The Damned Demon

Asher didn't know exactly what was going on with Aira. Still, he had already vowed that no matter what happened, he won't rest until he made her pay dearly. He wanted her to suffer more than everyone since he trusted and loved her the most once.

With these heavy thoughts he slowly let go of the crystal ball and opened his eyes.

"So, were you able to get what you wanted?" Darren eagerly asked after patiently waiting for Asher to finish collecting information and added, "Based on what my seniors said, it is useful most of the time."

Asher slowly nodded and said, "Hmm, I have no argument about what they said. But I did get something to help me move forward. But what I am wondering about is how do I start a cult of my own, with my own followers? I just feel I am still missing out on a lot about becoming a full-fledged Reaper. But I should probably not complain until my training is over."

"Ah, yea. Building a cult is not something easy, and I am sure the Head Warden is going to teach you that at the right time while I don't know if I ever will be able to have my own cult. But I don't really care. I am only doing this because my mother told me to. Still, honestly, I want to keep pursuing Enchantment Arts, especially ones that extend to enchanting Reaping Contracts too," Darren said with a soft sigh as his eyes momentarily became glazed.

"Contracts can be enchanted?" Asher asked with a surprised look, as he didn't expect that.

Darren nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, of course. But it depends on the grade of the contract. For powerful enchantments, at least an Epic Grade contract is necessary. I have tried my hand at enchanting some, but I am still perfecting my art," Darren said with a look of pride in his eyes.

Asher nodded with a subtle smile, feeling that Darren was going to be even more useful than he thought in the future.

"I have heard you are a genius at what you do. So no matter what anyone says, do not stray away from your passion. That is my advice for you," Asher said as he patted Darren's shoulder.

Darren nodded with an appreciative look as he said, "Of course. I feel flattered you have high hopes for me," Darren felt really grateful that someone like Asher was supporting his ambitions.

Asher softly chuckled and said, "I should get back to Reaping. But one thing I wanted to know is, do we gain anything if we reap other souls? I was thinking why we should not reap more than one soul during a quest," This was a thought that popped into his mind while collecting information for his quest.

Darren readily nodded as he said, "Of course, it's possible, and we do gain benefits. But the catch is we won't get the benefits unless we complete the main objective. So even if you have the luxury of time to reap other souls, I would suggest making sure that you have a good chance of completing the objective in time."

"I see. I shall see you around then."

—

Time Left : 3d 5h

Asher's spirit form entered Remy's small apartment and noticed the dimly lit living room, with the curtains drawn and a fain scent of lavender that wafted through the air.

It was a cozy space with comfortable-looking furniture, a bookshelf with old, dusty volumes, and a small coffee table that held a vase of dried flowers.

He purposefully chose this time to come here since he knew Remy was out and as he passed the hall, he saw Remy's grandmother sleeping on the cold floor, making him wonder if she was really nuts. 

However, even if Grace was once a powerful Hunter, he learned from Remy's memories that she didn't even have a fraction of her power during her prime and couldn't even prevent herself from falling down the stairs.

This was his source of confidence for sneaking inside and trying to get more information on her.

He went straight to Remy's bedroom to search for a doll and found one right on the top shelf. The doll was made of frayed fabric, with missing buttons for eyes and a crooked stitched smile. Its clothes were torn, and it had patches of discolored cloth in various places. 

Asher inwardly raised his brows, not expecting Remy to have such a broken doll.

Still, he wanted to possess it and focused his energy on it. Slowly, the energy of the doll began to merge with his, and he felt his senses and perspective shifting.

Within a few moments, he had completely possessed the doll and began to search the apartment for any information on Grave in a very silent and careful manner.

He didn't want to get caught since it could make things messy. He realized Reaping quests surely took a lot more effort and difficulty and hoped the rewards better be worth it.

As expected, he didn't find any documents he needed in Remy's bedroom and decided to sneak toward Grace's bedroom.

Since the height of the doll was short, he had some difficulty climbing up the chair to open the drawers and search for them.

Asher came upon old photos of Grace where she was quite young and surprisingly quite beautiful and was hugging a young boy. The two of them were posing for the cameraman with bright smiles. It seemed as if Grace was a single mother.

There were even more photos where Grace was older, and the young boy had grown into a man while holding a "Happy Mother's Day" card in his hand while hugging her.

Then he saw a photo where a new face appeared, which was a pretty young woman who seemed to be her son's wife. They seemed recently married in the picture and were posing with Grace for a family photo.

The final photo in the album had another new face which was a baby barely a year old. He didn't have to guess that it was Remy, and Grace seemed the happiest in this.

However, there wasn't a single family photo after this other than photos where only Remy was in it as he grew up.

He moved his hands around to see if there was anything else but didn't spot anything of importance.

But then he felt a false drawer within the drawer, and with a click, he opened it, revealing an old diary.

He opened the diary and had his brows raised upon seeing lots of newspaper cuttings and red markings on them.

[ Ruven Eleanor murdered in cold blood and wife raped and killed by demonic cultists ]

[ Ignorant or foolish? Did Ruven and his wife not know the consequences of joining a demonic cult? ]

[ Gary Wesman delivers an emotional speech on how he failed to save his friends ]

[ Weakened Eleanor Family shattered by hidden debts revealed after Ruven's death ]

Asher saw a lot of red marks on this Gary person's face, and it was obvious Grace highlighted in every news snippet he appeared for a reason.

However, he didn't expect Remy to have such a dark history. His parents must have died when he was a baby. Otherwise, they would have appeared in later photos.

Maybe Grace shielded the tragic death of his parents, or maybe not. Either way, he could see that Grace was carrying quite some heavy emotional baggage and burdens.

No wonder she fell into such a destitute state after all this. 

At this point, he felt that he should have got a reaping quest to reap her soul upon seeing how she was a good candidate. But knowing how she was too weak to do anything, he felt things were better this way.

However, suddenly he felt a strange sensation. He could feel the vibrations of someone approaching, the very air around him softly quivering as the footsteps drew near.

'Damn,' Asher realized Grace had woken up and was probably walking towards her room. He immediately closed the drawer and put everything back in place before running off to Remy's room.

Fortunately, his senses were heightened like a snake in this doll's body, allowing him to sense footsteps from far away.

He got himself up on the shelf and assumed the original position in which the doll was kept.

He heard Grace going into her bedroom and felt relieved he got back in time.

*Creak*

Asher's eyes inwardly widened upon seeing Grace suddenly limping into Remy's bedroom and looking around the room with a soft smile. 

'Did she notice me? No, that can't be…' Asher was sure he reached back in time and didn't also leave any mess in her room.

He saw her gaze pass just past him, making him feel like holding his breath even though he couldn't. He made sure to not make a single move, just like a lifeless doll. He can't remember the last time he had been this careful and wary before someone as old and weak as her.

As her gaze passed by him, he relaxed and saw her correcting the bedsheet on Remy's bed.

He shook his head inwardly, thinking she must usually come here to make sure everything was proper in her grandson's room.

But then, without warning, Grace suddenly turned and stepped towards the shelf he was on. His senses spiked to the max as he saw her hand reaching for him at an insane speed.

'Damn!' He shrunk back, realizing that she somehow caught him, and ran across the shelf, hoping to jump down. 

But her hand traveled faster, and he clicked his tongue as she smacked him down to the floor.

"I was waiting for one of you to come here, and finally, one of you did. It was a good thing I never stopped being patient," Grace said with a cold grin as she looked down at him with glowing eyes.

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