"Nothing was out of place in the beginning," Dalton continued. "As Ernest had lived in the street he was glad to finally had a roof over his head and I was overjoyed as well to have a younger brother again." Gradually as he spoke, a bitter aftertaste settled on Dalton's mouth.

Ian wasn't surprised by this, "Everything that seem normal on the surface always turns out to be otherwise. Tell me at when you find him odd?"

​​

Dalton pulled his eyebrows together as it was difficult for him to muster the memories that had been buried and erased multiple times by Ernest. "I suppose after the ritual. Most memorable one was when I had came to tend his wounds after the ritual my parents had it him through. The lamps were all turned off as per the ritual and that was when, I witness him begin to talk... alone in the darkness as if there was another person listening to him. There had been also times when he would behaved strangely malicious and when I was beside him, I would feel chill at the time, as though I was chased by a hungry beast."

"That must have been your instinct telling you to run away," remarked Ian and Dalton nodded, seconding the guess.

"Can you make a few memories after the incident?" Elise then asked Dalton who shifted his hand and clasped them together. Elise, Ian, and Kyle was standing in front of the bed where their back was exposed to the wall.

"I can remember a few. One that I think I have to note is when I came to visit his room. He was standing alone again, in the darkness, and he seemed to be arguing with someone. It was also raining heavily where I can only listen to few of their words," Dalton squeezed his forehead as if seeing the memory again and trying to reiterate what he saw. "I had thought that perhaps a guest had came. But the room was too dark for anyone to invite their guest in which made me curious. I thought about lighting up the candle when lightning strike..." Dalton held his head and Elise frowned when she saw he man seemingly trying to endure pain that ache in his head. "But there was no one... and yet next to him, I saw a shadow of a person reflected on the floor..."

Elise can make out that Ernest had been speaking to an unknown entity to himself. Considering how Dalton had seen him talking in the darkness since they were young, it was safe to say that Ernest and the dark entity had known each other for quite a long time.

Elise looked at Ian who nodded to her, "Seem like you were correct Elise. Apollyon is behind all this but whether he is the one controlling Ernest hadn't been decided yet seeing how Ernest doesn't seem to hate his company."

"Apollyon?" Kyle who had listened asked from the place he had been standing at, observing the relay of conversations.

"We will tell you about that later," Ian brushed off as explaining take time and they don't have quite the privilege to do entertaining idle long explanation.

Elise looked back to Dalton, "What did you heard in Ernest's discussion with the darkness?"

"I-it was an argument and I can't make out what they had been arguing about. However, I remember the topics was whether to kill one unnamed person who they refer as 'he'. Ernest told the shadow it was unnecessary but the later replied… 'There's no choice in your hands but mine.' And…" Dalton suddenly lunge and a dry cough erupted from the deepest part of his throat where blood flowed down on the ground.

Elise who was startled at this quickly reached out her hand when Ian had stopped her. Her confused eyes look at Ian only to see his back facing her and his hands were holding a sharp blade between his hands.

"Quite the welcome," Ian chimed with a smile that last shortly for a second. "Coming to the room uninvited, no manners I see."

Elise's blue eyes quickly darted to see the other end of the blade before seeing who had been holding the sword to see Ernest. His eyes had turned from once a black color to a bright golden one which narrowed when seeing Ian and Elise. Kyle who was also startled had moved quickly to pull out a gun from his hand when in split of second Ernest's hand had moved, stabbing the older man on his stomach. Elise had tried to prevent this from happening but Ernest's movements had been too quickly and even calculated that Jett didn't manage to stop the tip of the blade by a brush of a feather.

Ian, on the other hand had his hands full shielding the other two attacks that came from behind him from the other two dark sorcerers who appeared, didn't expect Ernest to have go for Kyle when it should have been him or Elise who was on the man's killing list. Seeing Kyle who slowly fell on the ground had him to frown.

"It is unpleasant for people like you to keep trying to find a way in interrupting other's plan," said Ernest as he pulled the sword he had used to kill Kyle in front of him and stared at it.

Elise was stunned at seeing Kyle who had collapsed. She learned that for a person's complexion to turn pallid didn't take much more than a full minute. Her lips were parted as she slipped back to the horrific truth about war. It was all death surrounding her… even in her most happiest moments in her life.

Her blue eyes quickly glared at Ernest where hints of golden begin to blend with the blue color of her eyes.

"Ernest!"

Dalton who was lying on the bed crumpled himself as pain of thousand needles stabbing his heart. He pushed himself to open his eyes that took him a lot of pain. Seeing Ernest in the room and other three people behind them, startle came to his face but the moment he looked at the other side of the corner, seeing Kyle slumping down to the ground with his back resting on the wall while blood formed a large circle on his shirt, he was once again reminded by all the evil things his younger brother had done.

Ernest who had came looked at them with an indifferent expression.