𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑
she's fire. but she won't burn you... she knows all too well how it feels to live with ashes

THE TRIO THAT was Hope, Scott, and Isaac found themselves seated in Argent's office at their apartment.

Chris Argent stood behind his desk, face contorting in pain as Allison attended to his wounds.

Hope was chewing on the inside of her cheek as she thought about what had happened just an hour ago. There was shadow ninja demons out to get her pack, and she didn't know how to protect her friends because her magic seemed to have no affect on them.

Chris' lips pursed, groaning through his teeth but remained silent as he thought back to the time he had his first confrontation with the same shadowy figures.

They had emerged from the darkness, alluring firefly green color being the only thing breaking up the blackness that were their eyes. The creatures pulled long black swords from their chests, slaughtering everyone and everything in sigh.

"There was something almost ritualistic about it — like it was looking right into his soul," Argent explained, wincing.

It was the exact same thing they did to Aiden, Lydia out on the balcony, Derek right outside the complex near his car, and Isaac the night prior in the Argents apartment.

"That's the same thing it did to me," Isaac announced, and Hope looked over at him.

Allison moved her eyes away from her father's wounds, briefly looking toward Isaac. "That's what it did to everyone."

"Not everyone," Scott spoke up. "They only came after the werewolves."

"And Lydia," Hope added, speaking up for the first time. "And before they disappeared, they were looking straight at me."

"Anyone with a connection to the supernatural," Chris informed, glancing at Hope in worry. He know that she must be the next victim to be chosen for whatever reason they're here for.

"Then who was the guy they went after in Japan?" Isaac inquired, stirring the conversation back into the direction of Chris Argent's experience in Japan.

"A kumicho," he replied immediately, like the entirety of the memory had been scarred into his memory for all eternity. Carter's own mind was still pulsating; not understanding who or what the creatures were looking for. "A yakuza boss. It was my first gun deal. I was only eighteen and it was supposed to be a simple exchange, except Gerard left out the minor detail of the buyers being yakuza. He wanted to see if I could adapt in the moment. Testing my ability to improvise."

"Or your ability to survive," Allison offered, knowing that Gerard was all about survival while she rubbed a hydrogen peroxide soaked cottonball over the gash on her father's cheek.

But survival was Gerard's sole reason as to why he hunted supernatural creatures, and even in the end, was willing to become a werewolf to assure his survival through cancer.

"The moment the sun went down it was like they just materialized out of the shadows," Argent continued, drifting into a memory lost in a time that once was.

"They had swords, not curved like katanas but straight, black steel — like ninjatos."

Hope sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "What did they want?"

"To get to the kumicho," Chris answered, "They cut down every living thing in their way."

Isaac's fingertips instinctively rubbed against the mark branded into his skin behind his ear. "Did they mark him like they did us?"

Chris shook his head faintly, eyes casted down while he spoke: "Not exactly. After they had impaled their way through everyone else, they approached him. They didn't move to mark him; didn't stop to think. Their blades tore into him, eyes flashing a silver white as their blades pierced his stomach."

"What was he?"

"I don't know," Argent said slowly, and Hope's shoulders slumping at his words. "But there might be someone who does. There were a few others who survive that night. One of them was a man named Katashi — they called him Silverfinger because of an unusual prosthetic, and it looked like he was getting ready to take them all on himself. I've known for a while Katashi was in the country. I spent yesterday tracking him down."

Isaac immediately gestured toward Chris' cut and bruised face, "Didn't look like he wanted to be found."

"Not particularly, no."

Scott leaned forward, pressing his elbows into his thighs, "You think he knows what they are? Or what they want?"

"Maybe," Argent replied, but nothing was set in stone.

There had been no actual way of knowing if Katashi knew what the shadowy figures were or what they were looking for, but it had been the only lead they had at that moment.

There was no telling what had arrived in Beacon Hills, and they knew that they were the ones to blames for returning power to the Nemeton.

Allison's eyebrows furrowed, backing away from her father to lean against the bookshelf. "What if he doesn't want to talk?"

"What if he doesn't even remember you?" Hope asked, crossing her arms.

Everything she has encountered in this universe was like the monsters that escaped Malivore, but more dangerous and complicated.

Chris stood from his chair, wrapping his hands around a wooden box with Japanese symbols carved into the opening. Spinning the container around, latch facing him, he spoke: "He'll remember this." He opened the box, unfolding a black cloth which revealed that shattered mask of one of the hooded creatures. "I know I didn't kill it — I'm not sure you can, but I slowed it down long enough for us to get out of there."

"What was behind the mask?" Scott asked as he picked up a piece of the mask.

"Darkness. Absolute darkness."

Hope pursed her lips. "It's like my magic had no affect whatsoever, so whatever they are, they're going to be hard to defeat." She straightened her shoulders. "It's a good thing I like challenges, then."

HOPE WAS ON the back of Scott's motorbike, the wind blowing through her curled hair. She looked to the side upon hearing a revving noise, and noticed one of the twins on a motorcycle. She looked to the left and saw the other twin. Scott noticed the same thing and revved his bike and took off into the school parking lot.

Taking off their helmets, the duo looked back and forth at the twins in amusement.

"You guys going to be doing this all day?" Scott asked, his lips tugging up at one corner of his mouth.

Ethan nodded. "All day."

"All night," Aiden added.

Scott sighed and shook his head. "Is this about being in my pack?"

Aiden rose a brow. "This is about you being the target of demonic ninjas." He then glanced at Hope who narrowed her eyes at him. "You're both targets."

Ethan sarcastically said, "You mean, the demonic ninjas that pulled swords out of their chests and completely kicked our asses?"

"Yeah! Those demonic ninjas," Aiden added, also sarcastically.

Hope couldn't help but grin. "Right now, you're both reminding me of another set of twins I know." She then got off the bike. "I don't need anyone to protect me. And neither does Scott."

Ethan gave her a deadpan stare. "They were looking right at you when the sun came up."

She nodded. "And they also disappeared. Chris thinks that they could just come out at night..."

"Since this is our first experience with demonic ninjas, we're thinking we should play it safe."

Aiden nodded in agreement with his brother. "All day."

Scott shared a look with Hope and sighed. "...And all night." He then gave them a look. "Okay, one thing first. I need to talk to Stiles and let him know everything that happened last night — without you."

Hope's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Stiles who she had made-out with at the party last night. That's when she realized that they haven't talked to one another since it happened and he got shocked out of his daze.

Something about the whole situation felt a little off, but she brushed it off because everyone has been stressed out lately.

Aiden scoffed. "No!

"Yes." Scott glared. "And I don't want you listening in. No wolf-hearing.

Aiden tilted his head with a challenging look in his eyes. "How would you even know?"

Scott smirked. "I'm a True Alpha — you have no idea what I can do." He then walked away and Hope followed after him, snickering.

SCOTT AND HOPE followed after Stiles who was frantic. He could barely look her in the eyes which made her feel a little self-conscious.

"-so, then, she starts talking about phosphors and the key having chemicals on it, right? And so that made me think of the chemistry closet and the fact that someone had to let Barrow in."

Stiles was struggling to properly annunciate his words the more anxious he grew as he tried to explain the theory that had been swirling around in his since last night.

The moment he had saw Scott and Hope in the hallway, he was immediately calling out for them to follow him into the chemistry classroom where Barrow had been hiding.

The only fault in his theory had been when his feet suddenly stopped at the sight of the clean chalkboard, no remnants of the proof that would convince them to believe that he had been the one who left Barrow the message to kill Kira.

Last night, apparently after noticing something so similar in the lettering, he took it upon himself to write out the exact same number beside the coded messages — replicating the exact same writing on the board.

"It's gone," Stiles muttered, his face falling in confusion just before he turned to face them. "Okay, okay...it doesn't matter though - it doesn't matter. I've still got the key."

The boy darted toward the chemical closet at the back of the chemistry room, almost bumping shoulders with his best friends in the process. His shaking fingers searched for the key, the entirety of his nervous system being set on edge as he grew more sleep deprived with each passing minute. But his search had been to no avail, finding no such key that had been on the key ring mere hours ago.

"What the hell?" Stiles kept flipping through the keys. "I had it — I had it here. I had it here this morning; I swear to God, I had it this morning."

"The key you were talking about last night?" Scott asked quietly, worries for his best friend upon hearing how close to a breakdown he was.

"Yeah," Stiles confirmed, glancing up at Scott and Hope. "I showed you guys, right? Didn't I show you?"

Scott's eyes narrowed slightly, thinking back as he tried to remember, "No, you just told us about it. Neither of us actually saw it."

Hope sighed softly. "I only glanced at it last night. Though, I barely remember because—" she cut herself off because she was sure it wasn't the right time to bring up their moment.

That hadn't brought any comfort to Stiles, his face paling even further as he set out to prove that he had been the one who left Barrow the coded message on the chalkboard. "I was here a couple of hours ago," he spluttered out, hand tightening around the keys as he moved back to the chalkboard. "And the message left to Barrow spelling Kira's name was right there on the board in my handwriting, and I had the key to the chemistry closet."

Scott hadn't been as convinced as Stiles was, "So you unlocked the chemistry closet so Barrow could hide in it from the cops, and then you wrote him a message to kill Kira?"

"I know - I know - I know how it sounds," Stiles stuttered, his voice shaking just before his hand sunk deep into his pocket and made an attempt to pull out the folded up report he had found. "But look at this. This is the news report that came out about Barrow when they caught him, okay? About the shrapnel bomb that he used. See this? See what he did? He put nuts, bolts, and screws - and then he hid the bomb and the detonator in a box that he wrapped as a birthday present. What does that sound like to you?"

Scott's face softened in realization, "Coach. The joke we played on Coach."

"That was my idea, Scott," Stiles whispered, his voice barely audible as he tried to get the two werewolves to understand what he was trying to say. "You remember? That was my idea. That's no coincidence. It can't be."

Hope's lips parted, trying to form her though into words. "Stiles... we know you, you know you, and you would never hurt someone, let alone kill them. Therefore why would you leave that message for Barrow to kill Kira?"

"It was here," Stiles mumbled, his hand tightening around the paper until it was just a crumpled-up ball as he stared at the clean chalkboard. "It was all here."

"Dude, are you feeling okay?" Scott asked, worries that Stiles wasn't getting enough sleep.

Something was wrong, Hope thought. She remembered seeing a flash of darkness in his eyes when he had glared at the girl that had kissed her. She remembered the slight tingle throughout her body that she had first thought was because she was horny, but now isn't so sure. It felt familiar. But, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. All she knows is that she had felt rage from him. And at that point, it exited her. But now it kinda scares her.

"You look really tired," she stated, looking him up and down with soft eyes.

He turned away from the board, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just...haven't been sleeping, really."

"Stiles, why don't you go home?" Hope suggested. "Take a sick day or something." Maybe that was all he really needed. Hopefully that is all he needs.

After Stiles had finally agreed to skip the rest of the day and go home, Scott and Hope found themselves exiting the chemistry classroom only to be instantly surrounded by Ethan and Aiden.

Hope pulled her phone out of her back pocket when it vibrated, reading the text message from Isaac saying that he was going to help the Argents track down Katashi.

"Did you tell him?" Aiden asked, gluing himself to Hope's side while she put away her phone.

"No," Scott breathed out. "He's got enough on his mind right now."

Hope rubbed her hands together, still worried about Stiles and will continue to worry about him until she knows that he is alright.

"If they're coming for either of you in a few hours then so do you," Ethan pointed out.

Scott whirled around to face the twins. "What if it's not me?!"

Hope had a gut feeling. "I think it's me that they're after next. Did you see how they looked at me when I used my powers?"

"Or..." Scott trialed off as he turned around to see Kira making her way down the stairs. It seemed like she was walking in slow motion before she spotted him and smiled warmly.

Hope frowned and shook her head. Kira was too innocent, too nice. Even if she was supernatural, there was no way that they could be after her.

The shadow ninjas were probably after something powerful and tainted by darkness. And it didn't matter what anyone else said, it all pointed to her.

Hope has been surrounded by darkness and death and pain even way before she was born. And whatever the Hollow did, it had only tainted her further. Darkness now not only surrounds her aura, but also her heart.

Sure, Hope was a little terrified that the hooded creatures were going to find something within her soul causing them to thrust their swords in her body. But, she thinks she deserves it.

And she wouldn't have thought twice about dying if it meant that she would save her friends from facing the evil that was about to wreak havoc in Beacon Hills.

IT HAD TAKEN a few minutes for Hope, Scott, and Lora to pull into the McCall's driveway after leaving a very angry Ethan and Aiden in the high school's parking lot. They knew that the twins needed to keep themselves out of the line-of-fire; they weren't going to do it willingly, so Scott and Hope had taken that choice away from them by simply pulling their sparkplugs out of one of their motorcycles, while Hope stole the other one.

​The auburn haired witch followed after the teen Alpha and Kira into the house, shutting the door and locking it behind her. She closed her eyes and held her hands up to the doors, muttering a sealing spell, "Apné sà mene." It's to stop anyone from entering that means harm.

Hope turned around to offer Kira a small smile.

The brunette was fidgeting nervously. "We're running out of time."

"I know," Scott agreed with a frown. "But Allison, her dad and Isaac are working on something that could help." He quickly made his way through the primary level of the house, making sure that all of the doors and windows were confidently and securely locked.

Hope rose a brow. "My spell will do better than simply locking the doors and windows, Scott."

He sheepishly smiled at her. "I know. But it makes me feel better."

Kira rubbed her hands together. "I don't want to sound pessimistic or anything, but you really think that's going to keep them out?"

"Actually, we have a kind of security system..." He continued to search every door and window to make sure everything was secure. "Things happened a couple of weeks ago — a lot of things — and we had my boss help make a few changes to the house."

"Your house? Do you work for a security company or something?"

Scott shook his head with furrowed brows. "No, he's a veterinarian."

"You had a vet put in your alarm?"

Hope snorted. "It's something only a human can arm. That's why we're waiting on Mo—Melissa." She cleared her throat and looked away, hating herself at the slight slip up. Does this mean she's forgetting her own mother already? "And she'll be here soon," she added, hoping Scott didn't notice her slip up.

Scott gave Kira a small smile upon seeing her worried look. "Don't worry. We're going to be okay."

Kira blew out a breath. "We or me?"

"All of us," Hope was determined to save everyone.

Kira looked around with a frown. "You didn't bring the twins here because you didn't want them to get hurt."

Scott stepped closer to her, looking her in the eyes. "I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Then why did you bring me? If those things are coming after you, and anyone who gets in the way gets killed, then shouldn't I be somewhere else?"

Hope couldn't help but think she had a point. But, there was also a huge possibility that she was a target, meaning the three supernaturals that have yet to be targeted, was together. "We are not letting you get hurt," she said to comfort the girl.

Kira stepped back to look at the both of them. "And I don't want you getting hurt — especially because of me."

Scott's shoulders slumped a little. "It could be any three of us."

Kira looked down before sitting down on Scott's bed and pulling out a book. "I don't think so. Have you ever heard of something called a Kitsune?" She turned to a page that looked like a fox protecting another.

Scott sat down beside her. "That looks like what happened to you at the power station."

She nodded. "When a Kitsune rubs its tails together, it can create fire or lightning. It's called foxfire." Scott pulled a face and she looked at him with wide eyes. "'..I don't have any tails."

Scott nervously chuckled. "How'd you know what I was thinking?"

"Because Kitsune are also psychic. I can hear all of your thoughts." Scott looked worried at her words and Hope had to purse her lips to not burst out laughing. Kira leaned closer to him and whispered, "Just kidding!" Her smile disappeared as she looked toward the window. "The sun's setting..."

The sudden sound of a car pulling into the driveway made them all make their way down the stairs.

But, instead, they were greeted with the tall, lanky build of Agent McCall.

Scott's eyes noticeably widened at the sight, Scott's body stiffening from beside her, and Kira looked concerned.

They all knew that Scott's father being there wasn't a good thing, like, at all.Especially when there were demonic ninjas coming after them.

Scott gaped, "What are you doing here?" Realization quickly morphed into confusion as he asked his father another question: "And why do you still have a key?" ​

Agent McCall feigned being taken aback, "Funny you mention keys," He tapped his fingers along the top of his laptop. "Because while I have a key to this house, I'm not exactly sure how you got a key to my office," he finished, opening the laptop to reveal a photo of Kira and Scott the night they had snuck into the police station to delete those supernatural photos of Kira off of her phone.

"Let me help you out here," McCall began, looking between the three of them. "This kind of thing usually begins with something along the lines of, It's not what you think, or, I can explain."

Scott and Hope's attention had been focused on the window, watching as the dingy sunlight quickly began to fade into pure darkness.

"Dad, let me help you out — you need to leave."

Hope nodded in agreement, "I second that motion."

Agent McCall surveyed the three teenagers, they were on high alert as nervousness practically radiated off of them while they tried to keep the current situation under wraps. He wasn't aware of the life-altering reality he had just stepped into, and all he could think about was the fact that they did something bad.

"I will, with a satisfactory explanation," Rafael retorted, narrowing his eyes at them.

They were running out of time, the moment that the sky was black, the hooded figures would return and they were more than willing to take down anyone who stood in their way.

"Go get a warrant."

"I don't need a warrant," McCall snapped. "I'm your father."

"No, you're a gene donor. I got my hair color from you," Scott interjected, growing frustrated with the fact that the older man was throwing the words "I'm your father" around like they were nothing. Agent Rafael McCall wasn't his father, not after he walked out on him and his mother, leaving Melissa to support their son on her own. "And that's all I got. So you're not allowed to play tough dad with me," he continued as Melissa finally made her way into the house.

"Hey," Melissa greeted, standing beside her tall ex-husband. "What's going on?"

Agent McCall's eyes never wandered from the three teenagers, "Maybe one of you should explain."

Hope grew tense and her eyes narrowed as everyone's attention fell on the darkness that was slowly encasing the room as the sun began to disappear completely from the powder-orange sky, leaving them all to stare at each other.

One of the shadow creatures materializes directly in the McCall living room.

"How?" Hope mumbled, surprise they got past her spell. She then prepared herself, her steely eyes staying on the figure, ready to fight if necessary. Nobody moved for a little while, though, knowing it would get worse before getting better.

​However, the person that made the first move had been the only soul in the room that had no idea on what was happening.

Agent McCall's voice ringing loudly through the cold and silent room: "Who the hell is this?"

When Scott saw his father beginning to advance on the misty figure, he panicked. "Dad, no! Dad, wait!"

Hope reeled back, those exact words taking her back to when she had ran toward her father and uncle just as they impaled each other with the White Oak. Her vision began to turn a little blurry, the flashback making her heart clench and burn.

And before anyone could blink, a sword had been used on Rafael's body, and he fell to the floor in shock.

Melissa had been the first one to get to Scott's father, her jog turning into a run as she dropped to her knees in front of her ex-husband, hands quickly pressing themselves against his bleeding shoulder.

Hope was the second one on the ground, the two women doing their best to slow the bleeding — in just a matter of seconds, blood had already began to form a thick coat over their hands.

"Okay. Okay," Hope murmured over and over again, still trying to cleanse her mind of the terrible flashback that had hit her hard. "Think. Think." She took in a deep breath and held her hands over together, fingers interlocked like she was about to give CPR, but she didn't apply any pressure. She shook away any thoughts that wasn't about the wound, and forced herself to focus. "Vulnera Sanentur." She kept repeating the words over and over again until the wound stopped bleeding and she could feel the wound slowly start to stitch itself together.

Though, before the wound could fully close up, the front door went flying open, giving Hops and Melissa a hint that they needed to move Agent McCall out of the line of fire.

While the two drug Scott's father into the hallway, their eyes glanced up to see who had broken through the door.

Hope's breath got caught in her throat when she realized that it had been Derek, the Beta baring his fangs at the hooded figure. His arrival had given Scott enough time to complete his transition, a single roar fell from his mouth as he advanced toward the misty ninja.

That was when the tribrid rose to her feet, wanting to help the two as much as she could, and allowed her golden eyes to shine through the darkness. She did all she could for Rafael for now, Melissa could easily do the rest.

"Mom," Scott shouted, nearly crashing into Hope as she moved to stand behind him. "The ash!"

Melissa quickly realized that she needed to be the one to put up the Mountain Ash barrier, scrambling away from her ex-husband.

While she did that, the tribrid turned around to see that another hooded figure had emerged from the darkness, standing directly behind her.

​Before the misty ninja could do anything to her, the sound of glass shattering echoed loudly through the house, and to her right were the twins.

The demonic figure whirled around to face the two werewolves as they released a loud snarling growl.

"Mom, now!" Scott yelled just as Hope joined in with Derek fighting off one of the demonic ninja's, pushing it out of the house.

After a final shove, the figure had been pushed out and Melissa didn't hesitate before moving up from her crouched position and running toward the door.

The jar of Mountain Ash was thrown to the floor, all of the movements around them seemed to slow as they waited for the line to form across the doorway.

Once the barrier was completed, the creature stationed itself just outside of the door, not being able to take a single step forward.

Hope took in a deep breath and watched as Scott helped his mother carry his father up the stairs into his room. It would be easier now that the two humans are out of the way of danger.

The others made their way into the kitchen, leaving them to sulk in their solitude as they huddled around the island. Hope went to run her hands through her hair, but stopped when she realized that they were still covered in Agent McCall's blood.

Aiden pursed his lips tightly, "That Kira girl, what is she?" ​

"She's a kitsune, idiot," a deep voice interrupted them, making all three teens turn around to face Derek as he walked into the room. "The next time you're around her, use your eyes. You'll see it all around her. The younger ones give off an aura — she hasn't learned how to conceal it yet. She probably doesn't know what kind she is, either."

Kira looked over at him in surprise, her mouth gaped.

There was a distinct look on Derek's face, one that Hopecould decipher just by glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was wary of the twins; unconvinced by their desire to help. He wasn't one to trust outsiders easily.

"I wasn't planning on hurting Kira," Aiden defended, eyes burning holes into Derek's back while the elder Hale stared at the demonic figure just outside the doorway.

"Not yet." ​

"Why do you think we're here, Derek?' Aiden demanded and Hope rose a brow at him, still reeling from the flashback and the fact that the creatures got past her spell.

Does that mean that they're not really here to harm them? Because that's the only way anyone could get past the boundary.

"For a study group?" Aiden continues sarcastically. "We're here to protect Hope and Scott."

"We're trying to fight for them," Ethan added.

"I'm sure you are," Derek spoke warily, sarcasm evident in his tone. "I'm sure you'd kill for them." He continued, slowly turning to face them. "But are you willing to die for them?"

There had been a fine line between Derek and the rest of the pack, and Ethan and Aiden. They knew that the twins weren't willing to give up their lives for Scott and Hope — but for Derek and the others, it was an entirely different story.

Ethan and Aiden were only willing to fight for the two Alphas because they were without a pack, if they hadn't been Omegas they wouldn't have given to shits about protecting Hope and Scott. Even though the True Alpha and the tribrid would put their lives on the line for them — they weren't sure if they would do the same.

Hope glanced up when the floor beneath her rumbled, the brunette's head whirling around to see that the misty figure just outside the house was trying to break the barrier with its sword constructed of steel.

The Mountain Ash barrier glowed a bright blue with each strike; her heart began to pound rhythmically in her chest.

This meant bad news for them.

The three teens moved closer, watching warily as they made their way to stand beside Derek and Hope.

They watched as it repeatedly slapped its blade against the barrier, the hue surrounding it growing brighter with every attempt.

"What are they doing?" Scott asked as he came barreling into the kitchen.

"Testing for weaknesses," Hope responded. ​

Suddenly, another misty figured accompanied the other in its own attempt to break down the Mountain Ash barrier. The force of both of their swords slamming against the invisible shield caused the house to rumble as a large glass bowl went soaring off the counter, shattering as it came in contact with the floor.

The McCall house continued to quake at the force of their blows, all six of them glancing around; none of them knowing if the barrier was going to hold for much longer, and they didn't even want to begin to think about what would happened if it didn't.

After several more attempts, they ceased their powerful blows before placing the tips of their swords side-by-side and trying to penetrate through the barrier. A small hole began to form in the hued barrier, the steel blades pushing through with shocking ease. The figure on the left removed its blade before replacing it with its hand, succeeding at enlarging the hole.

"Guys," Ethan called out, his eyes never wandering from the doorway. "We have a problem."​

It had only taken a few seconds for Scott and Hope to move away from the group, making their way into the living room as Scott hastily began to dial Allison's number before placing it against his ear. Chris Argent, herself, and Isaac all went to track down Katashi in hopes of gaining some sort of information that could help the teens defend themselves against the demonic ninjas.

"Allison, please tell me that you have something," Scott wasted no time, panicked. "They're here — they're trying to get in, and it looks like they're gonna be able to do it."

"Okay, okay listen," Allison commanded, and Hope shuffled closer. "They're Japanese demons. They're called the Oni. They're looking for someone possessed — someone with a dark spirit attached to them. Okay, they won't hurt you." She continued, "They know you're supernatural but once they do this check, once they realize that you're not carrying with you this dark spirit, then they won't hurt you, I promise. All they're looking for is the Nogitsune."

Hope's blue eyes glanced toward Scott, a conflicted expression on his face as he shoved his phone into the depths of his pocket.

Kira stepped into the room, her eyes wide and tearful. "I'm right, aren't I?" She asked breathlessly. They're looking for me. Scott, you - all of you need to leave before I get one of you killed.l

​ Scott bowed his head, placing his hands firmly on her biceps. "They're looking for a dark spirit, and I know it's not you — it can't be you."

​"Hope, Scott, we're going to have to do something," Derek spoke up, his eyes watching the Oni intently as they continued to push and prod their way through the barrier.

Just as those words left his mouth, the barrier seemingly shattered in front of them, shiny blue ripples dancing across it as the misty figure took its first step into the house.

Ethan, Aiden, and Derek were all ready to go ahead and advance on the creature, Kira's entire body stiffening at the sight before her.

"Don't do anything," Scott instructed suddenly and Hope turned to him quickly before realizing what he was doing.

Aiden blinked several times, "Is he serious?"

The three advancing Oni's released snarls that sounded like some sort of series of sinister clicking, their empty eyes locked on Hope, Scott, and Kira as they continued to approach them.

Scott, being bold, took a step forward, making sure that he kept the girls behind him. "I said don't do anything," he repeated in complete seriousness. He glanced back toward Kira. offering her his left hand. "Trust me." ​

Kira swallowed hard, allowing her fingers to intertwine with his, gripping them tightly. He slowly tugged her forward, stationing her beside him as she silently allowed herself to surrender to the demonic figures before her despite what she knew.

The three of them took slow steps forward, leaving themselves vulnerable to the misty creatures in front of them.

The Oni knew then that it was time, stepping forward until they were a mere foot away from the three teens.

And without warning, the Oni in front of them extended their arms, their hands clasping around the side of their necks.​

Hope's body stilled, her eyes being forced to stare into the dark abyss of her captor - she felt as though an infinite darkness had consumed her entire being.

The eyes that had once been the color of coal. turned a bright yellow, a sickly hue that reminded her too much of fireflies. Her brain felt like it was splitting in half as the Oni calculated her and dug into her head, peering into each and every dark crevasse in her mind.

But beside her, the Oni had finished with Scott, his body crumbling to the floor. He was on the floor convulsing with hypothermia as the three werewolves came to his aid. And then Kira was next.

Her body grew clammy, and her head felt like exploding as the intensity increased. It felt something similar to the Hollow which had been burning throughout her body, demanding to be released. She could faintly see black veins crawling up her body as the Oni cocked its head to the side, firefly-like eyes burning brighter as it tried to fight its way into the tributes head.

A Hellfire blue color started to protrude from her, covering her body almost protectively. She could feel the fear lap at her heart as she recognized the color that had once been attached to the Hollow. But, she knew it was gone and could never come back. Not only was the Hollow transferred into her father, he had killed himself to ensure it would never go back to her. And let's not forget that she's in a completely different universe, so it was unable to find her if it did come back.

So what was this?

Was this magic, this power, hidden deep within her somehow? Was it just now finding it's way to the surface because of the Oni's presence?

She didn't know and she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out.

Suddenly, the blue waves disappeared, sinked back into her skin, and then Hope could feel her eyes roll back before she ungraciously fell to the floor.

Derek had been quick to reach out and catch her before she collided against the floor. He smoothed her hair out of her face and then reached behind her ear to feel the same backward five that was behind his own ear.

She was safe. She wasn't evil like she thought.

But, someone, out there, was.