"Why a church?" Zoey asked as she and the others followed Melissa inside. She slid into the second pew, while Rumi took the front row and Mira settled into the third.
Melissa walked straight to the altar, her boots echoing faintly against the stone floor. She lifted her gaze to the carved figure of Mother Mary, then to the stained-glass cross glowing faintly with moonlight from outside.
"This is my base away from base," she said simply. "It's impossible to enter here without my knowledge… if you even manage to find a way in at all."
Rumi tilted her head. "Why would you need a base away from the base? The main one's already pretty secure."
Melissa bent her head slightly, pressing two fingers against her forehead as though in thought, or prayer. When she looked back, her tone was matter-of-fact. "Because I'm being watched. I can't risk leading the enemy to our true operations center. Until the threat is dealt with, I'm a liability. A safety hazard. That means I cannot return to base." Her eyes swept across them, sharp and calm. "And neither can you."
Mira sat up straighter. "Wait, what? So we're stranded here?"
"It's just for the week," Melissa replied calmly. "Perhaps less, if you're fortunate."
Rumi placed a steady hand on Mira's shoulder. "We'll manage. We can rent a hotel if we have to."
Melissa finally turned fully toward them, her posture relaxing by a fraction. "Before you do that… are any of you hungry?"
Mira's mood shifted instantly. She leaned forward over the pew, eyes bright. "You had me at hungry."
---
Zoey perked up immediately. "Food? Yes, please. Tell me this church has, like, a secret snack stash."
Melissa's lips curved faintly. "Non, not here." She brushed a hand over the altar as if closing some unseen thought, then descended the steps. "Come. There is a café not far from here. They will have what you need."
"Coffee?" Mira asked hopefully as she trailed after her.
"Coffee. Pastries. Croque-monsieur, if you prefer something heavier." Melissa's tone carried that faint French lilt again, the r rolling just enough to make Zoey smirk.
The streets outside were alive but not yet crowded, the kind of late-morning bustle that belonged to locals more than tourists. The bells of the church faded behind them as Melissa led the way with an easy stride, hands in the pockets of her coat.
Zoey craned her neck to watch the passing balconies and flower boxes. "We usually never spend more than a day in Paris during our tours, because how did I miss this? Paris is gorgeous. Like, too gorgeous. Even the trash cans are fancy."
"Don't say that too loud," Rumi muttered, keeping pace with Melissa. "She'll take it personally."
Melissa gave a small, amused hum but didn't glance back.
Melissa stopped in front of a corner café, its awning striped in faded red and white. A chalkboard menu leaned against the door, letters scrawled in looping French. The windows were fogged faintly from warmth inside, and the smell of butter and espresso slipped out the moment Melissa pulled the door open.
Zoey nearly swooned. "Oh my god. That smell. That's, like, what happiness smells like."
Inside, the café was cozy, with mismatched wooden tables and an old counter stacked high with croissants, pain au chocolat, and éclairs glazed to perfection. The air hummed with soft conversation and the hiss of the espresso machine.
Melissa motioned for them to sit near the window before striding to the counter. She spoke to the barista in quick, easy French, so fluid it sounded almost like music.
Zoey leaned across the table, whispering, "Okay, that was hot. The accent is one thing, but when she goes full French? Whew."
Rumi shot her a look. "Please don't embarrass us."
"Should we be worried?" Mira said, as Melissa returned carrying a tray balanced with practiced ease: steaming coffees, a basket of golden croissants, and plates lined with tarts dusted in powdered sugar.
Melissa set it down with a flourish. "Bon appétit," she said, sliding into the seat opposite them. "Paris welcomes you properly now."
Zoey grabbed a croissant instantly, biting in with zero shame. "Okay, I'm not going back home. Ever. I live here now."
"Noted," Melissa said dryly, sipping her coffee. But there was the faintest trace of a smile at the corner of her lips.
As they began eating, Rumi noticed the quiet calm wrapping around just the two of them. It reminded her of the serenity she once felt with a certain Saja.
Melissa cradled her coffee cup in both hands, her gaze thoughtful. "What does it feel like?" she asked softly. "The Honmoon. When you connect with it, using nothing but your voice, how does it…" She let out a slow breath, searching for the words. "What is it like?"
For a moment, none of them answered. The café around them carried on, silverware clinking, chairs scraping softly, the low murmur of French conversation, but at their table, it was quiet.
Mira raised an eyebrow. "What brought this on?"
Melissa simply gave her a small smile. "Humour me."
Zoey tilted her head, flakes of croissant dusting her fingers. "It's hard to explain," she said finally. "Like… breathing in light. Like the whole world just falls into harmony for a second, and all you have to do is sing."
Mira swallowed a mouthful of coffee, leaning her chin against her hand. "For me it's more like a pulse. A rhythm that's always there, waiting for you to pick it up. Stronger than any beat I've ever danced to."
Rumi's eyes softened, her voice quieter than the others. "At the same time... it feels so fragile, like it might not be enough... I, might not be enough. The Honmoon is connected to us just as much as we're connected to it, and realising just what that means... it's hard to put into words."
Melissa listened intently, her hands still wrapped around her cup, as if she needed its warmth to steady her. Her gaze was sharp, but not cold, it was hungry. Not for food, but for understanding. "Mon dieu…" she whispered. "You make it sound… alive."
Zoey shrugged. "Guess that's one way to put it."
Melissa's lips pressed into a thin line. She looked out the window for a heartbeat, the light catching in her dark eyes, then back at them. "You are blessed," she said, voice low. "Huntrix… you carry something even most of our highest ranks will never touch. To call upon Honmoon with only your voices, it is…" She shook her head slightly, words failing her for once.
Rumi studied her quietly, noticing the way Melissa's fingers tightened on her cup before she loosened her grip again. There was longing there. Envy, maybe. Or something deeper.
Mira, of course, cut through it all with a grin. "Nice to meet a fan."
Melissa blinked at her, then gave the faintest huff of a laugh. "Perhaps," she admitted. "My mother was an avid believer in the Demon Hunters. She basically worshipped them."
"I on the other hand, was not a believer in the superstitious. I had, more realistic goals, like trying to provide for the family." Melissa's gaze drifted briefly back to the window, where the soft bustle of Paris carried on without them. She swirled her coffee absently, the porcelain cup whispering against its saucer.
"I wanted to be normal," she continued, her accent rolling smooth but quieter now. "To sell homes, to build futures for people. I became an agent young, younger than I should have, because it meant some... semblance of control."
Zoey perked up mid-bite, croissant flakes on her lip. "Wait, you're a real estate agent?"
Melissa's eyes flicked back to her, one brow arching. "Oui. Something wrong with that?"
"No, no," Zoey said quickly, holding up her hands. "Just… that's not what I pictured. Like, Demon Hunter by night, Realtor by day? You're basically living in a TV drama."
Mira snorted into her coffee. "I'd watch that show."
Rumi, though, tilted her head slightly, thoughtful. "It suits you," she said. "Both require intuition. Reading people."
Zoey froze the moment Rumi's words left her mouth. "Wait a minute."
Melissa's lips curved into a knowing smile. "It appears I'm not the only one who's intuitive."
Rumi blinked in confusion and turned toward Mira, who only lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug.
"I've only spoken with you for an hour," Melissa continued, her voice calm yet steady as she reached out and placed a gentle hand over Rumi's, "but that's all I need. You may carry demon blood, but I can tell you're far more human than anything else. While Zerida isn't wrong to be skeptical, you're no enemy to me."
Rumi blinked, her brows knitting. "Is that why she sent us here? To be assessed by you?"
Melissa didn't look the least bit offended. "Not at all. I assume you've at least read my file, so you know I've mentored several young women in the seven years since joining."
Her tone softened as her eyes lingered on Rumi. "Sometimes, I notice more than I'd like to. And I can see that something weighs heavily on your heart. You'll meet many who only see your status as a half-demon, who will accuse you of things they don't understand. But I can already tell, you're strong, Rumi. Strong enough to endure it. Still…" she offered a faint smile, "you didn't need me to tell you that, did you?"
Rumi's lips curved into a smile as she turned to Mira and Zoey. Both girls smiled back, a quiet bond of reassurance passing between them. "Yeah. With my friends by my side, there's nothing we can't do."
Melissa watched the three of them, her expression unreadable. Beneath the table, her off-hand brushed against the surface of a small locket, fingers tracing it absently.
~~~Nighttime~~~
"Alright," Rumi said with a wild smile, adjusting her jacket. "First night of patrol in Paris. Let's go demon hunting."
Her outfit was nothing short of extravagant, an over-the-top ensemble of black leather embroidered with gold patterns, gemstones woven into the seams so that the fabric shimmered under the moonlight. It looked more like a designer piece than combat gear, yet it radiated menace all the same.
Mira grinned, rolling her shoulders. "I've been getting super bored lately, so I don't mind bashing a few demon skulls in." Her own attire mirrored Rumi's style: sleek, opulent, and utterly impractical to anyone but a Demon Hunter.
Behind them, Zoey crouched near the edge of the rooftop, her sharp eyes scanning the streets below. She flicked her hair aside, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "I see her. She's already moving." Like her sisters-in-arms, Zoey was clad in battle gear that blurred the line between high fashion and lethal protection.
The rooftops of Paris stretched before them, a jagged sea of chimneys and slanted tiles painted silver by the moon. From their perch, the girls had a clear view of Melissa's figure moving below. She walked with measured confidence, her long coat sweeping behind her like a shadow of its own.
Melissa paused at the mouth of an alley. Even from this distance, the girls could see her tilt her head slightly, like she was listening to something in the air they couldn't hear. She slipped a hand beneath her coat, not drawing her weapon, but ready. A moment later, she continued, her footsteps quiet and deliberate.
Zoey smirked, crouching lower as Melissa turned a corner. "Okay, this is where it gets tricky. We'll have to leap rooftops if we want to keep her in sight."
The three exchanged a glance. Then, with practiced ease, they vaulted across the gap to the next roof, boots hitting tile without a sound. Paris spread wide and endless around them, the glow of cafés still open late, the Seine glittering in the distance, and beyond it, the faint silhouette of the Eiffel Tower like a sentinel in the night.
Rumi landed first, rolling into a crouch. Her eyes tracked Melissa's path below as the woman moved deeper into the labyrinth of streets. "Ok, nothing so far."
"Aww man," Mira groaned, flopping back onto the rooftop.
Rumi rolled her eyes. "Will you relax? We've got the rest of the night. The whole week, even."
Zoey leaned in conspiratorially, her grin bright in the moonlight. "Good thing I came prepared. I downloaded three seasons of this new show. Perfect rooftop stakeout entertainment."
Mira looked at her lazily and disappointedly. "Is it about turtles?" Then it turned to a lazy grin "I'm so down."
Zoey giggled and fished out her phone, the screen casting a soft glow across her face. Mira scooted closer, practically draping herself over Zoey's shoulder.
Rumi groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Seriously, guys?"
"What?" Mira asked innocently. "You said we need patience. What's more patient than watching turtles?"
Zoey tried to stifle her laugh but failed, snickering. "And besides, Melissa just started her patrol. It's not like demons are going to jump out immediately. They can't even slip past the Honmoon without us noticing."
Rumi exhaled sharply through her nose and forced her focus back to the street below. Melissa's figure was easy to follow, her stride purposeful as she made her way down a long, empty road. At the pace she kept, it should've taken at least a few minutes to reach the end.
"I guess you're righ..." Rumi's words cut off, her eyes snapping wide. In the mere seconds she'd looked away, the street had transformed. Melissa now stood in the middle of the road, surrounded on all sides by a pack of Dokkaebi, their twisted forms writhing in the shadows.
"What the…!" Rumi hissed, eyes widening.
Mira and Zoey crowded beside her on the rooftop edge, weapons shimmering into existence as they watched the street below.
"Where did this many demons even come from?" Mira asked, disbelief in her voice.
"There wasn't even a ripple in the Honmoon," Zoey added, her Shin-kai forming in her hands. "If there was a tear, we would've felt it."
"Rumi, what do we do?" Mira pressed, her Gok-do blazing in her arms.
Rumi narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to stay calm. Melissa stood at the center of the chaos below, already surrounded, yet her movements were precise, confident.
With a sharp spin of her weapon, a curved sword glowing at the end of a long chain, counterbalanced by a short hooked blade, she tore through the demons. Four of them were skewered in a single motion, the shorter blade lancing clean through their torsos like meat on a skewer.
A massive demon swung down with a club, but Melissa ducked low, severed its arm in one clean strike, and finished it with a decapitating sweep. The body dissolved instantly into a swirl of pink particles, carried by the rush of wind from her spinning chain-blades.
"…Whoa," Zoey whispered, half in awe. "She's really good."
Rumi's lips tightened. "We hang back for now. Zerida said there's a trap laid here. If we interfere too early, we could ruin it."
Mira scowled. "Are you kidding? Look at those numbers. She's gonna get overrun!"
Rumi hesitated, torn. "…If it looks like she's losing, we step in. Until then..."
"You have quite the good head on your shoulders," a static voice interrupted suddenly.
Rumi startled, glancing at her pocket. A small marble inside blinked faintly with light.
"Wh…what is this?" she whispered.
Zoey's eyes went wide. "That's Zerida. A communicator!"
"Correct, miss Zoey," the voice confirmed from the marble. "This device allows me to speak to you directly. As for my orders, remain on standby until further notice."
"What!?" Mira burst out. "What do you mean standby? She's surrounded!"
The marble crackled faintly, almost as if sighing. "We have not yet located the primary target. If you three reveal yourselves now, you risk jeopardizing the operation."
"But she could die down there!" Mira shot back, fists tightening around her weapon.
"No," Zerida's voice answered firmly. "Other agents are already en route. As am I."
Rumi's breath caught. "You're coming here?"
"Of course," Zerida replied. "I told you, didn't I? I will be participating personally."
---
Celine pressed a hand against the glass, her gaze fixed on the city sprawled out hundreds of miles below. The lights twinkled like a fragile constellation, oblivious to the battle already set in motion above. "You really believe this is going to work?" she asked quietly, her voice almost lost to the hum of the air around them.
Behind her, Zerida stepped forward, a folded length of white fabric draped over one arm. "It's already working," she replied calmly. "Did you see the Honmoon react even once?"
Celine narrowed her eyes at the reflection in the glass. "…They didn't come from the other side."
"No. They didn't." Zerida unfurled the fabric, revealing a heavy armored coat stitched with silver patterns that shimmered faintly in the dim light. She slid into it with practiced ease, tightening each belt with a sharp tug. "If they passed through, it wasn't here. And it wasn't today."
Bootsteps echoed lightly on the floor as Claire approached, her armored dress whispering with each step. The sleeves were cut from a metallic mesh, fishnet-thin yet strong enough to turn blades. In her hands she carried a great bow of gleaming darkwood, its string humming faintly with restrained energy.
She stopped beside Zerida and extended it to her. Zerida took the weapon without hesitation, slinging the quiver across her shoulder in one fluid motion. Her tone carried no doubt, no hesitation. "Our target is here. That much is certain. And they are not leaving this city alive... whatever they are."
Celine lowered her head, her hair falling forward to hide her expression. Her teeth dug into her lip until the taste of blood spread across her tongue. Fingers clenched tight around the hilts of her twin swords, she forced herself to stay silent, even as unease knotted inside her chest.
---
Mira held her breath as she watched Melissa's chain whip through the air, the curved blade cleaving through six demon necks in a single swing. Heads fell in a spray of pink particles, yet the monsters only pressed in tighter, their claws reaching for her. Mira's hands trembled, she couldn't just stand by while someone else fought alone.
"Rumi, this is..." she began, but Zoey's sharp cry cut her off.
"Look! Reinforcements!" Zoey pointed toward the street.
A squad of hunters surged forward, their weapons flashing under the dim light. In seconds, they were upon the demons, tearing into them as if they were nothing more than paper. Melissa staggered back, sweat clinging to her brow, and seized the chance to retreat against a wall. At last, she allowed herself a ragged breath, her chest heaving from the strain.
"I'm guessing these are the field agents?" Rumi asked through the glowing marble in her hand.
"Yes," came Celine's calm voice, instead of Zerida's. "They'll handle the fodder. Keep your eyes sharp for anything unusual. And not just demons. You've been at this for almost six years, Rumi, if you notice anything different, report it immediately."
Zoey narrowed her eyes as the reinforcements cut through the horde. "The demons are being pushed back. Without the numbers, they're not much of a threat." She gave a little laugh as the battle shifted, the monsters driven toward the edge of the road, right up against the dark current of the Seine.
"Hey, you think demons even know how to swim?" she joked.
Mira smirked, rolling a shoulder. "If they can fly a plane, sort of, then maybe. Unless they're water demons, in which case, definitely."
Rumi froze. The words struck her like a spark. She whipped her head toward Mira. "What did you just say?"
Mira blinked, confused. "Hmm?"
Rumi's eyes widened, her gut dropping. "Water demons…" She turned back to the fight, dread clawing at her chest.
She was just in time to see it happen.
One of the hunters thrust his spear clean through a Dokkaebi and wrenched it free, but he didn't even have time to breathe before something surged from the river. A pale, sinewy arm shot up, clawed fingers locking around his leg, and in the blink of an eye he was yanked screaming into the water. The Seine swallowed him whole, ripples the only trace he had ever been there.
The fighting stalled. Everyone, hunters and demons alike, stared toward the river's surface, waiting for him to resurface.
He didn't.
Instead, the water erupted. Dozens of figures surged out, their bodies slick and scaled, eyes gleaming an unnatural blue. Water demons clawed onto the cobblestones, shrieking as they joined the fray. And behind them, larger shadows rose, Dokkaebi vaulting straight out of the river to crash down among the hunters.
"Rumi?" Mira called.
Rumi gave a short nod. "Right. Let's go."
"Stand by, Huntrix."
The marble glowed faintly as Zerida's voice rang out, halting the three girls in their tracks.
"What!?" Zoey snapped. "Stand by!?"
Rumi's brow furrowed. "People are dying, Zerida. You can't expect us to stand by and let it happen."
The marble pulsed again. "The target has not revealed themselves. The hunters will be fine."
"…What the hell?" Mira's voice wavered, her eyes fixed on the chaos ahead.
Rumi turned sharply, following her gaze. On the battlefield, a hunter cleaved a water demon cleanly in half, only to reel back as a towering Dokkaebi swung its massive club. The impact rattled his blade and sent him flying, twisting midair to brace for a roll upon landing.
But he never made it.
A claw tore through his chest before he could hit the ground, the water demon's strike cutting short his desperate attempt at survival.
"Demons… they don't…" Zoey's voice faltered as she edged closer to the lip of the roof. "They've never fought like this."
Below, more creatures surged out of the Seine, spilling onto the street until the hunters were outnumbered a dozen to one. The battle was turning fast, and the hunters were losing badly.
The coordination was chilling, water demons darted in and out of the river, striking from blind angles, while the hulking Dokkaebi lumbered forward like shields, soaking up the hunters' attacks to create openings for their allies.
"Rumi, do you see any high-class demons out there?" Zerida's voice crackled from the glowing marble in Rumi's pocket, snapping her attention back.
"What?" Rumi blinked, forcing her mind to refocus. "No. No, I don't see..."
"Rumi!" Mira's voice cut through the din. She stood tense, knuckles white around the Gok-do in her hands.
Rumi nodded. "Right, let's go."
"Huntrix, remain on standby until the target is located," Zerida ordered again.
And then, softer, almost a whisper: "Please." Celine's voice.
Rumi shook her head, jaw set. "No can do. I'm sorry."
She vaulted off the rooftop without another word.
Zoey and Mira followed, the three of them cutting through the air in a tight triangle formation as they angled toward the chaos below.
---
= I begged the gods, but they won't hear me 🎶
---
Rumi landed lightly on her feet, a blur of speed as she blitzed through over a dozen water demons in a single motion, pink particles scattering in her wake like embers in the night.
Mira came crashing down, her Gok-do cleaving straight into the skull of a massive Dokkaebi. With a fierce shout, she spun the blade in a wide arc, severing heads in a dizzying flash before springing back into the air.
Zoey's Shin-kai shot forward even before she touched the ground, impaling a cluster of demons at lightning speed. She tucked into a roll on landing, then unfurled with a sharp dropkick that sent another Dokkaebi tumbling in pieces.
---
= Turning their heads to every ask 🎶
---
The hunters barely had time to recover from the chaos before the three girls tore through the demon horde. In seconds, the battlefield was drenched in pink motes, the monsters reduced to nothingness until only hunters remained standing on the road.
Breathing steady, Rumi reached out her hand to a kneeling hunter, a short-haired young woman whose weapon was cracked and useless. The girl clasped her hand and let herself be pulled up.
"Thank you... for the save," the hunter breathed, her voice still shaky.
"You're welcome." Rumi's smile was warm, even with her chest still heaving from exertion.
Around them, Melissa, Mira, Zoey, and the surviving hunters closed in, forming a loose circle that carried the weight of relief.
---
= So I ran... faster than the comets 🎶
---
High above, a red-cloaked figure crouched in shadow, her sniper rifle braced against the ledge. Through the scope, the crosshairs narrowed until they settled precisely on Rumi's face.
A gloved finger tightened on the trigger.
The wind shifted suddenly, tugging the figure's cloak forward with a flutter.
---
= oh, I think... that fate caught up at last 🎶
---
Silver eyes narrowed behind the scope.
Bang!
The crack of the shot split the air, sharp and merciless.
Blood sprayed into the night.
Scarlet petals fluttered on the wind, mingling with pink particles.
"Rumi!!!"