The Damned Demon
chapter-653

In the well-lit Culthold of the Coven of the Damned, an unsettling silence was shattered by the sharp sound of ceramic shattering against the cold stone floor. The fragments of a once-proud cup lay scattered, surrounded by the splattered tea.

"Aunty Grace!" Yui's alarmed cry pierced the tension as she rushed forward, her steps quick and urgent.

Her face was a mask of worry as she hurried to Grace, who was weakly stumbling backward, her face a portrait of shock and anguish.

Emiko, her movements fluid and deliberate, was the first to reach Grace. She gently placed a steadying hand on Grace's shoulder, her normally stoic eyes filled with a rare, deep concern. "Aunty Grace," she said softly, "Let me help you sit down…" She guided Grace carefully around the shards of the shattered cup and the dark spill of tea that pooled on the floor, leading her to a nearby chair with a practiced motion.

Rachel, standing a few steps away, watched the scene unfold with a heavy heart. Her voice was barely a whisper, laden with regret, "I'm sorry… I never meant to shock you like this." Her eyes, shadowed by her guilt, flickered with a simmering hatred towards her father—a hatred that only intensified with each passing second, especially after seeing how even his past deeds were still hurting people so much.

Amelia, who was standing beside Rachel, let out a soft yet heavy sigh, shocked to hear that the tragedy of the Eleanor Family was much deeper than just an act of depraved passion of a pervert.

No wonder…Someone weaker than the Eleanor Family couldn't have easily taken them down.

"It's okay, dear…" Grace's voice was faint, her words almost lost in the tremor of her own distress. She closed her trembling eyelids, her head resting against her wrinkled hand as if seeking solace from the overwhelming revelations.

The heavy wooden door swung open, and Asher's authoritative voice cut through the confusion, "What's going on here?" he demanded, his gaze sweeping across the room as he and Rebecca entered. Their eyes immediately fell upon the broken mug and the dark stain on the floor.

Rebecca's eyes narrowed as she took in Grace's disheveled state, "What's wrong with her? Is she feeling sick already?" Her tone was mocking, and she focused more on Grace's moody posture than on the gravity of the situation.

Asher's glare was sharp and cold, silencing Rebecca with a quick click of her tongue as she immediately averted her gaze. He then turned his attention to Rachel, his expression a blend of curiosity and concern, "You said you had something important to say. What is it?" His eyes flicked back to Grace, who was now seated, looking as though the weight of the world had been placed upon her shoulders.

Rachel inhaled deeply, steeling herself against the mounting pressure. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking, her voice steady despite the turmoil within. "I learned some disturbing things about Ruven and Project M.A.M," she began, her tone edged with the gravity of the revelations she was about to share. She recounted the dark truths—how Grace's son, Ruven's groundbreaking work had been twisted by her father, how the M.A.M technology was intended to be used against demons in ways that were both inhumane and ruthless.

As Rachel spoke, Asher's brows furrowed in surprise, his gaze never leaving her. The weight of the information seemed to seep into him.

When Rachel finally fell silent, Asher's expression flared with anger but then softened with a mixture of sympathy and concern as he looked at Grace.

He moved swiftly to her side, sitting beside her with a gentle presence.

He took Grace's wrinkled hand in his, his touch tender and reassuring, "Grace, I am sorry…" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, laden with understanding for the pain she was enduring.

Grace's eyes fluttered open, her gaze meeting Asher's with a mix of gratitude and lingering distress. She offered a weak, almost imperceptible smile, yet it carried the weight of years of regret and unresolved pain, "You know…" she began softly, her eyes distant and hollow, "Ever since I lost Remy's parents due to my own incapability, I could never rest. A big part of me always wanted blood for blood. But for Remy… I held back… I was scared to lose him, and what could a broken and old woman like me do anyway?"

She paused, her gaze lowering as if weighed down by the burdens of her past, "That was until you came along and gave me a chance at vengeance. When that was all over, that part of me who wanted blood felt a sense of peace… a feeling that even if I was too late, I could correct some of the wrongs." Her voice faltered slightly, betraying the emotions she fought to keep hidden, "But the other part… it always made me feel unsettled and that I hadn't done enough as I wanted to believe. Now I realize why… The bigger scums are still out there, and here I was… living obliviously…"

Rebecca who was standing a few steps away with her arms crossed, lowered her face with an uncomfortable look. The last woman she expected to feel even a fraction of pity for was this smug bitch, but for some reason, hearing how her son got killed cut through her more than she anticipated.

Asher shook his head, his voice a low, reassuring yet determined rumble, "Grace… What Rachel said doesn't change what we are doing… what you are doing with us. We are all working together to destroy Derek and people like him. Now we learned that they also happened to be the ones behind your family's tragedy. So you just now another reason to help us punish them even harder and make them feel more regret than any of us did."

Grace's eyes locked onto Asher's subtly radiant golden ones, which, for a fleeting moment, revealed a depth of regret and pain. Her curiosity, mingled with a touch of disbelief, led her to ask, "You… What did that man do to you?" She wondered aloud, her thoughts racing. She had never seen a demon so motivated to bring down someone like Derek, someone who seemingly had no personal connection to Asher or could have.

It couldn't be just a simple demon's hatred towards a Hunter.

The others in the room shifted their attention, their interest piqued by Grace's question. Emiko, Yui, and Rachel exchanged glances, their curiosity mirroring Grace's. They had long wondered why a powerful demon king like Asher would be so fervently dedicated to bringing down Derek and the WHA, especially when he could enjoy his status and power in his own world. No demon in history had pursued blood towards a human with no previous history with such relentless determination.

But Rachel most wanted to know how Cedric and Asher would fit in the overall puzzle.

Why does Asher seem to know something about Cedric that she doesn't even know? Or how did he know what kind of man her father truly was when she, his own daughter, never knew for all these years?

Rebecca's gaze, though initially cold, was now tinged with curiosity. It was always absurd to her that someone like Asher would care so deeply about human affairs, especially given that Derek's plans to destroy their world had only come to light later. But Asher's plans seemed to have been brewing long before that revelation.

Amelia pressed her lips together, knowing even an outsider would have felt curious after seeing Asher trying so hard for all these years.

Asher's gaze lingered on Grace, and he could feel a subtle yet piercing awareness from her, a sense that she might have caught a glimpse of his own personal struggle. It was a vulnerability he had not intended to expose, yet there it was, laid bare before someone like Grace. Her discerning eyes had likely caught the undercurrents of his anger and sorrow.

However, even if Rachel wasn't here, Asher was unsure of whether he can ever reveal his past to Grace, Emiko and Yui. Grace blinked, as if breaking free from a trance. Her expression softened, and a light chuckle escaped her lips, carrying a mix of resignation and self-awareness, "Forget it. Who am I to ask what my Master's intentions are?" she said, her voice laced with a wry smile. She noticed that Asher might not want to reveal whatever the reason was, and she decided to respect it.

Rebecca's lips curled into a scowl, her eyes narrowing in frustration,"Tsk," she clicked her tongue, her frustration evident. The spectacle of this bitch seemingly trying to play coy before him was distasteful to her, especially since she suspected this despicable alien was going to reveal something.

Emiko and Yui exchanged glances, their expressions reflecting a mixture of curiosity and acceptance. They understood their place and the limits of their right to question or pry. Their master had given them a better life and a purpose, and that was more than they could have hoped for.

Rachel's eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment. She had hoped for more clarity, but it was evident that Asher was not inclined to reveal his past, even to those who had become integral to his plans. Her intuition told her that if he had intended to disclose his secrets, he would have done so already.

Grace's gaze sharpened, her eyes flashing with a steely resolve, "But now this is personal for me," she declared, her voice imbued with a fierce determination, "Earlier, I wanted to do all this for the sake of creating a better world for all of us. Now... I have decided to not die until all those scum are dead."

Asher's expression hardened into a cold smile, his resolve mirroring Grace's, "We are close. Just around two months, and we will be halfway through with destroying our enemies," he said confidently.

Rachel's anxiety surfaced, her brow furrowing with concern, "Two months? How are you so confident that we will succeed in time?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Asher turned with a smirk, his eyes glinting with a mix of certainty and determination, "I am going with your mother to Russia. There… I will try to gain your mother's confidence. If I succeed, then our plan should proceed smoothly. Within two months, every Junction Tower in this world will go boom. Then...we will strike when our enemies are at their weakest."