Why You Should Never Rescue Stray Demons Chapter 165

**KACIA**

I’m not really processing anything right now. The world feels fuzzy at the edges, sounds dull and distant, like I’m underwater. I barely notice as Oz catches me, his hands firm on my shoulders, keeping me upright, and starts gently guiding me inside. Tarish follows close behind, his voice the calm, clinical tone he uses when he’s trying to make chaos sound rational.

“She should really sit down. It’s no small amount of magic she’s just received.” He says. 

“Even if it isn’t the first time, it’s still a shock to her system.” He adds quickly. His words make my stomach tighten. I catch the quick, unreadable look he gives Kasian as he says it, something between suspicion, pity, and disbelief. Kasian exhales heavily, rubbing the back of his neck, looking both restless and weighed down. Everyone trails in after us. The living room feels too small for this many people, and far too ordinary for what’s happening. The faint smell of my mum’s vanilla candles mixes with the damp grass from outside. The lamps are still on, casting a warm glow that doesn’t fit the tension in the air. I sink onto the couch, so close to Oz that I’m practically in his lap. Honestly, I want to crawl right into his lap and disappear there, to let him hold me until the world starts making sense again, but there’s this desperate need in me to look composed. To not fall apart in front of him. Kasian. My… Father? The word still feels strange. Heavy. He’s sitting on the couch next to my mum, purple-haired, sharp-featured, and visibly anxious. Watching me like he’s afraid to blink. Every time I move, even slightly, he half-rises from his seat before forcing himself to stay still. The only thing keeping him from bolting toward me is my mother’s hand resting gently on his knee. And that… Well that is another thing I can’t wrap my head around. I’ve never seen her act like that with anyone. Not once. So, yeah. The entire situation is weird. Beyond weird. Everyone finds some awkward place to sit, Tarish standing stiffly by the wall, Alyssa perched cross-legged on an armchair, Raylah trying to look anywhere except directly at me, and poor Mikey hovering near the doorway looking like he’s stumbled into a very sophisticated fever dream. The silence stretches thin. My brain feels foggy, my hands shaking in my lap. It’s Mikey who finally breaks the quiet. He clears his throat, loud and deliberate. 

“So…” He starts, in that tone he uses when he’s about to bulldoze through a situation that’s way above his pay grade. 

“I barely know most of the people in this room, but Kaci and Allie are clearly freaking the hell out.” He says as he gestures between me and Mum like we’re exhibits A and B. 

“It’s late. I have a pregnant wife at home waiting up for me, and I’d really rather not spend the night in a supernatural soap opera. So I’m going to just… Start the ball rolling.” He explains. He squares his shoulders, eyes narrowing as he looks straight at Kasian. 

“My name’s Mike. I’m Kacia’s best and longest friend. I’m also totally human, which means I’m allowed to ask the stupidly obvious question everyone’s avoiding.” He points a finger, direct as always. 

“You’re Kasian, right? Kasian Alhwin. Kacia’s father?” He asks bluntly. The man, my father, meets Mikey’s gaze. There’s a long pause, then a slow nod.

“Yes. I am.” He says quietly. Mikey nods too, slowly, as if confirming it for the record. 

“Okay, then. Great.” His tone shifts from measured to sharp in an instant. 

“In that case, I think we all have questions, starting with the most obvious one. Where the hell have you been for your daughter’s entire life, and what are you doing here now?” He demands. The words hit like a crack of thunder through the quiet. Kasian flinches, just slightly, but he doesn’t look away. His throat works like he’s trying to find words that have been locked behind silence for decades. And all I can do is stare at him, my heartbeat thudding painfully in my ears, waiting for an answer I’m not sure I’m ready to hear.

Kasian draws in a long, shaky breath, his shoulders tense like he’s bracing for impact.

“It’s… a long story.” he begins quietly. 

“But the short version is that my father found out about Allie. He didn’t know exactly who she was, just that I was… Involved with a human.” His voice tightens on the word human, like it still carries the weight of everything it cost him.

“He confronted me. Demanded I leave her.” Kasian looks down for a moment, hands clasping and unclasping restlessly in his lap. 

“I told him I wanted to leave. Kacia she…” His eyes flick toward me, soft, full of something that feels dangerously close to regret

“You were so small. I didn’t want you anywhere near him. I thought… I thought he’d disown me. Cast me out. That would’ve been fine. I would’ve taken it.” He exhales, voice growing hoarse. 

“But I underestimated him. His anger. He was outraged. He attacked me.” He explains. My stomach twists. He says it simply, without embellishment, but the words hit hard.

“I tried to fight, but my magic was no match for his. He wasn’t just furious, he was… Deliberate. Cold. He wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted.” He points out. Kasian’s hands tighten into fists, knuckles white. 

“He wanted to know who the human was. Who Allie was. And I knew that if he found out, he’d have her killed. To erase the threat entirely. So I said nothing. Not one word.” He looks at my mum again, at Allie, and something in his face softens, but his voice shakes as he goes on. 

“Eventually, I realised he meant to kill me. To make sure no heir of mine could ever challenge him. So I decided to give him what he wanted.” He swallows hard, looking down again. 

“I let him believe he’d succeeded. I shielded myself as best I could while making it look like I’d taken a killing blow. Then I did the only thing that could convince him I was dead.” He gestures to himself weakly 

“I sent him my magic. All of it. That’s why I’ve aged.” He clarifies.

“As his closest living relative, at least, the only one he knew of, he would’ve felt it. He would never have believed I was dead otherwise. But when the transfer hit, he felt the magic leave me. That was the proof he needed. I gave up every trace of it. And it worked.” He explains. He looks up, his gaze meeting mine. 

“He thought I was dead.” He sums up. The room is silent except for the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. And then, before I can stop myself, the question tumbles out of me, fast, small, and too sharp around the edges.

“Then why not come back?” I blurt out. His expression falters, pain flickers across it, quick and raw.

“I wanted to.” He says softly. 

“Every day. But it wouldn’t have been safe. If he’d learned I was still alive, my family, you, Allie, would’ve been in danger again. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t lead him back to you.” He says firmly. He draws a shaky breath, rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“And it was… A big change. Not having magic. It’s like losing part of yourself. I didn’t know how to cope with it. I couldn’t even make a portal to return to the human realm. I was trapped.” He trails off, and for the first time, I notice the exhaustion in his face, the way his hands tremble slightly, the faint crack in his voice that sounds like he’s still trying to convince himself it was worth it. I should feel angry. Maybe I am angry. But right now, mostly, I just feel hollow and confused.