Adui woke up abruptly, his body had bathed in sweat. He looked around and found himself in a rather dark cold room. He then remembered where he had been staying all this time. Sitting in a familiar environment, he sighed with relief. He had the nightmare again that day. For the past two months, this particular nightmare had become a reoccurring phenomenon for him. And every time, this nightmare scares the shit out of him, waking him up with a headstart.

He sees Ben’s death. But in his nightmare, instead of being killed by the Vampas, Ben is killed by the Ulaspas family. The worst part is, that Gizelle always forces him to watch as Patrica tortures his friend. The old Ben, screams with pain, begging them to stop. But Ulaspas family doesn't just let him go. After torturing and dismembering every part of Ben’s body and stuffing it into a giant cube, Ulaspas family forces him to sleep with his late friend's body part in that cube.

He hears Ben’s voice in the cube, telling him you are the reason I died, you ungrateful piece of shit.

There was something so chilling about that voice, it always frightened Adui to his core. The Guilt of Ben’s death weighed heavily on his mind, and there was no turning away from it. And the worst part is, that sometimes Ben gets replaced by Jarad. And the Ulaspas are replaced by Vampas, and everything moves the same way.…

When he got out of the embrace of his blankets, he realized that it was just too cold inside. Sensing something amiss, he pushed himself up with his crutches. He then started feeling the wave of cold air that was coming inside. He walked up to the window, only to realize that it was partially open.

That is weird. I remember shutting it close last night.. Did someone come into my room while I was asleep?

Ignoring his thought, he opened the window to see the sun rising from the east, basking the land in its golden glow. Most of the area around them was covered in snow which was at least 3-4 feet deep. When peeking through the window, Adui looked for any footmarks. There was a colony of Vampas near the house where they were staying, so there was hardly a chance that a human would be able to make its way there. But one can never be careful.

After seeing no footmarks, all around the house, Adui came out of the room and went downstairs. Clair and the girls were staying in a bedroom on the second floor, hearing no sound from their room he figured that they were still asleep. So he went down on his own, to prepare some tea.

Since the accident with Ben, they had taken shelter in some noble’s guest house near the village. It is a cozy mansion, with two floors, an attic, and a basement. It is not a very big place but was cozy enough for them. There were two good things about the house, the first being that it had its own fireplace, while the second one was that one could see practically all around the house from the attic. It helped in his paranoia that he was able to see all around the house. He spent so much time in the attic, that he had taken it as his room as well…

Like always, when Adui came downstairs, he inspected all the main doors of the house. He had made Clair shift the furniture around the house, and block all the windows and doors of the place. He didnt want to be vulnerable to late-night break-ins. Every day when he wakes up, he checks the place, to see whether someone has tampered with blockages.

Every day following the routine, he asks himself whether he is being paranoid, or all of these were smart decisions. And by the time he realizes that there is no answer to the question, the tea gets prepared.

After pouring himself one cup, leaving some behind for Clair. He then went and sat down in the dining area, and enjoyed his tea. Then Clair came in, served herself some tea, and sat down on the table.

She took a sip, and spoke, “We need more firewood.” She said, “Do you reckon the village’s reserve would be enough to last the winter?”

He shook, “No it won't. There will come a time when he would have to harvest some wood on our own,” he said, “And I will go the village myself and get some firewood.” For the sake of carrying heavy things, he emptied his spatial bag which contained coins, mana stones, books, and other items in the basement of the place. He had made a hole in the basement and stored his things there, so no one would be able to get his hands on them. And now, he uses his spatial bag to carry wood from the village to the house.

“Speaking of which,” Clair said, “While you are in the village, could you also look for candles? Or lamp oil? Our stock is diminishing,”

“Sure,” he said. Adui when sipping the tea, had a strange thought. He realized that nowadays, Clair and he were talking to each other as if they were couples. He would play with the girls as if he were their father, and Clair would demand to get things for the house. It was like they were an old couple.

He couldnt help but smile. He had never imagined a future where Clair was in his life, but now, he could see that there might be a chance that this actually could happen. Although chances of them getting together were very small, he was still excited by the prospect…

For a cripple, particularly a man who had a useless hand and missing leg, it was very hard to maneuver through the snow. It took a lot of effort from him so that he could take one simple step through the snow. If it weren't for his paranoia, he would for sure send Clair to get the woods. But the stupid brain of his starts imagining weird scenarios in which either Clairs gets brutally killed or gets kidnapped. That is why he had volunteered to venture out in the snow, and no one else was allowed outside.

It was a hassle, but it was worth it.

Speaking of which, I think I should try to look for a way to kill a Vampas. I think I would be able to harvest a decent-sized crystal from it and heal my body. Maybe if I looked like my original self, I would be able to impress Clair…

Smiling, thinking about his future, Adui finally made his way towards the village. The desolate place had become a ghost land ever since the attack the night Ben died. He didnt have the power or strength to bury everyone in the village. That is why there are still corpses littered all around the place. And because of the snow, those corpses had solidified and had stopped decomposing. Which was better, otherwise this place would have become a den of flies and smell.

As he made his way to the other side of the village, he got to the pile of firewood, lying outside, covered in snow.

GUST

With the strong wind all the snow was blown away from the wood. He then started picking wood and keeping it in his spatial bag.

“You know,” He heard the voice of a woman, from behind, “That is a pretty expensive bag for someone of your status,”

Although he didnt recognize the voice. Slowly he turned around and saw a woman, wearing silver armor sitting on a tree behind him. She then flicked her short black hair, after seeing his face, she frowned, “.. And you could use some makeover as well,”

She jumped down from the tree, and he saw that she had a rapier on her side. The girl started walking towards him, while Adui’s mind went on an overdrive. He started thinking of the ways in which he could get out of the situation, or get her so far away from this place that she won't find Clair and the girls.

“What is your name stranger?” the girl asked.

“Ad..u..i. A…dui Ham..ps.. hire,” he said, rather nervously. The pain that Ulaspas family had inflicted was still fresh in his mind, making him very nervous. .

“Well Adui…” the girl said with a rather large smile, “Can you tell me the reason.. Why is it that a cripple like you is still alive, yet everyone in the neighboring villages has been butchered by those white beasts” She then put her hands on her rapier. He could feel his instincts telling him that the woman before him was very dangerous.

But her words gave him a clue, “Are.. You… from outside? Ar… here to help?” he asked.

Instantly her rapier came close to his neck, “Do you think that you have the power to ask questions here, boy? I am the one asking questions. Be a good man, and answer everything truthfully, maybe.. Just maybe I will give you a pain-free death?”

Adui knew that if this woman came from outside, she could help the whole kingdom. So he pushed his nervousness aside and asked, “Are you here to help this country? If yes, I will be your servant. If not, I am not opening my mouth,”

The girl looked a little taken back, by his words. She was clearly not expecting him to say this, so, she pulled out a locket from armor. The locket had two swords on cross, beside which were the pair of wings. He recognized the locket, it was the symbol of the inquisition army of the Great Holy Empire. Seeing this, he couldnt help but smile, “Help… Help is here,”

The woman then asked, “What would you do now?”

“I will not only answer every single one of your questions. Not only that, I will be happy to die or serve for the Holy Order,” he said. Unbeknownst to him, tears had started falling down his eyes. A ray of hope had arrived in his heart, because he knew, now they could be saved.

“Then tell me.” She said, “What happened here? And how are you alive?”

***

Whenever Adui goes out in the snow, most of his injuries start acting up. He feels this burning sensation on his healed wounds, which is so irritating that he cannot stay outside in the snow for not more than an hour. But that day, when he was telling his story to Alice, a Saintness from the Holy Empire, he didnt feel any burning sensation.

Contrary to his expectations, he felt energized and full of vigor. Because of the presence of Alice, it was apparent that the help had arrived. And now they would be saved. The constant fear of their supplies being depleted or getting found was no more, now they would be saved.

He told her everything, except for the part about the inheritance. He didnt know why he didnt tell her about it, but it was like a reflex, he didnt want her to know about it. But he told her about everything else.

“So let me get this straight,” Alice said, “So you stole the vials of this.. Rose Blood from the Ulaspas family? ” she asked. He had told her that the Ulaspas family took revenge on him when he stole vials of Rose Blood, as well as outed about the plan of Ulaspas family for their kingdom. And they were pissed about it.

“Yes. That is why they try to burn me alive,” he said. Alice looked at him with concern and worry. But he had a feeling that this was just part of a fake persona that she had been trying to create.

“How can I believe you?” she asked.

“I have no reason to lie milady,” he said, “I am just a weak mage.. A crippled mage at that. I have no reason or the guts to lie to the Holy Order.”

It was then, an amulet on Alice’s hand started glowing. She tapped her finger on it, and then the amulet started producing a male’s voice, “Alice I am closing in on your location,”

“Roger that,” She replied. Then she looked at him, “My mentor is coming here. If you help us in taking down Ulaspas family, I will help you Atui. If you backstab us in any way, we will make sure that your faith would be worse than death.”

He nodded, “I understand,”

BOOOM

They turned to their right, an explosion took place from the direction of his house. Alice turned towards him, “Stay here,”

She then started running in that direction. He didnt listen to her, he started heading towards the house as well. Clair and the kids were in the house, he feared for their life…

After the longest walk in the history of his life, Adui finally reached the house. He saw a side of the villa was decimated by a big chunk of rock. This rock had smashed through the top floor and made its way, down to the bottom. With a heavy heart, he rushed towards the house. His heart was beating faster, he didnt know whether Clair and the girls were dead or not, but he wouldn't stop before he had seen their bodies. Even if he had to use his only hand to remove the debris, he would do it. And only when he sees their dead body, only then he would rest.

Quickly as he could, he made his way to the house. The snow made things difficult for him, but eventually, he came close. As he was about to enter the house, another explosion took place. This one blasted the house and threw him several feet away…

Adui’s ears started ringing, he was disoriented, and the worst part was that he was thrown into a giant pile of snow. It cushioned his fall, but also in a way trapped him in its confines. When he got his bearing back, he found himself in a hole made of snow. He started wiggling his way out. But as he tried to move, more snow fell on him in the hole, further deepening his prison. It was then he started pumping mana in his body.

Ignite, Pyro

The torrent of fire that he shot was able to melt most of the snow out of the way. The problem was, the melted snow made him wet, which could become a huge problem for him later on. Ignoring the coldness, he wiggled and eventually made it out of the hole. He looked around and found himself standing just a few feet away from the periphery of the house that they were staying in.

He looked, he had lost his crutches. Seeing nothing to hold onto, he started crawling his way back. When he got to the wooden fence of the house, it was then that he saw a standoff between four people. One group consisted of a woman wearing silver armor, he recognized her as Alice. The old man with her was built like a fighter and was wearing simple white robes with wings etched on the back.

On the other hand was Gloria and Sara. The worst part was, that Gloria had her hands on Clair, while Sara had both Diane and Julia. He tried to yell at them, he wanted to curse both Gloria and Sara to let them go. But the coldness had seeped so deep into his body, that even though he tried screaming with all of his might, no sound came out of his throat.

“Back off old man!” he heard Sara yell, “You dont want to see these girls die, now do you?”

“Please help us!” Clair yelled while he could see the girls were crying as well.

It was then he heard the old man yell, “Sara! Leave this madness… Come with me with your sister… Please. I dont want to kill you!” The old man had a very emotional voice, it seemed to him that he was in a lot of pain emotionally.

“I am not mad!” Sara yelled back, “I am free now… This is what I am now. Deal with it. Father!”

“This is the end of the line for you Yuriel! Back off!” Gloria yelled back.

Adui couldnt see the old man’s face. He could could only see his back. The old man who seemed dejected lowered his face, but abruptly the old man looked up. Adui was not able to see what kind of magic the old man performed, he just sensed a lot of mana being condensed and then being let out from a small point, towards the Ulaspas’s…

AAHHH!

He heard a yell. Tears started flowing down his cheeks, that yell was of Clair. The spell created a very big fire inferno that engulfed both Ulaspas girls. He started crawling faster, and while moving he saw Clair, now charred in coal black flapping her body in the snow. While the Ulaspas and the Holy Order started fighting again. Their battle was so fact that they quickly went out of the way while fighting, leaving behind Clair and her two girls' charred bodies behind.

By the time he had only traveled a few feet, Clair's yells had stopped. There was no voice or noise made by either Diane or Julia. While crawling, he eventually found a crutch. Grabbing it heastingly, he started making his way towards the charred mess. There he saw a body, unrecognizable, lying in the snow without any movement. With tears rolling down his face, he knelt down. Tried resuscitating her, but to no avail. Clair was no more.

He sensed a movement from behind, he turned around to see two charred bodies, lying side by side not too far away from him. Immediately he lunged toward them and began crawling toward them. One of the girls was alive, she was able to move her arm ever so slowly. He could not recognize her, not knowing whom he was looking at.

“I.. It… harts… et.. Hurts” and just like that, the girl also passed away.

Adui didnt know what to feel at the moment. Tears were still falling down his face, he felt sad, but at the same time, he had such a deep hatred inside of him, that could consume him. He knew it, but he didnt care. He wanted revenge. He wanted to bathe in the blood of the Holy Order, people who killed an innocent woman and her two children. He also wanted revenge on Ulaspas, the ones that created havoc in his life.

He turned towards the house, most of it was destroyed already. Only the middle part of the house was not destroyed, and coincidentally, the middle portion had stairs intact as well, giving him access to the second floor. Immediately lunged towards his crutch, and started making his towards the basement. The explosion had created a hole, because of which it was very easy for him to get access to the basement. He grabbed the cube containing Soul Stone from the basement and started climbing up.

The unstable structure of the stairs was waving in the air and looked so unstable that it could fall at any given moment in time. But he didnt care. When Adui got to the second floor, he opened the cube with the key around his neck, giving him access to the purplish, Rose-like-smelling stone. The stone was in the shape of a pointed crystal, which he took out and put its pointed end over his heart.

I dont know whether this will work or not. But this is it. I swear, I will take revenge. I swear, I will these powers to get you guys justice. If workers of god couldnt save my friends, then I would be the servant of the devil himself. I need revenge. And I will have it.

With that, he jumped on the stone that had crashed into the house. He deliberately pushed his chest forward so that with the impact of the stone, the crystal could penetrate his heart. The only way to undergo Demonization was to strike the crystal through the heart of a being. Then everything depended on the crystal and the host.

While going down, Adui one last time turned towards the charred body of Clair and the girls. Saying them goodbye inwardly, because from today onwards, the Adui that they knew was dead. From today onwards a Demonic Mage would take his place.