The lab hummed
A dense, stratified vibration permeated the chamber, the harmonic interference of thousands of concurrent processes operating in controlled chaos, quantum computation cores entangling and disentangling probability states to model unknown energy spectra, while swarms of micro-mechanical manipulators executed nanoscale fabrication routines
Assembling intermediary components with picosecond precision, each sub-assembly calculated to feed into a larger, more sensitive apparatus
Data cascaded past me in luminous streams, spectral graphs, multidimensional matrices, probability lattices folding into themselves faster than most civilisations could even name the variables involved.
"Stop!" I said a little loudly than I had intended
The systems responded instantly. Every stream froze in place, suspended in mid-calculation.
"Go back fifteen picostream" I said as the data in front of me rolled back across the display
"Convert the data to wavelength representation and overlay both readings." I said in thought as the holograms restructured
Raw energy signatures unfolding into oscillatory waveforms, two vast patterns hovered before me, one violently complex, fractal upon fractal, the other less complex but still with high potential for more
"Hmm interesting " I said as I could see both data matched
Not perfectly though
The first signature was far more intricate, layered with self-reinforcing feedback loops and non-linear harmonics that suggested a consciousness scaled to godlike magnitude. Raven's, by contrast, was a simplified echo, compressed, attenuated, but unmistakably derived from the same foundational pattern.
THE DOCTOR: "So I was right" I said, my tone settling into satisfaction, "the energy barrier preventing our exit is Trigon's."
There were too many similarities to be coincidence
'Wait a minute, this readings reminds me of something'
"Sexy," I said, fingers already dancing through the air, "overlay all known emotional-spectrum signatures."
I said as every readings of the emotional spectrum I had calculated and inputed into the lab's system with a margin of 0.0000000000000000000000001 error on my way here
Every emotional model I had ever catalogued, human, alien, post-biological, conceptual,flooded the display
Data harvested from a thousand civilisations, quantified into precise energetic correlation
The screen became a riot of colour and form as the emotional spectra layered themselves around Raven's and Trigon's readings.
There were matches.
Several of them.
But not the ones I needed.
"Filter out all negative-spectrum emotional data. Isolate the positives and re-run the correlation."
TARDIS: "[Match found:
Trigon=0.0000009% match
Raven=38ⁿ% match]"
"Well," I said, rubbing my chin, "that explains a few things."
"Looking at Trigon's results, we can safely ignore that fraction. For a being whose primary emotional state appears to be existential malice, I'm frankly impressed there's any positive resonance at all. I guess somewhere, buried beneath the abyssal narcissism and genocidal tendencies, there's a non-zero capacity for attachment."
I tilted my head.
"Whether that attachment is love, ownership, or pathological obsession… that's another debate entirely."
My gaze shifted to Raven's data.
"But this," I said softly, "this is fascinating."
Her waveform showed strong positive-spectrum resonance, modulated by that superscript variable ⁿ which is indicating a dynamic, context-dependent amplification. Emotional bonds, empathy, protective instincts, hope… all reinforces her energy structure.
"Her human neurology is acting as a stabilising field, or destabilising field depending on how it's looked at" I murmured.
"The demonic half supplies the raw power; the human half provides emotional regulation which is a good thing... I hope"
I paused.
And thought of the child sleeping somewhere in the TARDIS.
"Sexy," I said calmly, "status on Raven?"
TARDIS:
"Subject Raven is unconscious but stable. But her neural activity is elevated."
The Doctor: "Probably just a bad dream, and with what she has been through it isn't surprising she's having a bad dream"
"Okay Sexy, check for a match with the negative emotion spectrum" I said expectantly, if what I think is true then I may just have cracked the source of demonic energy
Well, atleast Trigon's
TARDIS: "[Match found:
Trigon: 100% × X
Raven: 89% × X ± K]"
I stared at the results, then laughed quietly.
"So that's it."
Demonic energy wasn't mystical, well not completely
It is emotional entropy.
Negative emotions like rage, despair, fear, hatred are amplified, refined, and weaponised
It is also amplified by biological compatibility and bloodline purity. Trigon wasn't a god because he was evil. Well technically not entirely so
He was powerful because he was perfectly aligned with a self-sustaining negative emotional feedback loop.
"And Raven," I said slowly, "is nearly there, but not quite and hopefully never, if i have anything to say about it"
That variable K stood out though
It's probably human factors like psychological resilience, empathy leakage, cognitive dissonance or trauma-induced instability balanced by attachment and moral reasoning.
"But she's also capable of leaking positivity into a system designed for despair," I muttered.
"No wonder her mental state is under constant strain. She's trying to run incompatible operating systems on the same hardware."
I looked up, eyes gleaming.
"Sexy," I said, a grin spreading across my face,
"I've had a rather wonderful idea."
"If demonic energy is negative emotion… then all we need to do is introduce a competing emotional resonance strong enough to destabilise the entire field."
I cracked my knuckles.
"Let's prepare a little surprise for Trigon, shall we?"
------------
Somewhere in Azarath
Within a temple
"WHERE IS SHE?!"
The roar shook the ancient stone, dust raining from the ceiling as cracks spider‑webbed through the pillars.
Upon a seat that resembled a throne more than furniture sat a creature of immense size.
Its body was massive, packed with slabs of unnatural muscle that looked as though they had been carved rather than grown. Dark red skin stretched tightly over its frame, etched with veins that pulsed faintly with inner fire.
Its skull was misshapen, dominated by a heavy brow ridge beneath which small, glowing white eyes burned like distant stars trapped in flesh. When it spoke, a mouth full of sharp, uneven teeth was revealed.
Short, blunt horns jutted from its head, and its thick arms ended in clawed hands capable of crushing stone.
[Image here]
"I I'm sorry, my prince," a lesser demon whimpered, kneeling before the throne, its body trembling uncontrollably. "She escaped us. A strange being intervened and took her"
"ESCAPED?!"
The word detonated through the hall.
"How dare you offer excuses," the prince snarled, rising slightly from his throne.
"She is a weak child and yet you have failed to capture her for your lord?"
His clawed hand shot forward, gripping the lesser demon's head. There was a wet, sickening crack as pressure increased and the demon's skull burst like an overripe fruit, blood and bone splattering across the floor.
The body collapsed lifelessly at the foot of the throne.
"Pathetic," the prince muttered as his rage simmered, though the air still trembled around him.
"Three years," he growled. "Three years Father sent me to hunt that wretched creature."
"Three years, and she continues to evade us."
His claws dug into the armrests.
"NO MORE."
He rose to his full height, his voice becoming a thunderous bellow.
"RAVEN! I WILL RIP THIS REALM ASUNDER. I WILL SLAUGHTER EVERYTHING THAT BREATHES UNTIL I FIND YOU AND WHEN I DO, I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET EVER RUNNING FROM YOUR FAMILY!"
The scream tore through Azarath itself, echoing across mountains and abyss alike, heard thousands of miles away.
When the silence finally returned, the prince sank back onto his throne, seething.
Moments later, figures began to enter the temple.
They wore long red gowns, their faces hidden beneath deep hoods, voices rising in unison as they chanted.
"The Lord shall come. Blessed is the one that brings his arrival."
"The Lord shall come. Blessed is the one that brings his arrival."
"The Lord shall come. Blessed is the one that brings his arrival."
They formed a circle before the throne. One stepped forward as the others began a new chant.
"The Chosen."
"The Chosen."
"The Chosen."
She removed her gown and it could be seen, she wore nothing underneath it.
Without hesitation, she takes an ancient, jagged blade and slit her wrist. Blood flows freely as she kneels, using it to carve demonic sigils into the stone floor. Each symbol pulsing faintly as it is completed.
"The path of the Lord is made clear. He is near."
"The path of the Lord is made clear. He is near."
"The path of the Lord is made clear. He is near."
When the last symbol was drawn, she rose and stepped into the center of the circle. The chanting stopped.
She lifted the blade to her chest and chants
"The Lord shows the way.
The Lord guards the heart.
I am free and whole.
May the Lord take my soul"
The blade and symbols flared crimson as she drove the knife into her heart.
Her body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
The demon watched everything as it happened, though he was worried, there was nothing he could do to stop them because he knew who was coming
Red flames erupted, consuming the corpse in seconds. From the fire, a vast shadow began to form, and from within the flames, a face slowly emerged.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey guys 👋
I just want to say a quick sorry for not posting yesterday 😅
This week's lectures have been absolutely hectic, and I just haven't had the time to write. Please forgive me 🙏
That said, I'm still going to stick as close as I can to our schedule. With how things are going, just know that two chapters will be posted weekly no matter what 💪✨
As always, if you're enjoying the story so far, throw me your power stones 💎, add it to your library to keep up with updates 📚, and feel free to comment and review 💬⭐
Thank you so much for your patience and support, you guys are the best ❤️