Page 54 of The Wishing Game

"What happens to the souls that are consumed?" I ask as my heart hammers in my chest.

"Generally speaking, that is the end of them. But there have been cases where the souls were retrieved after the demon was exterminated. But these are very rare cases and only when the soul has been recently consumed. As time passes, the essence of the soul merges with that of the demon and they are forever lost."

"So this entire trial is a hoax. Is that what you're telling me?"

Cer's lips flatten into a thin line.

"Well, isn't that so?" I turn to Thea. "If the soul merged with the demon, then we won't be able to help it cross over. That means we lose."

"No one said this game is easy," Cer says.

"More like impossible," I mumble.

"Which is why you two need to leave. I'll deal with the demon myself."

"What—"

"We should listen to him, Luce," Thea suddenly says as she hops over to me and grabs me by my arm. "He fights them for a living."

"He does what?" I blink.

She nods fervently.

"If anyone knows how to hunt and kill a demon, it's Cer. And once he kills it, the soul will be freed—if it hasn't been ingested, of course."

My mouth curls in disgust as I think about that process of...ingestion. Not the image I wanted in my head.

"And how might one kill a demon?"

Cer gives me a chilling look.

"You don't need to know," he grunts, his features tense as he scans the auditorium.

Oh, well. I can see why Thea has an issue with him. He's not very friendly, is he?

As much as I hate letting someone else do the work for me, in this case, I'll have to make an exception. This isn't just about me anymore—although God knows how dangerous these demons are to a mere human. No, this is about my Nikki and the fact that if I'm in danger, so is he—even more so. As long as he's by my side, my recklessness could cost him his soul.

That is the last thing I would ever want to happen.

"See, now let's go. He'll meet us at the hotel, right, Cer?"

He grunts again, barely paying her any mind.

"He's in hunting mode," Thea whispers. "Come on."

Pulling on my arm, she leads me toward the entrance of the theatre.

A part of me is guilty for abandoning this mission. Somehow, not being directly involved makes it feel unearned. But I can't expose Nikki to it.

The hallway is dark as we head to the main exit. As we reach the door, Thea uses her claw to unlock it. A click resounds through the stillness of the night and she pulls on the knob. The door easily opens, but as we're about to step into the night, we collide with an invisible barrier that thrusts us back.

"Wha—" I mumble, wincing as I hit the ground.

"No, no," Thea whispers, getting up and running toward the door at full speed. Yet it's in vain because she's once more thrown back.

"What is it?"

She wobbles toward me, her features tense.

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