The Incubus System Chapter 1130. Zoning Out

The Incubus System Chapter 1130. Zoning Out

I stopped chewing for a second, then shook my head. "Nope. She doesn’t."

Celia huffed, crossing her arms as she leaned against the counter. "Are you going to tell her?"

I paused, considering it. The idea of revealing my identity to a demon hunter wasn’t exactly high on my list of priorities. It wasn’t just about trust. It was about survival. "I don’t know," I admitted. "Depends on her. I don’t know if she can keep this secret or not."

Celia raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "But you told Larry your identity."

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "There’s a difference between telling and knowing himself. Larry? He figured it out on his own. He said I was too Ethan-ish."

Celia snorted. "Sounds like him."

"Yeah," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "So yeah, telling Tiffany or not is up to her. She could hate me because I’m a demon."

Celia frowned at that, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. "Do you really think she’d hate you?"

I let out a slow breath. "I don’t know. It’s not like demon hunters have a good track record of making friends with demons."

"But you’re different," she argued.

I let out a dry laugh. "That’s exactly what a demon trying to trick a demon hunter would say."

Celia rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. You’re still you. You didn’t suddenly become evil the moment you got your powers. You didn’t suddenly stop caring about people."

I wanted to believe that. I really did. But I had seen what fear could do to people. I had seen what humans—what demon hunters—could do when faced with something they thought was a threat.

"I just don’t know if she’d see it that way," I said after a moment. "To her, demons are the enemy. They’re the things she’s trained her whole life to fight. How do I know she won’t see me that way too?"

Celia was quiet for a long time, then she sighed. "I guess there’s no way to know until you actually talk to her."

"Exactly," I muttered.

We sat there for a moment. I knew Celia was trying to see the best in people—she always did. But I had learned the hard way that not everyone was so willing to look past what I was.

"You’re not planning to avoid her forever, are you?" Celia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," I said immediately, then hesitated. "Probably not."

Celia gave me a look. "Ethan."

I groaned, rubbing my face. "Look, I just need time to figure it out, okay? It’s not exactly easy to just drop this kind of thing on someone."

She sighed but nodded. "Fine. But don’t wait too long. She’s your step sister. And if she really cares about you, she’ll accept you. Just like I do. Just like Larry does."

I gave her a small smile, one that didn’t quite reach my eyes. "Yeah. We’ll see."

She didn’t look entirely convinced, but she let it go. For now.

"So," she said, hopping off the counter. "Are you done being emo, or do I need to give you another motivational speech?"

I snorted. "I think I’m good."

"Good," she said, grabbing a piece of toast. "Now, let’s watch a movie or something before your brain explodes from all this deep thinking."

I laughed, pushing the plate of eggs aside. "Sounds like a plan."

We moved into the living room. I tried to push away the lingering thoughts in my mind. Celia turned on the TV, flipping through channels while I stretched out on the couch, trying to relax. The heaviness of my earlier conversation still lingered in the back of my mind, but for now, I let it rest. There was no use overthinking when I had no immediate solution.

Celia eventually settled on some random action movie, something with too many explosions and dramatic slow-motion shots. I barely paid attention, more focused on the steady, comforting presence of my sister beside me. She was curled up with a blanket, munching on some popcorn she had miraculously appeared with, while Foxy lay curled up in her lap, tails flicking occasionally. The others—Red, Rave, Buni, and Shadow—were scattered around the room, some dozing, some watching the screen with varying degrees of interest.

"You’re zoning out," Celia muttered, tossing a piece of popcorn at me.

I caught it without looking and popped it into my mouth. "No, I’m watching."

"Uh-huh," she said, clearly not convinced.

The truth was, my mind was already on the night ahead. After a while, Celia must have noticed because she sighed. "You’re going out soon, aren’t you?"

I gave her a small smirk. "You know me too well."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. Just don’t cause any trouble."

"I never cause trouble," I said, feigning innocence.

Celia gave me a flat look. "Ethan."

I chuckled, raising my hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I’ll be careful."

After the movie ended, I stood up, stretching as I glanced at the clock. It was time. My pets stirred as if sensing my intent, their eyes gleaming in the dim light. They knew what came next.

I stepped into my portal into the cool night air, inhaling deeply. The city stretched out before me, quiet in some places, alive in others. The darkness wasn’t just a cover; it was my hunting ground. Not that I was the one doing the hunting tonight.

This was my pets’ time.

I let them loose, watching as Red dashed forward, his tail wagging as if this was just a fun little game. Shadow slunk into the darkness, barely visible as he melded with the shadows themselves. Rave took to the skies, his sharp eyes scanning for anything unusual. Buni, despite his innocent, fluffy appearance, moved with surprising speed, blending in effortlessly.

I didn’t have to do much—just watch, supervise, make sure things didn’t get out of hand. The demons lurking in the night had no idea what they were up against.

And then, there was Nathan.

I saw him from afar before he even knew I was there. He was moving through the streets, a determined look on his face. But instead of hunting actual demons, he was chasing my pets.

I couldn’t help but smirk.