The Damned Demon

Cecilia was sitting in her office at the WHA outpost in Malaysia, her mind swirling with the logistics of rebuilding the destroyed Junction Tower and the pressing need to catch the perpetrator behind the bombing. Her frustration mounted as she pored over the security footage—or what was left of it. With all the relevant data inexplicably fried, clues were scarce, pushing her to the brink of her patience. Even the forensics department wasn't able to detect any trace of a demon being there. So, it could either be a cult member who must be an expert at disguising themselves or a human who must work for the mastermind. And obviously, they seemed to have had help from powerful people.

The only demons she knew who could enter this world without getting detected were Hellbringer and his right-hand woman, the Bloodice Mistress, one of the peak Soul Devourers from House Thorne, and finally, the Thundering Reaper.

However, these three wouldn't show up and risk themselves just to plant these bombs. There was also no proof that the Thundering Reaper was working together with the other two since they were never spotted together. It was not as if the demons were united kind, but they were far from it.

Could it be the Coven of the Damned again? Even if it was them, there was no sure-shot way of catching them yet.

With a heavy sigh, she dropped the tablet onto the table, the sound echoing her growing frustration.

Just then, the door opened, and Rachel stepped in, her face etched with concern, "Mom, you should rest a bit. Things will get better," she said gently, approaching her mother's desk.

Cecilia's expression softened slightly at the sight of her daughter, a welcome interruption in her troubled thoughts, "Rachel? You are still here? You should get back to work. You have been a huge help in investigating this. But I will handle the rest. I am guilty of letting this happen and letting your dad down. I should clean up this mess," she replied, her voice laden with responsibility.

Rachel shook her head, exhaling softly, "This isn't your fault, Mom. And I am here to be of some help or at least bring you some help," she insisted, her tone firm yet comforting.

Cecilia blinked, puzzled, "Bring me some help? What do you mean?"

Cecilia watched as a very tall, devilishly handsome man entered the room. He was well-built, his simple half-sleeve white shirt accentuating his muscular biceps, and he wore beige pants. However, what caught her attention the most were his shimmering golden eyes, visible behind rectangular spectacles.

"Mom, you might already know him. He is Ash, the Combat Advisor of Arthur's team. He was the one who helped Arthur save New York," Rachel introduced, gesturing towards Asher.

Asher stepped forward with a polite yet charming smile and extended his hand, "It's an honor to meet you in person, Mrs. Sterling. I am looking forward to being of use to you," he said warmly, offering a handshake.

Still slightly taken aback by his striking eyes, Cecilia reached out and shook his hand, "Advisor Ash, is it? Which uh...family are you part of again?" she inquired, curiosity piqued by his presence.

Rachel winced inwardly, not expecting her mother's directness, and felt a bit anxious.

Asher sighed slightly, his expression tinged with resignation, "Sorry, I do not know. I was brought up in an orphanage," he revealed, his voice carrying a note of humility.

"Ah, right. Sorry. I forgot about your background for a moment. As Rachel said, you are not a new face to me, but for a moment you seemed—Forget it," Cecilia recovered quickly, her smile warming as she continued to shake his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet the other savior of New York. Even without your powers, you still did the impossible and as a retired Hunter, I have utmost respect for your work."

Asher gently released Cecilia's hand, "That's very flattering to hear, though it was teamwork that got us through," he responded with a modest smile.

Cecilia, still smiling, tilted her head slightly, curiosity sparking in her eyes as she glanced at Rachel, "But... Sorry if this comes off a bit rude, but how do you plan to help me, Advisor Ash?" she inquired, her tone mingling respect with a hint of skepticism.

Rachel opened her mouth to interject, but Asher was quick to answer, "I can be your demonic threat consultant. I can assess and strengthen security measures to prevent any such threats in the future. I can't offer 100% success but at least it will be better than what we have now."

Cecilia's eyes narrowed, intrigued yet cautious, "Oh...you are that confident in your skills?"

Asher's lips curved slightly, a confident smirk playing across his face, "I can prove it to you through my work. If you don't find it satisfying by then, I will show myself out."

Cecilia hummed thoughtfully, her gaze shifting between Rachel and Ash, weighing her options, "Okay, let me think about it. For now, you may leave. I will let you know through Rachel if I want to take up your offer. Sounds good?"

"Perfect. Thank you for considering my offer. I assure you that you won't regret it," Asher said warmly, offering a polite nod. He cast a brief glance at Rachel before making his way out of the office.

Once Asher had left, Cecilia turned her scrutinizing gaze to Rachel, "This is the first time you are recommending someone to help me out. Are you that impressed by his work even if he is manaless?"

Rachel nodded confidently, "The fact that he helped Arthur save an entire city through just words should make him qualified enough to help us here. But to make you feel more confident in his skills, I decided to recommend him to you. What's the worst that can happen, right?"

Cecilia let out a sigh, her face reflecting her internal conflict, "Ha... I don't know. Your dad has already employed many experts, and he might not like it if I told him to fire them all and take this man. He only picks people he is comfortable with. Even if he didn't say anything, I could tell he was very disturbed and angry about what happened from his tone. I haven't sensed such frustration in him for a long while."

"But you are the one leading this project in the field. It's your call, Mom. In the worst case, you can ask Dad to make those experts work under Ash, and he won't have to fire them. Just trust me on this, Mom. Don't tell Dad that it's because of me but that you are the one making this decision. He should trust that you will make the right call," Rachel implored, her eyes earnest.

"Still...doesn't he remind you of 'him'? I find it a bit discomforting but you must be feeling worse. Are you really okay with sticking close to him?" Cecilia asked with a concerned look.

Rachel's eyes flickered briefly before she answered, "Mom, they aren't the same person. It would be unfair to judge him because of some similarity between them. Just judge his work and who he really is," Rachel said firmly.

Cecilia exhaled deeply, her decision heavy on her shoulders, "Okay, I will persuade your dad and see if I can recruit your guy. But I will watch and observe. If he doesn't perform, I will have to let him go."

"That's fair enough. I will see you later, Mom," Rachel said, her smile reassuring as she turned around to walk away.

"Wait, Rachel," Cecilia called out, making Rachel freeze her steps and turn around with raised brows, "Was there something else, Mom?"

Cecilia gave a helpless smile and said, "I was too busy and never had a chance to say it, but you seem to be running around too much these days, and that makes me miss you more. I still remember the days when you used to tell me everything you did or happened to you in a day. But now…you barely say anything to me-"

Rachel winced slightly with a weak smile, "I am doing f-"

"...other than tell me that you are doing fine," Cecilia said with a soft chuckle, making Rachel look away with her lips pressed tightly.

Cecilia shook her head and said with a brief smile, "It's fine. I won't force you to tell me everything since you are no longer a little girl. But I want you to reach out if something is troubling you. If you find it a bit difficult to talk about everything to your mom, you should find someone around your age to talk about these things," Cecilia's eyes briefly brightened up as she added, "I heard you are spending some time with that Evangelion kid. He is very nice, strong, and handsome. Maybe you can-"

Rachel closed her eyes with an exhausted look, "Mom, come on. Not you too. I am not interested, and it's not just about Arthur. I don't know if I will ever be ready for another relationship after what Victor did to me. The idea just horrifies me and it wouldn't be fair to the other person as well."

Cecilia's expression grew worried as she said, "But it's been a while, Rachel, and we are not just mere Hunters. We are the Sterlings. All our hopes and wishes and those of our ancestors lie with you. You are our future. If you don't become ready, then our world will suffer from it. You understand that, right? As the Sterlings, it is our duty to ensure we can continue to protect everyone until the angels say otherwise."

Rachel's fingers curled up in tension and pressure from her mother's words before she blurted out, "I might like someone, but I am not sure about him, nor can I tell you who it is yet," Asher's face briefly flashed in her mind before she shook it off and added, "But when I am ready, I will let you know, okay?" Rachel knew she had to say something to get her mom off her back since she knew it would only get worse as time passed.

She didn't want to upset her mother and risk not being able to stay close to her to fulfill Asher's plans. It didn't seem right, but she couldn't see any other choice.

Cecilia's smile brightened, "Really? I am so happy to hear that. It's fine. It's completely fine. You can take your time and see if he is the right one for you. I won't rush you as long as everything turns out fine," Cecilia was pleasantly surprised and didn't want to pressure Rachel anymore and risk her new relationship going wrong.

She was happy that, at least finally, Rachel was up for getting close to someone. It was one less important thing to worry about for now.

"Thank you, Mom," Rachel said with a relieved smile and added, "I should get back to work now. Take care, okay?"

-

Outside, Rachel quickly caught up to Asher to tell him the possible good news even though there wasn't any guarantee yet.

"Good job. So I was right to think that your mom not only dotes on you but also trusts your decisions. But your dad might try to cause a hindrance in this..." Asher mumbled as he walked with Rachel.

"What are you planning to do by getting close to her? Nothing bad…right?" Rachel asked with a worried look.

"Relax. I have no reason to do anything bad to your mom unless she is involved in dirty shit like your dad. But I can use her to get to your dad. If he truly loves your mom, then it will make this a lot easier and interesting," Asher said with a cold smile, making Rachel's heart thud against her chest, wondering if all this was okay.

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