Backstage was a vibrant blur of colors and excited chatter. Children darted around in costume, faces still glowing from the thrill of their performances. Teachers buzzed about, congratulating students and snapping commemorative photos. Amid it all, Ania stood near the dressing curtain, hands behind her back, cheeks rosy, and eyes searching the crowd with cautious wonder.
She didn't need to look far.
Li was the first to reach her, dressed in sharp monochrome with her hair swept into a tight braid. She knelt just enough to match Ania's height and offered a rare, faint smile. "Captured everything," she said, holding up her small drone. "You'll see how beautiful you looked later."
Ania lit up. "Thank you, Big sis Li!"
Behind her, Diego handed out bottled drinks while Tyler adjusted the bouquet of flowers he insisted on buying earlier that morning. Slacovich and Sofie arrived a step later, the former cool and unreadable, while the latter immediately scooped Ania into her arms and gave her a gentle squeeze.
"You were wonderful," Sofie whispered, brushing back a loose strand of Ania's hair. "Absolutely radiant."
Harry leaned against the nearby wall, arms crossed, a quiet smirk playing on his lips. "You were louder than half the class combined," he teased lightly. "Almost like you wanted to steal the spotlight."
"I didn't!" Ania pouted, flustered but pleased.
Then came a shift in the air. Not loud. Not sudden. Just subtle enough that only the Demonfires noticed. A shadow falling too close for comfort.
Volton Hellgazer.
He appeared uninvited, as though he belonged there, hands behind his back, eyes fixed not on the adults, but on the child in Sofie's arms.
"My, my…" he said with that unmistakable silk-and-razor tone. "She sings and smiles. And here I thought she was the quiet type when I first saw her." His eyes briefly flicked to Slacovich. "She's got charm. Just like Ara."
Every Demonfire stiffened. Slacovich took a sharp step forward, but Sofie's arm held him back, her gaze icy. Volton only chuckled at their reactions, like they were nothing more than his audience in a theatre of veiled threats.
"Congratulations, little Ania," he added, tilting his head. "The world's finally looking at you. Let's see if you can survive it."
Then he turned and vanished into the crowd, leaving tension coiled in the silence.
For Ania, it was just a strange man who said strange things. For the Demonfire clan, it was a declaration masked in pleasantry. They said nothing to Ania, keeping their faces warm and their tone playful. But Slacovich's hand curled into a fist behind his back. Tyler exchanged a look with Diego. Even Harry straightened up.
Li handed the bouquet to Ania. "Let's go take some pictures."
And just like that, the warmth returned, at least on the surface. They posed for photos. They laughed. They celebrated.
But underneath it all, the fire had already been lit.
The restaurant they'd chosen for their celebratory dinner was nestled just outside the city's edge, a sleek, modern space carved into a mountainside, with tall glass walls revealing a view of glittering lights and faraway stars. Privacy was promised, security was a given, and the air was filled with nothing but the clinking of fine silverware and the scent of rich, well-crafted dishes.
Ania sat at the center of the long dining table, her hair now brushed out and tied with a silk ribbon Sofie had brought just for this occasion. Her dress had been swapped for something simpler yet still elegant, and her cheeks were still flushed with the afterglow of her school performance. Around her, the Demonfire clan had gathered in their usual fashion, casual on the outside, but ever alert beneath.
Tyler was already teasing Diego about his earlier attempt at handing out the drinks too fast, while Harry simply chuckled and peeled the label off his wine bottle, half-listening. Li reviewed the drone footage silently, her fingers tapping the screen with mechanical precision.
Sofie had taken the seat beside Ania, keeping a gentle hand over hers as if to ground her. Slacovich sat at the head of the table, commanding in presence even in stillness.
Just as dessert was being placed in front of them, Ania lifted her spoon… and then paused.
She looked around the table once, one Demonfire after another, then, innocently, she asked:
"That man… he's the Volton Hellgazer you always talk about, right? That man back at school?"
Every motion at the table stilled.
Slacovich's hand tensed around his glass. Diego blinked, caught off guard. Tyler's smirk faded entirely. Sofie subtly slid her hand from Ania's to her shoulder. Li paused her video playback mid-frame.
Harry was the first to speak, voice lighter than it should've been. "You've never seen him before, princess. How'd you guess?"
"I heard a teacher say his name," Ania said honestly. "And… you always make that face when you talk about him." She looked at Slacovich. "That one."
Slacovich forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "What face?"
"The 'I'm going to erase someone off the planet' face," she said, quite matter-of-factly.
There was a beat of silence. Then Tyler coughed into his napkin, hiding a laugh.
Even Diego cracked a grin. "She's not wrong."
Sofie leaned in with a gentle sigh. "Ania, it's best not to worry about him. Just know that if he ever tries anything, we'll all be there."
"I'm not scared," Ania said with a shrug, reaching for her spoon again. "He just looked like someone from a story. The scary kind. But I'm not scared of stories."
Li finally spoke, her voice even. "Stories can be rewritten. And villains don't always get to keep their chapters."
Ania beamed. "Then let's make it a good ending."
Slacovich exhaled slowly, the storm in his chest quieting at least for now. "We will."
They returned to their meal, the tension gradually melting back into warmth. But something had shifted. Not in a bad way, but in the way fire shifts before it spreads. Controlled, for now. But ready.
Volton's words lingered like smoke.
And the Demonfire clan, protectors of one small girl with the strength of a name and the weight of a legacy, would be damned if they let history repeat itself.
The night air had settled into a hushed quiet as the convoy of three luxury vehicles made their descent from the mountainside. The road they followed was narrow and winding, cutting through thick forest, private property owned by the Demonfire family. Normally, it was a secure and peaceful route. Tonight, it became something else.
In the second car, Ania sat snug on Li's lap, the child's small arms wrapped lightly around her waist. Li's calm, cool demeanor hadn't changed, but her arms instinctively curled protectively around Ania, shielding her from every bump in the road. At the wheel, Harry drove with one hand lazily gripping the steering, the other resting on the door. He hummed softly, eyes sharp beneath his easygoing smirk.
The first car was led by Slacovich and Sofie. Behind them, Tyler and Diego held the rear.
Then, like a cut in a film, the road changed.
A figure appeared in the center of the path. No sound. No warning. Just standing there, unmoving, waiting.
Harry's voice turned low. "We've got company."
Slacovich's voice echoed over the secure line. "Brake. Now."
Sofie's foot slammed down in the front car. It screeched to a halt, inches from the man. Behind them, Harry cursed under his breath and twisted the wheel. The second car swerved just enough to avoid collision. He slammed the brakes with precision only he could pull off, and the vehicle rocked forward violently.
Li clutched Ania to her chest, holding her tight to shield her from the sudden jolt. "It's okay," she whispered, her tone smooth like velvet yet hard as iron. "Stay still, little one."
The third car stopped clean behind them, Diego and Tyler both leaping out before the wheels fully settled.
The man in the road remained still, like he didn't even register the chaos he caused.
From the first car, Slacovich stepped out with the weight of a storm behind his footsteps. Sofie followed, cold elegance wrapped in tailored fabric.
The man didn't move.
But the trees did.
From the forest's edge came the faint clink of weapons unsheathing, and a low, familiar voice.
"You all travel far too openly," Volton Hellgazer said as he stepped out of the darkness, wearing that same smug grin that dripped with contempt. "For a family with such delicate attachments, I expected tighter discipline."
Li activated the shielding inside the vehicle with a flick of her wrist. The windows darkened, locks sealed, and a faint shimmer coated the car. She adjusted Ania in her lap, arms never leaving the girl's body. Her voice was a steady hum in Ania's ear. "Don't move, and don't be scared."
Outside, it exploded.
Slacovich launched at Volton.
Volton met him halfway, intercepting the first blow with crossed arms, stumbling back from the sheer force of it.
And with that, chaos.
From the trees, armed men surged forward.
Tyler was the first to meet them, a swift blur of motion, landing solid hits and dodging blades. Diego was brute force incarnate, picking up one attacker and hurling him across the road like a rag doll. Sofie danced into the fray with her twin daggers drawn, slicing in elegant arcs. Harry stepped out of the car casually, cracking his knuckles before diving into hand-to-hand with two enemies at once, no weapons, just raw skill and timing.
Inside the car, Ania gasped. "They're fighting…"
Li lowered her head slightly and spoke softly. "They're protecting. That's different."
Above them, Li's drone darted through the night sky, releasing small EMP flashes to disrupt the enemy's comms. Not one attacker made it near Ania's car.
Slacovich and Volton clashed in a storm of fists and fury. The CEO was livid, his attacks sharper than before, as if every punch carried the weight of a father's rage. Volton laughed through the hits, even as blood traced down his lip.
"You've grown soft, Slacovich," he said, blocking another blow. "Soft things break."
Slacovich responded by driving his fist into Volton's chest with enough force to knock him backwards several feet.
It was over in minutes. The ground littered with groaning bodies. Volton stood, shaking off the ache with a twisted grin. "You've all gotten very sentimental. It's adorable."
Sofie's daggers were inches from his throat before Slacovich raised a hand.
Volton dusted himself off and gave a mock bow. "No hard feelings. Tell the little princess she looked charming tonight."
With that, he disappeared into the forest, retreating, not defeated, but satisfied.
Inside the car, Ania stared up at Li. "He was talking about me, wasn't he?"
Li looked down at her with calm eyes. "Yes. But I was listening more to what he didn't say."
Harry returned to the car, wiping his bloodied hand with a towel. He gave Li a glance through the mirror. "We good?"
Li nodded once. "Let's move."
The convoy rolled forward once more, slower this time, engines humming like a warning.
And Ania stayed wrapped in Li's arms the entire way home.