Blinking in confusion and ignoring everyone else, Ru tried to make sense of the message and conflicting emotions raging inside him as the letter slowly turned to ash, falling from his hands and scattering on the gentle breeze.

"Ru?" asked Elelth nervously. She had never seen him react like this before and could only wonder at the content of the letter, causing her imagination run wild as dread filled her heart.

Ignoring the dark elf, Ru absentmindedly raised his hand, causing a few of the surrounding soldiers to grasp their rifles tightly, before rubbing the area where his slave collar once occupied. The dark feelings of being control by another, twisting in his gut as Styx's words resonated in his mind.

One-half of him wanted to rip Styx's intestines out through her none existent mouth before giving her a slow, agonising death. Not only had she been incredibly patronising, to the point where Ru felt like he could vomit blood, but she was attempting to dictate and control his life. Something he would never, ever allow to happen again, even if it cost him his life.

Dark, trapped, claustrophobic emotions and memories of the past bubbled in the back of his consciousness, taunting him from the shadows.

"Fucking delusional bitch," muttered Ru, his eyes still unfocused. "What the hell is she thinking or playing at?"

Even though his wrath was by far the strongest emotion, he also felt a strange, comforting warmth deep in his chest. He had always liked Styx, not in a romantic way, but as a person. She had stood by him in his darkest moments, generally when he drank himself into a stupor when the burden of his sins became too much to bear.

The Soul Eater's betrayal had been one of the worst for him, even more so than Travilia's yet he couldn't confidently say that his plan, of making her into a goddess, was just to gain power, or if some part of him wanted an excuse to let her live.

What made it worse, was that even though he didn't see her in a romantic light, he would have to admit that spending three hundred and fifty-four years confined with her being the only female he had any sort of contact with, had caused his mind to wander more than once. He was only a man after all, or at least use to be.

-"Why would she suddenly start thin-" Ru's thoughts drifted to the past, where Styx would always welcome them back from a mission, giving off a concerned aura. Ru had shrugged it off at the time, thinking that it was directed at someone else, an easy mistake as without eyes, it was hard to sense who she was focusing on, but now he thought about it, things were starting to make sense.

-"Was it really that obvious?" Ru thought about the times Styx had followed him around pointlessly, tried to mitigate the damage as he used unspecific rules to bend the commands of his handlers and the most strange, she guarded his prison for hundreds of years even though she technically could have got someone else to do it. -"Wait, does she even have a normal female's anatomy? She has no face, so maybe she doesn't have a-."

"Hand over the girl, by order of the Demigoddess she has been found guilty of consorting with the Devil and will be executed."

The sharp, no-nonsense tone brought Ru back to his senses.

Standing next to the robbed man, who he assumed to be Gerrard, was the only black armoured soldier not wearing a helmet. If he wasn't so distracted with his thoughts, Ru would have made fun of his villain like bald head and a thick moustache. "Piss off... I am trying to think."

Being used to having months if not years to think about things, Ru was irritated that he couldn't take his time. His mood only darkened when he remembered that main point of the letter, even if it was hidden quite well. They wanted to kill Elelth, but for what reason, Ru didn't fully understand or for that matter, care.

The man's face turned red with anger. "Let go of her hand and move away at once or we will assume that she is your comrade and act accordingly. Inquisitor or not... you shall die."

Ru tensed, visibly straightening as he glared at the man. -"Comrade? Elelth? I know I wanted her in my team for her abilities but... what is she to me? Pawn or Knight?"

Gerrard grimaced and looked nervously at the Captain. -"Fucking idiot, why would he use that word or provoke him. We were given over four pages of words and actions we shouldn't take."

Taking a quick glance to his side, not willing to look away from Ru for more than a couple of seconds, Gerrard saw the moustached man's lips curl into a slight smile. -"Something's wrong. They would only intentionally disobey a direct order unless it was from someone with a higher rank and the only ones that outrank my goddess are the Council."

Gerrard couldn't help but swallow loudly, watching Ru, who if it weren't for the mana radiating from him, causing the air to distort menacingly, would look like nothing more than a mere beggar.

He had done his research on the individual and found nothing. No name, no registered mana signature, not even a birth certificate, which had been compulsory for hundreds of years for all higher races, creatures that were sentient and did not have a monster core.

The only information he had to go one was the title his Goddess had given to address the man, a title that made no sense.

The title, High Inquisitor, existed, but from all his research it appeared that it never been given to anyone except the first inquisitor back in the days of the last great war, though it appeared the documents on that person had been damaged and lost over time, not even a name remained.

The lack of information made Gerrard extremely nervous, and the moment it looked like their trap had been discovered, he immediately acted in an attempted to defuse the situation. The trap was only meant to give them greater bargaining power, but as it was sprung early, only a small amount of troops could actively surround and engage.

Also, if this man were linked to the inquisitors, a group that were a law unto themselves and no one in their right mind would want to cross; then Gerrard did not want to start anything, particularly since he was acting as a representative of his Goddess.

He let out a deep breath. Styx's second in command, Alex, had assured him that, although the man would not be happy, he would not go against the execution of his travelling companion and would leave without much of a fuss. He felt there was something they were keeping from him but understood that even gods had their secrets and that trust in your God was a key aspect of faith.

Little did Gerrard know, or Styx for that matter, that Ru was not the man that he once was. Unlike the Demon Lord, that kept himself sane by speaking to Styx and reliving his memories, an ability that some demons possessed, Ru fell into solitary darkness, warping not only his body but his mind and soul in order to survive and have a chance of escape. The shell that he created on the outside by manipulating mana was the only link, bar his memories, of what he once was.

Watching the expressions flittering across Ru's face, Gerrard had felt his skin prickling as his insides squirmed violently. -"Something really isn't right here. First the Captains behaviour, and now the inquisitor's reactions."

-"There was the blast of anger after reading the letter, but other than that, he showed little to no concern for being surrounded by the Alliances Elite that are demanding the death of someone he is travelling with. Either he doesn't care, or he doesn't see us as a threat." To Gerrard, if felt as if a pack of dogs had surrounded, what they thought was a lizard, but turned out to be a dragon.

"High Inquisitor, I must politely ask you to leave this town without the elf. I hope you understand. The Goddess has assured me that you will be compensated for your loss," said Gerrard, trying to keep his concern from tainting his voice as he held out a bag of coins.

Elelth had been shaking the moment the bald man spoke, realising they wanted to execute her. Fear and doubt bombarded her mind, knowing that without Ru, she had no chance of escaping, even with all the training she had undergone.

Though he had been friendly, Ru had kept his distance from her during their journey, especially at an emotional level. He would engage in general talk and a bit of banter, but it was clear as day that he didn't want to get too close to Elelth.

The more she thought about it, and how Ru liked to avoid anything he deemed troublesome unless she suddenly turned into something delicious or a hot spring, the more she was certain he would agree and leave her to her fate.

The silence was almost deafening, the only noise Elelth could hear was the beating of her own heart.

Eleth stifled a sob from escaping, briefly contemplating revealing Ru's identity. The only reason they would be after her, to her knowledge, was that people thought she was the Devil's priestess. If Ru were exposed as the Devil, they would inevitably focus on him and not her.

Grasping Ru's hand so tight it hurt her, Elelth took a deep breath and calmed herself. Even if she did that, she doubted it would change anything and, on a moral level, she knew she was better than that. What little faith she had left in the world started to crumble, but instead of falling into despair, she drew strength from it.

Ru, through his words and his past, if they were to be believed, made it clear that he did not care about the world and would only move to protect himself and those he considered close.

Elelth bitterly smiled, thinking that at least Ru stuck to his principles, ones that she could actually agree with. "Ru..."

"If you are going to aband- leave me, please promise me one thing," Elelth's voice cracked as her hand shook violently, her voice nothing more than a whisper. "Become what they fear most. Never stop. Never Surrender. Never... fall... Not until you have brought this corrupt world tumbling down on their heads."

Relaxing her grip from Ru's hand, she felt it fall to her side, causing her heart to tighten.

He let her hand go.

She hoped, even though she knew it was pointless, that he would hold on. Tears start streaming down Elelth's face as locked her knees, forcing herself to remain standing.

"Why don't you let them know who I am? I am not sure even dress man knows, and it would definitely make things interesting," Ru's voice, echoed around the small alleyway, no hint of keeping what they were discussing discreet.

Elelth couldn't even force a smile, wondering how they were going to murder her. "Why? Because I am not like the scum that populates this world. Even though you have done nothing but cause me pain, we are frie- comrades. I would rather die with one friend, who would remember me, than an enemy that will forget."

Looking up, she saw Ru's grey eyes observing her carefully, and felt her resolve crumbling. "Go... I don't.... I don't want you to see this." Elelth's ears were drooped and shaking. "Just keep your promise."

Ru's right eye twitched before revealing a smug smile, having made his decision. "Idiot, like fuck I would let someone else dictate my life when I have only just obtained my freedom, especially some psycho bitch with boundary issues. Plus, I remember someone pledging their mind, soul and body to me. The Devil doesn't let others take what is his. I'm a greedy bastard after all."

Elelth frowned. "Body?" 

"It was a joke to stop you crying but having you repeat it just makes me feel so... dirty," replied Ru rolling his eyes as he released a sigh. "Grow up so I can stop feeling awkward around you."

Too stunned by the rapid turn of events, Elelth didn't respond.

Even though Ru's wasn't trying to be quiet, the only two close enough to hear the conversation, Gerrard and the soldier, paled. This girl was known as the Devil's Priestess, and from the conversation, it wasn't hard to assume who the strange man was.

Elelth stared into Ru's eyes with a confused, yet hopeful, expression, not daring to believe what his words implied.

Patting her on the head, Ru's eyes hardened as he turned around and faced those blocking them in the alley. "Tsk, only known me for a few weeks, knowing I had a hand in your parent's deaths, and you're still unwilling to give me up in order to save your own skin... Stupid elf... Welcome to the team, no pay, no holiday but meals are provided."

Facing the soldiers and Gerrard, a cold, emotionless smile crept up on Ru's face as he continued to talk to Elelth. "El, I swear, if you complain about what I am about to do, I am going to cut out your tongue."

Elelth shook her head even though Ru could not see it, her voice a timid whisper. "Burn them all,"

"You're surrounded, and even if you could escape, the girl will die, Surrender." Sweat poured down the captain's face. His unit, until recently, had been on the front lines holding the mutants from the calamity back and had witnessed first hand what the man in front of them was apparently capable of. Even if Ru surrendered, he would still attack. "Men, prepare to fire."

Ru sniggered. "Burn them all huh? Let God sort them out? Simple, flexible and easy to understand. I like it."

The dull hum filled the streets and alleyway as the magical rifles primed, pointed at both Ru and Elelth."

Gerrard started to panic, his Goddess was going to be furious. "Please Hi-"

"Diplomacy is over. Now we use force. Gods help you if you have held anything back from us." shouted the captain as he drew a sword as he was too close for a rifle to be useful. "Command will hear about this."

"Oh, will they now?" The wicked smile on Ru's face, now turned terrifying, distorting from what an average human could achieve, causing those that could see to flinch. "I only have one question. Would you like to play a game?"