• Lake Charles, Minnesota was a small town feeling suburb of the state capital of St. Paul. It was a quiet city that lay on the banks of a massive lake. It was the home of the Elite Demon Hunter Group and the two best demon hunters in the business, Derrick and Shionna Mason. Derrick gained his reputation for strength and coldness from an abusive trainer. Shionna, a Fire Wolf Demon Princess raised by humans, was the softening factor to his coldness. Nine months after and epic battle with their enemy, Ignacio Rivera, a daughter was born that they named after Derrick's first trainer, who was also Shionna's adopted human mother, Atsume.

    Twenty years later, Shionna and Derrick were still fighting demons, but Shionna didn't go out as much, preferring to stay home and school her daughter. She even accompanied Atsume Ember when she went out at night, teaching her only child about her demon heritage.

    Atsume Ember was a half-demon with only her mother's senses and fire ability. She was tall and lanky, at six-two and a hundred twenty pounds. Her hair was dark red, verging on black that flowed down passed her back in soft curls. Her eyes were brown and vivacious, showing her human heritage. Her ears were pointy and wolf-like, but not a predominate as Shionna's. She had the same mouth and teeth as her mother, sharp fangs and light pink lips. She wore black baggy pants and a baggy black t-shirt. Out of her pants, a long tail that was covered in dark red, verging on black, fur to match her hair. Her fingers were topped with long, painted black, claws. Her hands were covered with black leather biker gloves and she wore a leather coat. Her hand held the knob of the front metal door of the house in which she lived with her parents, hoping to escape her overly protective mother.

    "Where are you going, Atsume?" Shionna said, spying her daughter's hand on the doorknob. Her hair was now pitch black and her eyes were the same color as her hair. Age had been well on the demon princess, who was now forty-five, but looked like she was still twenty.

    "Out," Atsume Ember said, matter-of-factly.

    "I'll go with you," Shionna said, grabbing her hooded jacket and putting it on.

    "I wanna go out alone now. I'm twenty now, Mother." Atsume Ember said.

    Shionna stood in silence for a moment, stunned at Atsume Ember's confession. "I know you want your freedom and independence, Atsume, and I'm sorry, but I can't let you go out alone. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt or killed. No, you can't go out alone."

    "But," whined the twenty-year-old half-demon, "Father lets me go out alone all the time. He even gave me money to go to a nightclub in Minneapolis alone! When are you gonna quit smothering me?!"

    "He does, huh? I'll be having a discussion with him when he returns from this demon chase."

    "Mother!" Atsume Ember said annoyed. "I'm the same age that you were when Grandma Atsume and Grandpa Luke were killed. You were on your own then! Why can't you let me be my own?"

    Shionna wasn't angry anymore as much as she was hurt. "Do you really want to be orphaned like I was? Do you really wanna come home to find me and your father brutally murdered? Is that what you want?"

    Atsume Ember realized that she had over crossed a boundary; she didn't intend to hurt her mother. "I'm sorry, Mother. I just feel like I’m suffocating here. I just wanna get out for a few days. I promise I'll come back."

    Sighing, Shionna looked down. "One week, Atsume. One week, then you come home, and I'll judge how you did on your own. If you do well, I'll give you the freedom you seek. If not, I'll be even more 'suffocating' than you say I am now."

    "Thank you, Mother! I promise I'll use everything you taught me!" Atsume Ember said happily.

    "Just to make sure that you have a place to sleep, I'll give you Grandma Atsume's house to stay in," she handed the key to her daughter, "I'm glad I got that house back." Shionna said, remembering the day when the governor gave her the key and deed to the house she grew up in. Since demons were allowed to own land and were citizen, provided they were registered, everything was returned to her that had been taken after her adopted parents' deaths.

    "Okay, Mother. I will!" Atsume Ember ran excitedly to her bedroom.

    Her bedroom, like her appearance, was dark. Her walls were painted midnight blue with stars painted on them to look like a starry night sky at the midnight hour. Her bed was covered with a comforter with a flame pattern on it. Atsume Ember, although only half-demon, was very proud of her demon heritage.

    She grabbed her black messenger bag and filled it with clothes for a week, then, she went into the bathroom and gathered the toiletries that she would need. Afterwards, she went back into her room and grabbed her purse. She knew that there was about one hundred dollars in there, and she wasn't planning on stealing to survive the week.

    Shionna watched with a heavy heart as her only child got packed to leave. It was only for a week, but it would be the longest week of her life. She had been away from Atsume Ember before, but Derrick was with her. This was the first time Atsume Ember was leaving her. A part of her knew that this day was coming, but it felt like it had come too soon.

    Atsume Ember looked over and saw her mother standing in the doorway. She noticed the sadness in her eyes. Her mother looked like she was about to cry. "I'll come back to you, Mother. I promise." She embraced her mother before fleeing the house in excitement.

    Finally, for the first time in years, Shionna McCane-Mason cried.