I Am The Demon Prince

CHAPTER 2: The Watcher

Jenna Morales dragged the whetstone down the edge of her silver blade, checking the newly honed metal against the pad of her thumb. She set the weapon on her scratched kitchen table and began reciting the ancient binding chants under her breath, repeating the syllables until the ritual felt fresh in her memory.

Once she finished the incantation, she pulled a manila folder from the pile of mail and opened it. The top page held a grainy photograph of a boy walking across a college campus, with the name Thraxul printed in black ink directly below the image.

“The signature stabilized over the freshman dorms last night,” a voice stated through the speaker of her burner phone.

“I have eyes on him,” Jenna said. “He does not look like a demon prince.”

“The Order’s relic tracked him from the moment he crossed over from the third circle,” her handler replied. “Do not get to know him. Find the opening, then end him before his power grows enough for the gate to open.”

“Understood,” Jenna answered before disconnecting the call.

She picked up a second photo taken from the quad earlier that afternoon, showing Alex Rivera stepping between three older students and a terrified freshman.

The mission file described a monster destined to tear the city apart and burn the world, yet the boy in the picture had been defending a stranger. Jenna stared at the image, tapping her finger against the table as she tried to reconcile the contradictory details before packing her gear for class.

Alex Rivera sat near the front of the crowded lecture hall, staring blindly at the whiteboard. Rather than focusing on the professor, he concentrated on the steady pressure settling at the back of his neck, recognizing the distinct physical sensation of being watched.

He turned in his seat and scanned the tiered rows behind him until he spotted the girl from the courtyard, seated two rows up with a notebook open on her desk. She met his gaze directly, making no attempt to look away or pretend to take notes.

When the professor dismissed the class, Alex grabbed his bag and headed for the exit. He stepped into the afternoon sun, walking down the main path until a campus security guard moved in front of him.

“Rivera,” the guard called out. “Hold up a second.”

“Is there a problem?” Alex asked.

“We have you on camera near the gym stairs yesterday, right before the concrete split,” the guard stated. “I need your student ID to file a property damage report.”

“I didn’t break the stairs,” Alex said.

“That is for the administration to decide,” the guard countered, reaching for the radio clipped to his belt.

Jenna stepped between them, offering the guard a bright, convincing smile. “Officer, I was walking right behind him yesterday and the stairs were already crumbling before we even got there.”

The guard frowned at her. “Are you sure about that?”

“Positive,” Jenna said. “We were actually talking about how dangerous the cracks looked right before the whole section collapsed.”

The guard lowered his radio, releasing a long breath. “Fine. I’m still filing a maintenance request to get that area taped off.”

He walked away, leaving Alex and Jenna alone on the concrete path.

“Why did you lie for me?” Alex asked.

“You looked like you needed an alibi,” Jenna replied.

“I don’t even know your name,” Alex pointed out.

“It’s Jenna,” she answered, turning to walk down the path.

Alex watched her leave, a sudden tightness gripping his chest as questions raced through his mind. Why would a stranger risk lying to campus security for him? Above their heads, the streetlights lining the walkway flickered violently despite the bright daylight. Jenna glanced up at the buzzing bulbs, tightening her grip on her backpack strap. She had her confirmation.

Tyler dropped his gym bag on the rubber floor and tossed a pair of padded gloves at Alex, insisting that a midnight session was exactly what they needed. The boxing gym smelled of sweat and old vinyl, while distant traffic echoed through the room.

“Put those on,” Tyler instructed. “You need to burn off some of that weird energy.”

“I don’t box,” Alex said.

“Everybody boxes when they live with me,” Tyler laughed, wrapping his own hands in long strips of white tape. “Hit the punching bag. Let me see what kind of power you have.”

Alex slipped on the padded gloves and approached the suspended leather cylinder. Unwilling to reveal his true strength, he threw a careless, measured punch toward its center. The glove connected with the worn leather, snapping the metal chain holding the bag to the ceiling. The cylinder crashed to the floor, rolling against the mirrored wall.

Tyler stared at the broken chain before turning to Alex.

“I guess the metal was rusted,” Alex offered.

Tyler let out a thin laugh as he walked over to pick up the bag. “Yeah. Rusted. Remind me never to make you mad when you sleep on the floor.”

“Why do you train so late anyway?” Alex asked, changing the subject.

“The boxing scholarship is the only thing keeping me in school,” Tyler explained as he unlaced his gloves. “My family needs the money. If I lose my spot on the roster, I lose the free ride.”

Tyler reached into his open gym bag for his water bottle, knocking a crumpled business card onto the floor near Alex’s boots. Alex bent down and read the text across the front: Riktor Wolfgang ... Promoter.

“Who is Riktor Wolfgang?” Alex asked.

Tyler snatched the card back, stuffing it deep into his pocket. “He’s just a guy who offered me some side work.”

“Side work doesn’t usually come with business cards,” Alex pointed out.

“Drop it, Alex,” Tyler warned, grabbing his towel. “Let’s just head back to the dorm before the RA locks the main doors.”

Alex memorized the name on the card, then followed his roommate out of the gym.

The walk back to the freshman dorms was quiet, with the rising wind rattling the branches of the campus trees. Without warning, the burn mark on Alex’s chest turned freezing cold, feeling as though someone had hooked a finger beneath the edge of his hidden seal and begun peeling it away from his skin.

He stopped, scanning the edge of the tree line.

“What is wrong now?” Tyler asked.

“Do you see that guy?” Alex asked.

A tall transfer student stood in the dark space between two lamp posts, wearing a dark jacket and watching them with a knowing smile. Alex recognized it instantly from the white room where his binding ceremony had taken place.

“See who?” Tyler asked, squinting into the darkness. “There’s nobody there, man. You need to get some sleep.”

Alex kept his eyes on the shadowed figure as Tyler continued walking. The stranger raised two fingers to his forehead, offering a lazy salute. His mouth never moved, yet a voice echoed clearly inside Alex’s mind.

“There you are, little brother.”