I will return

25

The Daemon Ritus. There it was, between my paws. The connection she had always felt with him was now stronger than ever. I held it and felt a current of energy run through my body, from my chest to my right paw. I couldn't help it... I kissed the artifact, something inside me stirred with pure emotion.

"You don't know how much I missed you, old friend," I whispered, my words dripping with malice, as if each syllable were an echo of dark power.

The cold of the night, the incessant rain... none of that mattered. He was in Luis' truck, surrounded by several valuable pieces from the museum, insignificant trophies compared to what really mattered: the Daemon Ritus. The couple, those poor fools who had walked me around pretending to own me, were lying unconscious in the museum. Someone had to take the blame, and they were the perfect pawns. Everything was orchestrated to perfection: Luis would be seen as the mastermind, and while the humans tried to understand what had happened, I would already be far away.

The rain hit the windows of the truck, while the magic of the Daemon Ritus continued to flow through me. I felt every drop fall, every thunder resound, but all that was in the background. The only thing occupying my mind was the energy... the pure magic that surrounded me.

—Keep driving, Luis. Don't stop. —I ordered him without looking back, my eyes fixed on the dark path that wound towards the outskirts of the forest—. Step on the accelerator and don't let go until I tell you.

Luis, like an automaton, obeyed without blinking. I felt the energy of the Daemon Ritus in every inch of my body. I could see the landscape fading into the night as we moved further and further away from civilization, heading towards the place where my real plan would begin.

Finally, we arrive. A cabin, lonely and forgotten, surrounded by trees and the roar of the storm. Luis stopped the truck in front of the door, and without wasting time, I got out with the Daemon Ritus in my paws. I entered the cabin, where the shadows danced with the flickering of the dim light.

With extreme care, I placed the Daemon Ritus on a central table. Around the table, all the tools he had prepared were laid out: cutters, hammers, screwdrivers, each with a purpose. But there was something else. An empty, clean jam jar, waiting for its moment.

I opened the Daemon Ritus, and felt the magic spread throughout the room. The souls I had reabsorbed from the museum, from Pete, from the fools who crossed my path... they all began to flow into the jar. A soft light filled the space while each soul found its place in that improvised container. I reveled in every passing second, knowing I was building something bigger, something powerful.

From the window, I saw how the couple, the ones who had previously carried me in their bag, moved slowly, waking up from their lethargy. The terror in his eyes was palpable. But it didn't matter, not now.

"My faithful friends..." I told them, while raising my tools. It's time to work.

A crooked smile spread across my face, as souls shone through the jam jar. This was just the beginning, and nothing, and no one, could stop what would come next.