"They are Grotos!" Nat exclaimed. "Twice as powerful as the snake-men. They're known for their speed and exceptional hunting prowess. They hardly ever fail in their hunts."
"You can't win against them?" Nana asked.
"I can't fight both of them at the same time, not in this condition."
"What do you mean by that? Is something wrong with you?"
"I'm already getting exhausted from the earlier battle."
"With all the sperm you ate?" Ray groaned.
"Maybe a pure soul like yours could boost my powers to at least half."
"Fuck you, bitch!"
"I told you before, I'm still one of the youngest of my kind," Nat said, glaring at Raymond. "With my current level of energy, I can only fight one Groto at a time, and if I were to do that—"
"Mason would be in danger," Raymond finished.
"Yes. You're not that bad yourself," Nat said, a mock grin coming to her face. She glanced at the approaching enemies; they were getting close. "We need to go, my Lord." She raised her hand and began to whisper her magic words.
Mason looked at the incoming assassins; they resembled humans rather than snake-men. Apart from the cowls covering their heads, they also wore nose masks, which left only their eyes and foreheads exposed.
One was clad in armor while the other wore a simple green robe. Mason thought he caught a glimpse of a rune of some sort drawn on their foreheads, which seemed to shimmer with green light every now and then.
Even though they walked slowly, they emitted an aura of fear, as if it were exhaled. They were now about five feet away, and Mason could sense the stench of death emanating from them.
Suddenly, a portal ripped through the air and swallowed the group just in time to evade the dangerous enemies. When everyone opened their eyes, they were now in a large, spacious room, possibly an abandoned bathhouse. In front of them stood a large swimming pool, its depth unseen through the murky water.
"Where are we?" asked Raymond, his voice echoing as he looked around the gloomy room.
"That is the least of our concerns right now," Nat replied. "They'll be here in a few minutes."
Mason's body had returned to normal; the immense energy that had radiated from him earlier was gone along with the possession. He stepped toward Nathalie and pulled her close for a gentle kiss.
At that moment, he felt something break in his mind—the bond. Nathalie let out a soft moan of relief.
"Finally free," she murmured.
"Thank you for everything, Netusizah," Mason said.
"Yes, my—you're welcome," Nat replied.
"You released her!?" Raymond exclaimed. "What if she—"
"That wouldn't happen," Nat interrupted. "Just go before I change my mind. Unless you want me to take a taste of your pure soul—"
"Shut up, you b…" Ray paused. He realized the demon was no longer bonded to Mason, and now nothing could stop her if she made up her mind to kill them all. He grinned sheepishly and decided to let it slide.
However, Nat gave him a hard look, her eyes flashing slightly.
"How am I supposed to leave?" Mason interjected. "I see no gateway here."
"It's right in front of you, my Lor—shit!" Nat grumbled. "The water is your gateway. As long as you have the emblem of the royal."
"Let's jump in!" Nana urged.
"No, no, no, no!" Mason shook his head in disapproval as he held her shoulders. "You guys should stay here, okay? This is my destiny; I can't let you risk your lives for me. See you soon, guys," he said sadly, a small smile on his lips.
"This is no time for this! They'll trace your scent here and kill all of us if they don't find you," Nat said. She stepped closer and pushed Mason into the dirty water.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nana raved, but she couldn't dare charge at the demon unless she wanted to get herself killed.
But then, the swimming pool lit up, a bright light emanating from within. That rang a bell; Nana had witnessed something similar before.
It was a few months after her parents had taken Mason in. She had taken him to a friend's house and had playfully pushed him into the swimming pool. A bright light like this had emitted from the water then. She hadn't believed it until now.
"I can't leave him alone," Nana muttered. "I have to be by his side—every time, every day!" Without a second thought, she plunged herself into the water, only to realize that Raymond had done the same.
"You're going to die, you fools!" Nathalie shouted a warning, but of course, it was too late. "Africlaux is no place like your world! It's not a place for the weak! Even the strong barely survive!"
"Damn! Why do I even care if they die?" she sighed.
"They hadn't left yet and I'm already missing them. This is why you should never let humans grow on you."
The water's surface remained calm, but beneath it, a strange and ominous phenomenon was unfolding. The bottom of the pool, once a mere chest-deep descent, began to plummet downward as though the very foundations of the earth were giving way.
The concrete floor now seemed to be sinking into the depths of the ocean, disappearing from sight like a stone cast into an abyss.
Nathalie watched as Mason and his friends disappeared into the pool.
The dirty water had become a gateway to a hidden world, and the water's surface was the only thing standing between the living and the abyssal depths below.
"Run! Mason, run!" the fiend muttered. "You are a hybrid of human and demon! You must survive to uncover your true identity and claim your rightful place on the Throne of Africlaux!"
Perhaps she hadn't erased the memories as she had claimed earlier after all. It would be foolish to believe the words coming from a demon's mouth!
"You shall die, human!"
The husky voice startled Nat for a moment. She turned back and saw the two assassins standing a few feet away, their weapons at the ready. The runes on their foreheads shimmered for a moment, and the next, the Grotos are unto the succubus.
"It's gonna be nice having your ugly flesh," Nat snickered, licking her lips hungrily. "Bring it on; I hope you guys are delicious."