.

A black mass of malice formed around him, expanding until it reached 200 meters, though he quickly shrank it to just 5 meters to minimize the pressure from Aron's domain.

The demon looked like a tiny dot of black in a sea of red.

Aron moved and appeared in front of the demon.

"I know this is cheating, but I can't waste time with you. My wife and child are waiting," Aron said.

With a stretch of his hand, Aron was obstructed by the demon's domain.

The demon smirked, but that smirk quickly disappeared as his domain crumbled under the intensity of Aron's.

In a flash, Aron grabbed the demon by the neck and said,

"Begone."

With a simple command, the demon was reduced to ashes, and with it, his domain dissipated. The surroundings, once destroyed, began to be rebuilt by the estate's protective measures.

As the flame around Aron died out, his tattoo returned to its original state, a dot on his palm.

Chloe, holding Alex, rushed toward him and hugged her husband tightly.