The moon hung low at the height of midnight, Lilith walked out of the Cavern. She was silently humming something to herself as if she was taking a casual stroll through a park... if that park had a Black Spirit Daemon being manhandled by two other daemons.

"LET GO OF ME! I WAS PROMISED FREEDOM! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" THe Wechuge roared in anger and indignation, "I FULFILLED MY END OF THE BARGAIN!"

Outside of the Cavern, Lilith found herself on the other end of an assault of words.

'He's angry; how annoying. And sheesh, this place is a mess.'

The area was surrounded by black frost, scorch marks on the ground, dozens of black-clad daemons, and more battle marks.

The Wechuge did not go down swinging.

Ignoring the cries of the Wendigo, Lilith just looked at him with indifference. His words were piercing, but when said to Lilith, it was like throwing an egg to a brick wall. The best it could do was leave a stain. Yet, Lilith knew that these words would not linger past this event.

Both the Wendigo’s feet were pinned on the ground with swords. His hands were held up by Shadow Troop members, while he was on his knees.

'His level decreased after a fight.' Lilith noted the peculiarity.

"You promised me that you would let me live! That you would let me walk out of the Cavern! You lying piece of waste! I should've known it was a mistake trusting someone connected to the—AAAAHHHH!!!!"

"GIVE ME BACK MY HUSBAND!"

With the help of her staff, Mirsha stabbed Wendigo’s hand. A hole formed, and purple blood flowed out. The pain sent him crying, but no one interfered.

Especially not Lilith who was more interested in his declining level.

‘Does this mean their level is easily altered? 249 — 248 — 247… 241… every time he takes considerable damage, his level goes down… that's interesting... oh, it's only now getting a Tier? Hmm, did the same thing happen to Dhampy, I wonder?' Lilith counted down with the accompanying screams.

"Mirsha, that's enough. No need for pointless cruelty." Lilith remarked after returning from her own thoughts. Her intentions, however, lay elsewhere as she continued looking at his decreasing level.

Reluctantly, Mirsha retracted her staff from the Wechuge's hand. She still did not trust Lilith very much after what she pulled inside. But her previous anger was lifted. She finally understood that there was a plan. That no matter what happened, Lilith would have something up her sleeves.

'The level stopped at 235 after he recalled himself… or after the pain stopped.' Lilith didn't even notice Mirsha's eyes. The little daemon Priestess walked towards the wounded Wendigo, whose title was slowly getting whittled down to a lesser form. 

[Wechuge: LVL 235]

‘He ranked down. I suppose he’s not like the puppy who can retain his class no matter his level.’

Her eyes locked with the Wechuge. He was full of hate and disgust at her betrayal.

Gritting his teeth, his eyes burned, "You little bastard… you planned this, didn't you? You planned on killing me right from the start! You lying piece of shi—!"

The Wendigo stopped barking after receiving a powerful strike on the mouth.

"Watch your mouth!" Eve shouted loudly, her hands stinging from slapping the Wechuge too hard, "The Priestess did not lie! She allowed you to leave the Cavern untouched. She didn't promise any safe passage after that. She did what she promised, so you better not dirty her name with your filth."

"Eve, that is enough." Lilith stopped just five baby steps away from the Wendigo. With an expression she rarely shows any of the daemons, Lilith sat in front of the kneeling Wechuge, "I—"

Without any movements, ice from all directions appeared out of nowhere. Icicles sharp enough to pierce trees all struck out to skewer Lilith. It would've turned Lilith into a beehive but before anything could touch a single hair on Lilith’s head, steel flashed.

“Dhampy!”

Dhampy’s sword was once again stopped from taking the Wechuge’s life. Her eyes were bloodshot. Almost to the point of insanity at the notion that someone was going to hurt Lilith.

If not for Lilith’s words, she would have taken the Wechuge’s life.

"Don't kill him… you know our intentions."

Lilith casually remarked without acknowledging the attempted murder. She didn’t even look at the ice around her. She was surrounded by people who would sacrifice themselves to keep her safe.

The Wechuge looked at Lilith, defeated, and without any more to give, "Just do it quickly… kill me."

"What makes you think I will kill you?"

"Then, why else would you do this? All of this is just for you to clean up and get the EXP points, right? So, you can level up, become stronger, like everyone else." The Wechuge looked deep into Lilith's eyes, "I thought that by coming to this world, I would be able to escape fighting others, consuming other lives…but, this reality is not that different from the Darkness. But I was wrong. It’s worse..

"In the Darkness, we devour Shadows to grow and hold ourselves together. Here, you beings of flesh and blood kill each other just so you can steal each other's essence. You grow your levels so you can feel your right to existence branch. The stronger you become the more it feels like gates of the unknown future open, doesn't it? Levels are the key for you to move forward. It's funny. I thought I'd be able to exist in peace here, but… I think I got ahead of myself. This is no promised paradise; this is just another hellhole."

The Wechuge spat in Lilith's direction, but even that was blocked by Dhampy's sword.

Lilith remained silent for a good few seconds. Her thoughts all kept to herself.

'I have pulled this trick countless times, laughed at the expressions of despair all the same.' Lilith looked at her tiny and dainty hands, trembling for some unknown reason, 'Huh, I am shaking; I can feel my heart racing. The cause is unknown, but this sensation is not unfamiliar. It is not fear. It is not exciting… I cannot describe it, but it is strangely perplexing.'

Lilith was currently disoriented, and the Wechuge's words weren't helping keep her calm.

"I am not going to lie. You will most likely disappear after this, but… I will not kill you, not for EXP points, not because I want to… but because I promised a child… a human child… the daughter of the human you took over. I made a simple promise of reuniting her with her Father, and I will do it without fail."

A promise is sacred. Even after seeing the Wechuge's despairing look, his defeated eyes, and his pleading soul, Lilith couldn't do anything. What she made to the child were no empty words. It carried something else, her own soul, "No matter how you see me, no matter how much you curse at me, I could hardly care. Dhampy, do what you must."

Lilith gave the orders to the only person… the only daemon who knew what must be done to save what's left of Will.

Dhampy walked behind the Wechuge whose eyes never left Lilith. It was already without any strength. It knew it would die, so it chose to open its mouth and speak, "When Black Spirits go to this world, they have a reason. It varies from Spirit to Spirit, but, for mine, I desire to eat. Black Spirits… are haunted by our desires. I originated from the stories of hungry wanderers… and only the images of dying hikers out of hunger remain in my mind."

"Where are you going with this?" Lilith asked out of convenience. She didn't really have the leisure to listen. She knew that the Black Spirit's hold gets stronger with every second they waste. Dhampy couldn't wait any longer.

"I… want to at least fulfill that desire. I implore you... Herald, I may be a creature from the other side, but would you fulfill this one wish of mine?"

"Will wine work?"

"I just wish to feel the warmth of what I could not have."

Lilith smiled at the Wechuge and brought out a cup of wine. Lilith approached the Wechuge, and though the others prepared themselves to save her, the latter did nothing.

The sweet and marvelous taste of the wine entered its body and filled it with warmth.

"Is that enough?"

The Wechuge lowered its head and thanked Lilith. He hated the little daemon for tricking it, but she at least fulfilled the desire he could never experience, "...thank you."

"Mm."

PSSSSHHH~

As Lilith answered the Wechuge's desire, everyone around them were in complete and utter shock. Their eyes were open wide, so much that it seemed like it would pop out from their sockets.

Their mouth agape as their skin felt freezing scorch.

Mirsha was in disbelief as her mind and heart failed to comprehend what was happening right before her.

As for Lilith, her only reaction was her mouth remaining open for a good ten seconds.

Dhampy had unceremoniously driven her hand on the Wechuge's chest.

When Lilith regained herself, she looked at Dhampy and asked her, "Why?"