The woods had grown darker by the time Angela stopped walking.
Trees closed in on every side, their branches swallowing most of the moonlight. Rachel stood a few feet away, watching her mother with growing suspicion.
Angela turned to her with a gentle smile. "We're going to be a happy family now, Rachel. You, me, and your father."
Rachel's expression tightened. "My father?"
"Yes." Angela stepped closer. "You should call him."
Rachel remembered Daniel's warning instantly — your father is dangerous, and he shouldn't be allowed on Earth.
"Someone told me he's dangerous," she said quietly. "That he shouldn't be allowed here."
Angela's smile didn't fade. "No, dear. Your father was a great man. People simply didn't understand his goals." Her voice stayed calm, almost soothing.
"He wanted a world without death. No children losing their parents. No parents burying their children. He wanted to make sure no one had to suffer that kind of loss again."
For a moment, it almost sounded reasonable.
Then Rachel remembered Daniel — the warnings he gave. She didn't know who to believe. Her breathing turned heavier, and something inside her responded to the confusion. A familiar darkness began spreading through her mind.
She lowered her head, grabbing her temples. "Stop..."
"Rachel?"
"I don't know what to believe."
The darkness around her started to move — black energy crawling across the ground, twisting between the trees. Her inner demon sensed the conflict and pushed forward, drowning out her hesitation. Her eyes darkened.
Angela's smile widened. "That's it."
Rachel slowly raised her head. The darkness around her grew stronger.
Angela stepped back, looking to the sky. "There's my daughter." Her voice had lost the frightened-mother edge from the facility — now it sounded confident. Expectant. She looked back at Rachel. "Now. Welcome your father into this world."
Rachel's hands trembled. The darkness thickened, rising off the ground like smoke, her demon feeding on the anger and confusion building inside her.
"Call him," Angela said.
"I... I don't know how."
Angela stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know exactly how."
Rachel closed her eyes.
For a few seconds, nothing.
Then the temperature in the woods dropped. Trees shook with no wind to explain it. Birds scattered from the branches. The ground cracked beneath her feet.
A deep voice rolled through the forest.
"Raven."
Rachel's eyes snapped open, and the darkness exploded outward, throwing Angela back a few feet. She caught her balance quickly, staring toward the center of the clearing with a satisfied smile.
A red glow bloomed between the trees.
Rachel froze. She didn't need to be told who was coming — she could feel him. Her father. The light grew brighter as something enormous began taking shape inside it, the air itself bending around the presence stepping through.
Her demon whispered in her mind. Father.
Rachel clutched her head. "No..."
"Don't fight it, Rachel."
"I don't want this."
"You do."
"No!"
Dark energy burst from her body, knocking Angela backward. For one brief moment, Rachel took back control, staring at the red light with fear.
"Daniel was right."
Angela's expression flickered.
Rachel froze, and the demon surged forward, overpowering what little resistance she had left.
Angela stood slowly. "Your father has waited a very long time to see you."
The red light filled the clearing.
Rachel raised both hands, black energy gathering between her palms. "I don't want to do this," she whispered — but her demon had already taken over.
Darkness erupted from her body and spread across the clearing, trees bending away from her as a wide circle of black energy formed beneath her feet.
"That's it, Rachel," Angela said. "Open the portal."
Rachel's hands moved on their own. The space in front of her twisted. A tear opened in the air, small at first, then rapidly widening — beyond it, a burning red void, distant shadows, swirling energy.
Rachel stared into it. Something enormous waited on the other side. Something that had been waiting for her.
"Father..." she whispered.
The portal expanded violently. A shockwave tore through the forest, throwing branches and leaves into the air. Angela shielded her face as the ground beneath Rachel cracked apart.
Then a massive hand emerged from the portal, gripping the edges of the opening and pulling. The gap tore wider.
A gigantic figure stepped through. Red skin. Huge horns. Massive wings. Burning eyes.
The moment his feet touched the earth, the clearing shook.
Trigon had arrived.
Rachel stared up at him, frozen. For the first time since opening the portal, the darkness inside her hesitated.
Angela looked utterly pleased. "Welcome to Earth."
Trigon looked slowly around the forest before his gaze settled on Rachel.
His daughter.
She couldn't move.
"You finally have your family," Angela said.
Rachel looked between them — and understood.
This was never a reunion.
She'd been brought here because Angela needed her to open the door.
And now the door was open.
*****
A/N: If you'd like to read ahead of the Webnovel release schedule, you can join my Patreon!
The Patreon version is 30 chapters ahead.
👉 patreon.com/Universal_Peace