Ernest? Elise asked in her mind. She saw how Ernest had to struggle to keep himself stable. Every seconds, she could see how Ernest was holding back the other person inside him. As they continue to argue, Ernest then raised his voice, "Please, Lady Elise you have to leave now! I cannot control Ernest any longer. He is inside my head, controlling my body, it is extremely difficult—"

"Why do you have to keep doing this?!" The other Ernest screamed in rage when the other one tried to fight back. 

Elise who was stunned at this, and knew she had to do something, made her quick step toward Ernest. She closed her eyes once trying to trace down whether there was any magic in Ernest using her power from the shadow when she sensed something rooted inside Ernest's eyes which was shrouded with a dark and malicious energy.

The only method to stop the dark energy from continuing to circulate was to extricate the root. Elise looked down at Ernest who was now in the ground struggling while breaking a sweat as he tried to keep whoever the second person inside him was. 

"Pardon me," Elise said before she pushed her hand toward Ernest's heart, creating a dark shadow as a portal for her hand to enter inside the man's chest. When she felt something slimy a tingling pain zapped her hands, Elise knitted her eyebrows together. She endured the pain she felt and tore out the black root before throwing it into the ground. The thing she pulled wriggled on the floor. Disgusted, Elise stomped her feet to the living object, causing a mass of black underneath her shoes.

She then turned back to see Ernest who wasn't bleeding despite having a hand piercing through his chest thanks to Elise's ability. But that didn't surprise Elise, it was how when she had turned back, she witness Ernest's skin gradually melting, the previous face that he adorned slowly changed, revealing who he really was…

It wasn't Ernest this entire time who Elise had been suspected as the dark sorcerer…

It wasn't him as he wasn't the real Ernest. Rather he was Ernest's older brother, the eldest son or the Lone's, Dalton Lone.

With narrowed eyes, Elise looked at Dalton with a lost look, "Who… what is going on here?"

Dalton looked at her out of breath. His trembling lips was about to release his voice when all of a sudden they heard a blast behind them. Elise's eyes that snapped behind then looked back at Dalton. Pulling the man to the side, she helped him to stand before bringing him into a safer place along with one small mass of her shadow. 

Taking a step back, Elise apparated using the ability she learned from her father to the spot where she saw the explosion started where she saw Alex on the side holding to his stomach. Quickly she raised her hand to heal the injury Alex suffered when the man, whose blurred eyes finally recognize Elise, took a tight hold of her hand in a haste, "Milady… Dalton."

"I know. He was the one caused all this," Elise met Alex's eyes that widened in surprise, and she guessed that the man was shocked of how easily she was able to comprehend the situation.

At first, Elise also couldn't understand it. After seeing Dalton's memory, who she assumed as Ernest before, Elise thought that Dalton had his memories erased in order for him to become the innocent victim during the death of Mr. and Mrs. Lone. But she realized she was wrong. Ernest had not only fooled the church members but also her who had the ability to read through people's memories of their past.

The truth turns out that at the night of Mr. and Mrs. Lone's passing, Ernest hadn't only erased Dalton's memories, he had changed his appearance to Dalton and continue to adopt his identity, controlling the true Dalton whose appearance had been changed.

"Where did he go?" Elise asked urgently but Alex shook his head.

"He flew toward the sky," answered Alex and when Elise turned away to chased after the man, Alex pulled her hand to halt her. "It's too dangerous. Ian wouldn't want any harm to you as well."

Elise looked at Alex and offered the man a smile, "I may not be the strongest, but I am not weak, Alex," and saying so, she raised her hand, giving one snap of her finger to put Alex into a sleep.

On the other side of the land, the struggling Redrick dragged himself inside a lone hut. His hands squeezed the side of his wing that had been torn by Raziel. In pain, he leaned on the side of the wall when the door opened and Ernest came inside with a look in his face where he was boiling with anger. 

"The demon's bride.. the demon's bride! Truly befitting of her title. She had ruined my careful plan I made since centuries in a mere hour!!" Ernest who had screamed smack his palm over the window pane, shattering it into pieces. "And Dalton…" his expression suddenly stop, growing complex in time. "…controlling him had been easy but for that one girl… he had never done this before."

Redrick frowned while watching Ernest who spoked to himself, as if discussing in his own mind but aloud. It was then when he made a slight move and Ernest's deadly eyes snapped on him. The dark sorcerer lord stared at Redrick with a spark of interest where the corner of his lips quickly pulled wide. Redrick was off guard when the man suddenly marched forward and reached out his hand to touch his bloodied back. 

"Who pulled your wings?" One might thought it was a question of concern but when Ernest who had asked the question, there was only fascinations in his eyes.

"Raziel," Redrick answered and quickly posed his question, "What happened to you as well? You seem to be troubled."

"Troubled? No, I am upset," said Ernest and yet his smile betrayed his words. The smile on his lips was like a maniac who enjoyed the predicament he was put through. "I think in about half a day my face will be all around the town."

"What?" Redrick asked with a shocked tone.

"I am saying Camael, it isn't only you whose identity had been revealed but mine as well. Coincidentally we have been exposed by the demon's bride family. Does giving trouble to others are their family's ability?" He joked and laughed even though he was clearly in the disadvantage here. 

Redrick stared at him as if Ernest had grown two heads, "What will you do now? Your plan is far from complete and them finding out about this will decrease our chance of annihilating the demons in Hell!" 

Ernest pulled his index finger toward his lips, "Hush now. The plan is far from complete but it isn't a disadvantage. Whether or not the church find out about my identity or our plan it will be too late for anyone, even that demon bride, or the people from Heaven to safe us. Their salvation is perhaps that demon, Ian White, according to the prophecy but with him out of the picture there is nothing to be worried of."

"I don't understand, what do you mean Ian White had anything to do with this?"

Ernest looked at Redrick with a tired look, "Lady Elise White is called the demon's bride not because one day she will put everyone down on her foot. No. The truth is because as she marry a demon, that is when her ability is complete. True love you see… Ian White complete her. But now that he is dead, we have nothing to be worried of."

*****

A/N: please do check author's new book "these maddening desires" and add to the library ^^~