I was about to die alone, on top of wet gra.s.s and in a dark, windy night. It didn't bother me though. I should have died long ago, alone and surrounded by the ones I hated. At least I ruined Agatha's plans tonight. I listened to my heartbeat getting weaker. It felt as though it skipped beats every now and then.

'That's it, huh?!' Eva's voice reached me.

It was the only voice I could hear then. Agatha was yelling near me. Her voice was m.u.f.fled. My ears were still ringing.

'What do you want from me?' I asked the empress.

'Why didn't you run?' she asked. 'You had enough time to make an escape.'

'I always endanger others by doing so,' I said. 'I should've faced Utar back then. I should have died, knowing my men would be spared. I wouldn't make the same mistake this time.'

'You're more naïve and stupid than I thought then,' she said.

'Shut up!' I barked at her. 'You only want to save your skin, or fragment, or whatever the f.u.c.k you are.'

'Now you're getting angry at me?' she said.

'I'm angry at everyone,' I shot at her. 'I'm angry at myself, at my decisions, at my inability to fight back, to live free of the constant pressure to run away. Death is a better outcome, believe me.'

'Why do you think Agatha's still fighting then? Wouldn't it be better if she died?'

'It would have,' I said, stubbornly. 'She received a gift she did not deserve. Fighting her feels like trying to destroy a mountain. It's hard work that will ultimately result in exhaustion and death. Why fight the ultimate end?'

'You're hopeless!' Eva scoffed. 'Did you forget your promise to your comrades, to your parents, to your loved ones?'

'I could have saved them all,' I said. 'I should have just died back then. I didn't know what I was getting myself into…' I felt rage boiling up inside me once more. 'How long should I feel sorry for myself?' I said. 'I've gone and done it again. I allied myself with beasts I didn't understand.'

'Then learn about them all,' Eva said. 'Get stronger. s.h.i.+eld yourself with knowledge, not just power.'

'I learned more about them now than I could ever do in a lifetime,' I said.

'And what did you learn, pray tell?' She was mocking me now. It only made me angrier.

'They're monsters, something I should never have messed with. Death is the only outcome against them. Why should I get up now? Why fight if the only result is death?'

'Stupid!' Eva scoffed.

'No! You're stupid,' I said. 'Why didn't you fight against the Church when they took over your empire, huh? Why did you give up? Why did you let them take you, break you? You also realized there's no fighting them. You gave up, and now you're scolding me for doing the same?'

'They never broke my will!' Eva retorted. 'I vowed revenge, and I shall have it.'

'Oh, so that's what it's all about,' I said, bitter resentment added to the mix of rage and helplessness. 'You want me to keep fighting. You want to use me to get your revenge. Well, I hate to break it to you, your highness. This is the end for me, for both of us.'

'I wouldn't be so sure about that,' she said. 'Why are we still speaking?'

'What do you mean?'

'You're not dead, not yet. I don't think they'll let you die. They'll soon take you to their king. Do you think you can withstand their torture? I don't hear them speaking anymore either. Do you?'

I reluctantly opened my eye. Agatha was standing near me. Her mouth was open, but no words came out. My ears had stopped ringing. I struggled to get to my feet and observed the still world around me.

The other demons were running toward me, but for some reason, they stopped in the middle of their gallop. In that dark night, I felt something peculiar about the forest. There was this feeling that someone, or something, was observing me. I couldn't move as I wished, as though I was underwater, trying to walk while my body floated helplessly.

Wind no longer brushed up against my face. The world felt fragile, as though it were on the verge of collapsing. Far away in the distance, I saw a tiny creature, observing me with its crimson eyes. Its white fur shone in the dark, although no light reflected on it. Its three tails bobbed right and left.

"What do you want from me?!" I screamed at it. My voice died away as soon as it left my throat.

No answer… Typical! The creature only bobbed its tails, observing me, mocking me.

"Won't you just let me die in peace?!" I yelled, louder. My throat cracked and blood came out as I coughed. Blood droplets stayed still in the air, as though refusing to obey nature's laws.

The white fox jumped and instantly appeared beside me. My eye was fixated on the creature, as it bobbed its tails playfully. It looked around, then at the ground. A small hole appeared out of nowhere, and the fox disappeared into it. Wind resumed its flow, and Agatha resumed her screams.

"– not let your disrespect me any further!"

She blinked furiously at me. She was surprised to see me standing on both legs. She gritted her teeth and was about to deliver another blow when the forest brightened up. A large halo appeared on the clear sky above us. Agatha and I looked up, to see something emerge out of it.

I saw a shape descend in front of me. It was floating, slowly putting itself between me and Agatha. It had a humanoid form, but nothing about it could be described as human. Its body shone a metallic, bright light, and it held a glowing, white sword.

It had large metallic wings. They covered the length of one of the demonic horses. One flutter would create a gust strong enough to blow Agatha and her demons to kingdom come. It looked at me. From its angular face, its sharp nose, its almond shaped eyes, to its golden, smooth hair, everything about it looked divine.

When it smiled, my body felt reinvigorated. My conduits regained their usual form. The Frangment's essence stopped going berserk inside me. The divine creature turned to look at Agatha, and lightning struck right next to her heels. I jumped back, but the thing, whatever it was, urged me to stay still.

"Who are you?" Agatha asked.

The other demons jumped to her aid. They looked at the apparition with a mixture of awe and apprehension. I never expected to see demons have this look of fright about them, but I saw it that night.

"Leave," it said, its voice melodious, soothing to hear.

"I thought I asked you a question," Agatha said, perhaps emboldened by the demon king's support.

"Augustine Pickerin," the apparition said. "You have provoked my ire by attacking this young one. I do not wish to engage in a battle with the demon kin. It would be inappropriate, not to mention an unnecessary slaughter. Don't push me. The demon king wouldn't be pleased by your foolishness."

The horse demon that had blocked my sword swing limped closer to Agatha. I could tell they were exchanging some words through their psionic link. Agatha's eyes widened, and she retreated a few steps.

"What's an Aeon got to do with a human like him?" she asked.

"None of your business," the Aeon said.

My mind raced with theories. An Aeon? What's an Aeon doing here? I've only encountered one in my lifetime. Was it the shapeless Aeon I met back underneath the necromancer's tower? Why did it appear only after that white fox showed up?

"The king gave us specific orders," Agatha said. "We're not leaving without him."

"Tell your king that I, Adelphos, got in your way. Tell him that targeting this young one is akin to targeting me. He'll get the message."

Agatha turned to the horse demon. They silently exchanged some words then she nodded.

"Very well," she said. She shot me a furious look, but refrained from saying anything. She just hopped onto the horse and urged it to move.

"Don't touch his friends either," Adelphos said as the demon turned to leave. "I trust your king knows what's at stake."

"What about his grandfather?" Agatha asked.

"I only protect this young one and his friends," Adelphos said. "I don't suppose he considers his grandfather a friend." It looked at me, expecting an answer.

I shook my head.

"Very well," Agatha said.

The tone of her voice was bitter. She bit on her teeth as she spoke. Her yellow eyes rested on mine for a while. I met her gaze with a mocking grin. I wouldn't hide it. I enjoyed seeing her resentful look. She then urged the demonic horse to move and they disappeared.

Adalphos turned to me then. It smiled, and I felt as though all my worries had disappeared.

"That takes care of the demon kin," it said. "Make sure you make it to the Holi Wars alive."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You helped me once," Adalphos said. "This is my way of paying you back. Don't waste your life."

"Wait, you're the shapeless Aeon underneath the necromancer's tower?"

The Aeon nodded.

"Thanks to you, I was called back home," it said. "My superiors knew Tao Zhar would never make a comeback. They summoned me back, and I finally regained my form."

"This is your true form?" I asked.

The Aeon chuckled. "I hadn't felt this good in ages. Consider this my way of saying thanks. I will not help you again if you anger some otherworldly beast, but our previous agreement still stands. Make it to the Holi Wars, and I shall tell you where Tao Zhar's body lies."

"Thanks," I said.

"No need to thank me," the Aeon said. "You don't owe me anything. Go now, help your friend. He's badly injured."