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Episode 2 Part 1: Demon King Has Emerged Once More
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The Winchester home glowed with the warmth of Thanksgiving.
Turkey grease reflected the kitchen lights. Steam rolled off mashed potatoes. Plates scraped against the table. Forks tapped porcelain. A laugh broke out halfway through a bite, then faded into chewing.
The TV played some loud holiday special in the background, the canned laughter bleeding into the room.
Alan leaned back in his chair, the legs creaking slightly. He tapped his fork once against his plate, relaxed.
Alan: "China was good. Spending a few months there taught me a lot."
Diana smiled faintly and cut into her turkey. The knife dragged through the meat with a soft scrape.
Diana: "I'm glad you had fun, son."
Ben lifted his glass and took a slow sip. His shoulders were loose. His jaw was unclenched. For once, he looked like he had allowed himself to relax.
Alan leaned forward and reached for another slice of turkey.
The TV flickered.
Buzz.
A sharp pop snapped through the speakers.
POP.
Diana flinched. Ben's fingers tightened around his glass. Alan froze with his hand hovering over the table.
The holiday show vanished.
A pale news anchor filled the screen. Her face was stiff, eyes glossy. Her hand shook as she pressed her earpiece.
News Anchor, voice unsteady: "L ladies and gentlemen. I I do not know how to say this. A crisis is unfolding in the capital. The Statue of the Demon King is cracking. Parts of it have already fallen."
Diana's fork slipped from her fingers.
CLINK.
It hit the plate and bounced once.
Alan's chest tightened, his breath stalling halfway in. Ben straightened slowly, like a switch flipped inside him. The relaxed father vanished. His eyes sharpened. His posture locked.
Diana stared at the screen, lips trembling.
Diana: "Wh… what did she say?"
The footage was cut.
Shaky aerial drone video filled the screen.
The seven foot stone statue towered over the plaza. Deep fractures split across its surface, spreading wider by the second. Each new crack thundered through the speakers.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Civilians ran beneath it, slamming into each other. Someone fell and vanished under the crowd. Cars were crushed as chunks of stone smashed down.
BOOM.
Windows burst outward. Glass sprayed across the street.
A voice screamed from the footage.
"It's happening again."
Another voice sobbed through static.
"It's over. We are all dead."
The anchor pressed harder against her earpiece, eyes darting.
News Anchor: "We have received eyewitness reports. A cloaked individual was seen near the statue moments before this began. According to multiple civilians, a black beam was fired from their hand into the statue's base."
Diana slammed her palm into the table.
BANG.
Plates jumped. Glasses rattled.
Diana: "Why. Who the hell would want that thing free. What would they gain."
Her hands flew to her head, fingers digging into her hair. Her breathing turned shallow and fast.
Ben folded his arms. His jaw locked. He glanced at her for a brief second, then returned his focus to the screen without a word.
The feed switched again.
A shaky phone recording. A distant rooftop.
A lone figure stood still, wrapped in thick black mist that spiraled tightly around their body. Smoke rolled off them in heavy waves. Even through the TV, the pressure felt wrong. The room seemed to close in.
Alan swallowed hard.
Alan, voice tight: "Dad. Do you know who that is."
The camera jolted violently.
CRACK.
The statue's upper half lurched forward. Stone screamed as it tore apart.
News Anchor, shouting over the noise: "Authorities are responding but Tempestia and Moon Light, the only heroes who ever defeated the Demon King, have not been seen in five years. They may be dead."
Ben's hand snapped to his forehead. A sharp grunt escaped him. His knees bent slightly, his balance slipping, and he caught himself on the back of the chair.
The pain passed as quickly as it came. He straightened, forcing his breathing steady.
Diana's fingers curled against the table, knuckles turning white.
Diana: "No. Please no. It is going to break free any second."
Her voice cracked with real fear.
She reached for Ben's arm, gripping it tightly.
Diana: "Ben. Are you in pain? Is your head okay?"
Ben blinked several times. His eyes moved around the room, unfocused, like he was reaching for something just out of reach.
Ben: "I do not know. I am not sure what that was."
On the TV, more stone collapsed.
BOOM.
Civilians screamed. Sirens wailed over each other.
News Anchor: "If any S or A Rankers are hearing this, please respond. The city is in grave danger."
Another camera angle cut in.
Ground level footage.
People shoved forward, crying, bleeding from cuts caused by flying debris. A man screamed into the camera, tears streaking his face.
Random civilian: "Black Mantis. Please. If you are out there, help us."
The name hit the room hard.
Alan's fingers curled into the fabric of his jeans.
The feed snapped back to the rooftop figure.
They raised one hand.
Black energy crackled around their fingers.
A blast fired.
BOOM.
Bodies dropped instantly. Blood splattered across the pavement. One person's leg folded beneath them at the wrong angle. Another slammed into a wall and slid down, leaving a dark smear.
Then the voice came through the speakers. It was calm, deep and warped.
Oblivion: "Behold, mortals. I am Oblivion. The show has begun."
He dragged his hand down from his head down to his torso.
Reality folded.
He vanished like he wasn't there.
The footage shook violently as the statue's upper half finally collapsed.
CRASH.
The impact drowned out everything.
The house trembled. A glass tipped over, rolled, and shattered against the floor.
Diana staggered back from the table, chest heaving.
Alan: "What the hell is happening out there. The whole city is shaking."
Diana slammed her hand down again.
BANG.
Diana: "Ben, we need to do something. If we do nothing, the city, hell, the whole world is screwed."
Ben stood still, half-lit by the flickering TV. Shadows cut across his face. His voice came out low and rough.
Ben: "Whoever Oblivion is, they are strong. Strong enough to cancel your spell and free Megalodon. That puts them in the top five ranks easily."
Diana stared at him, eyes wide.
Diana: "Really. But who? Who has that kind of power? Are you saying he is an S Ranker? A traitor?"
Her hands shook as she tightened her grip on the table.
Ben: "Or a villain that strong. Maybe."
He stopped himself.
Alan whispered the name, barely louder than the TV.
Alan: "Oblivion? That is the new villain people have been talking about lately. There's no clear visuals. Or any confirmed survivors close enough."
The name settled into the room, heavy and suffocating.
The TV continued screaming as the city burned.
None of them moved.
Diana shoved her chair back so hard it screeched across the floor. She stepped toward Ben, voice shaking but edged with steel.
Diana: "We… we don't have a choice. We go together. We fight this thing."
She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Alan, pulling him in tight. Her fingers clenched the back of his shirt like letting go meant losing him.
Diana (voice cracking): "I'm sorry, Al… I'm so sorry. The other S-Rankers aren't here to help your father. So it has to be me."
Alan froze, breath catching in his throat.
Alan: "Mom… you can't. If you push your powers like that, it'll destroy you. If Megalodon's really back, you can't just—"
She cut him off with a glare sharp enough to stop him cold.
Diana: "Alan, if we don't stop him, there won't be a tomorrow. It's me… or the world."
Alan's stomach twisted. The words landed like a punch to the chest.
Ben leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on the flickering TV.
Ben: "This isn't some asshole chasing fame. He's following orders. That's my theory."
Static crackled.
On-screen, the massive stone structure finally collapsed. Slabs of concrete and carved rock smashed down around the demon statue but the pedestal was empty.
Alan's breath hitched.
Ben tilted his head slightly, his expression darkening.
Alan leaned closer to the screen. "Where's the demon? Why is the statue empty?"
He saw it immediately—something was wrong. Ben's face had gone rigid.
Ben (low, tight): "That's enough. Diana… you're not coming with me. I'm not letting you do this."
Diana turned toward him, lips parted, eyes drowning in helplessness. Her chest rose and fell in uneven breaths.
Ben didn't move. He didn't flinch. He stood like a man who had already accepted the cost.
Ben: "I have to go. I need to be hope for these people."
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