Alexander stared at his watch as he rapidly bounced his leg on the floor. Apparently, he had a meeting with Archibald and the other Virtues today. Soon, in fact.

But that was all he knew. That was all he was told.

He didn't know where or how he would arrive. All he knew was that it was soon.

That lack of information made him anxious as he silently and impatiently waited in his living room.

Beside him was his sister.

Emilia groaned.

Alexander stared at her. She was laying down upside down on the couch, grumbling to herself.

Their eyes met.

"What?" she asked.

"Why are you sitting like that? And groaning? You've been doing that for like ten minutes."

"I just realized. I met Charles Archibald twice!" she said, holding up a pair of fingers. "Twice, Alexander. And I never even took a picture or anything!"

"I'm actually gonna meet him soon," Alexander said, glancing at his watch. "Want me to ask him for an autograph or something?" he joked.

Emilia sighed. "You're such a whore."

"I-" Alexander took in a sharp breath. "Sure."

Alexander patted his pockets. He dug his hands into his jacket. "Damn, I forgot my charger," he said, before standing up.

She looked up at him. "What do you need a charger for?"

"I don't know, just in case."

"But why?"

"You never know," he said, racing up the stairs.

Alexander continued running to his room with haste. He didn't want to be late. Still, he had no idea how to get to wherever he was supposed to go.

He opened his bedroom door. And the room behind it wasn't his own.

Alexander swallowed his saliva as he realized he stood in an office. Archibald's office, probably, since he was the only one in the room.

The Paladin smiled and waved at him.

Alexander turned around. Behind him was still his home.

It seems his worries were reduced to naught.

He stared back at the seated Paladin. Archibald was wearing pretty much the exact same thing he had worn when they had first met.

"Well, you're early," Archibald said.

"How..." Alexander began. "But why... And... Like, why? And how? For what?" he stammered, confused as he kept turning his head to face both spaces he stood between.

"Just shut the door, the air's getting out," Archibald said.

"This is the meeting?" he asked, pointing at the ground.

Archibald nodded.

Alexander stared at the floor. The border between wherever he was and his own home. The floor of the door frame was distorted and contorted with different colors. That just seemed to be what spatial magic can do.

Alexander took in a confused breath, before shutting the door behind him. "So, uh... Where are we?" Alexander asked, his eyes scanning over the walls.

Archibald sat in the room's singular chair. What sat before him was a wooden coffee table and grand sofa, capable of holding more than half a dozen people, Alexander guessed.

For some reason, there was a bookshelf behind Archibald's chair. And another one behind the massive couch. And even at the room's end stood a desk built of polished wood.

No chair behind it, however. Alexander assumed that it was supposed to be the same one Archibald was currently sitting in.

"My office," Archibald answered. "New York one, though. Not the one in Pendragon."

'He has two offices?' Alexander thought to himself.

Alexander moved through the room to sit at the sofa's end. He scurried between the furniture and the table until reaching its end.

From Alexander's perspective, the massive sofa wasn't supposed to be there. Archibald must've put it there so he wouldn't have to get multiple other chairs.

As soon as Alexander sat down, Archibald tossed him a file folder.

Alexander barely managed to catch it. He immediately opened the file.

It contained a sheet of information for each of the demons. Abilities, location, et cetera. The first page listed: Belphegor, Demon of Sloth. Likely summoning location: Paris, France, province of the Norteon Union.

And behind that page of miscellaneous information was still a dozen and a half pages.

"Those are just stories and myths and all the like. Y'know, in case that information may be relevant. It probably won't be, though. Incarnations like this are tricky."

Alexander nodded in understanding. He didn't understand.

After nearly a minute of sitting in silence, he looked up. "So when are the other people getting here?"

"No idea."

"So," he continued, raising a glass of water to his lips. "I have some questions to ask you."

Alexander stared at the cup of water.

It wasn't there. Alexander wanted to ask but he already knew the answer Archibald would give him.

"Alexander, do people avoid you?"

That question caught him off guard. "What do you mean?"

"There are probably times when people walk away from you, or don't like being near you. Stuff like that, right?"

"...Yeah, actually."

"It's because of magic energy. For people with average amounts of magic energy, your presence would be... somewhat disturbing. Plus... Y'know... Your curse and everything."

Alexander nodded in understanding. "If anything, that's for the best, right?" he asked. "To stay away from others. So they don't get hurt and all."

Archibald shook his head. "No, that's not how it works. Your family or friends simply won't die just because you're cursed. The curse is your burden to bear, not theirs. I'm sure you understand that."

"You see," he continued, pushing up his glasses. "Curses are complicated. Especially, the Demon-Born's Curse. No one really knows where it comes from or who created it. Meaning there's no way of removing it. And since it's pretty much genetic, you cant just remove it. If anything, you're more likely to die, rather than the people you care for. But like I said... That's just the burden you have to carry."

"So, uh... Be honest," Alexander said. "I'm not just here from some kind of Demon-Born inclusivity thing, am I?"

Archibald chuckled. "Kind of."

Alexander stared at him.

"That was a joke. I chose you because you seemed like one of the best options. It was as if... As if fate itself has chosen you."

"Well," Alexander said, letting out a deep sigh. "That's probably accurate. Seeing as I'm cursed and all."

"You're cursed?" a boy beside him asked. "You're the Demon-Born?"

Alexander nervously chuckled to himself. "Yeah, that's me."

His eyes widened. "Wait, how'd you even get here?"

"Transporter," a girl said, waving around a silver rectangle. She sat next to the blond boy right beside Alexander.

Alexander was getting more confused.

The boy sitting beside him kept staring, his eyes almost scanning Alexander. "Hmph," his voice mumbled.

He was pale. Even paler than Anastasia, Alexander noted. He had curly but short blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes.

"Gabriel's my nephew and Lumiel's my niece," he said, pointing at them as he spoke their names.

Even so, Lumiel looked as if she could've been Gabriel's sister. She was just a few noticeable inches shorter than him, yet still had the same features. The same pale skin, blue eyes, blonde hair. Even their faces looked similar.

She was a year or two older than him, Alexander guessed.

"He's the seventh?" Gabriel asked Archibald.

"Yeah," Alexander said at the same time that Archibald nodded.

"Didn't ask you," Gabriel told Alexander.

Lumiel smacked his shoulder. "Don't be rude," she whispered to him. Gabriel simply crossed his arms and let out a sigh as a response.

Silence filled the room.

"So..." Alexander muttered. "So, you're both Archibald?" he asked.

Gabriel remained silent, still facing forward, his face blank.

"No, only him. I'm Solaire. My mom was Archibald," she said. "So, technically, Lumiel Solaire."

Lumiel reached out her hand to Alexander, stretching past Gabriel instead of standing up.

Alexander hesitantly shook her hand.

She smiled in return.

As she pulled herself back, a sudden flash of light burst in the room, along with a familiar whirring sound.

The sound of a Connection.

The same glowing, crackling pale blue circle from yesterday appeared by the door. And from it, emerged the same dark-haired girl from yesterday.

Anastasia Velda.

She was wearing the same hoodie as yesterday, actually. Alexander smiled as noticed that.

Three others followed her through the magic portal.

The one that stood out to Alexander was a brown-haired boy. That was only because he stumbled as he moved through the Connection. Just like Alexander on the day before.

His eyes were so clearly brown, almost the same shade as his hair. He had olive skin and wore a crimson jacket. An orange, upwards-facing triangle was patched onto the jacket, near his heart.

"Sorry," Anastasia said. "It took me a while to find all of them."

Archibald smiled, "You're actually on time, so don't worry about it."

She sighed as she sat down and shut the Connection. "There's no such thing as on time; you're either early or late."

"Please, sit. All of you," Archibald said.

He cleared his throat. "So before we begin... I think it's best if you introduce yourselves. Anyone wanna start?"

"Leonard Eldar," the boy in red said.

"Giovanna Belmonte."

"Liam Bernard."

And Alexander knew the last three. Anastasia, Lumiel, and Gabriel spoke their names. Other than Anastasia, Alexander had met all of them just now.

And finally...

"Alexander Lane."

Archibald smiled and nodded, saying, "Perfect."

"So you're all just here for information. Precisely because you've chosen to join me in this endeavor. Of, y'know, killing demons and saving the world. That kind of stuff."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a silver device.

It was of hexagonal shape with a small gem at the center. As he pressed his hand against it, it began to glow. Archibald tossed it onto the table.

The room's lights began to dim.

"There is a group called the 'Golden Dawn'. They're the ones who started the Age of Tribulation. I'm sure you all get the gist of that. So they're pretty much just inter-realm terrorists. Y'know?"

"It's not like you'll see them around, but you should just know. Their uniform is primary a white cloak or coat. It's pretty simple. Other than that, the uniforms have gold on them. The where depends on who they are, however."

Alexander slowly raised his hand.

"You needn't raise your hand to ask a question, Alexander."

Alexander lowered his hand. "Um, so... Are we fighting the Golden Dawn people or the demon guys? Because you haven't been clear on it so far."

"While the Golden Dawn has started the Age of Tribulation, you needn't worry about them. We, as in the Paladins, and the Association, will handle them."

Alexander noticed how Archibald had begun speaking more formally, more eloquently with his flow of words. He smiled to himself at that thought, of the Paladin choosing to be formal with a random group of teenagers.

He began, "Our- Well, your fight is with these demons."

And from the glowing light of the device, images appeared. Monsters. Specifically, demons. They were large, grotesque beings. Some with fangs, multiple or singular eyes, many of them built of different sizes and shapes. Pale grey skin, crimson skin, muddy and murky colors. Glowing eyes. And horns. All of them had horns for some reason.

"These handsome fellows are the Princes of the UnderWorld. Specifically, Hell. Each of them are the representation and incarnation of one of the seven deadly sins."

'So since they're the Sins, we're the Virtues, huh?' Alexander thought to himself.

Leonard thought the same thing. Outloud, however.

"Correct, Leonard. You've chosen as Temperance, Giovanna, you're Abstinence, while Liam is Kindness," he said, pointing at each of them. "Lumiel is Charity, Anastasia is Patience, and Alexander is Diligence. Gabriel, you're Humility."

Again, Leonard was the only one to respond out loud.

He cleared his throat, beginning to say, "So when and where do they plan on summoning the-"

His words were cut off by Gabriel. "None of that matters. All that does matter is that we stop the demons, which we will. It's that simple."

That did matter, however.

This whole time, Gabriel had been annoying.

'So this guy's an asshole, huh?' he thought to himself, staring at Gabriel through the corners of his eyes.

Archibald remembered the files. He snapped his fingers twice and half a dozen files fell onto the table, identical to the one Archibald had given Alexander.

"These contain plenty of information I suggest you all look into. Or don't. Doesn't matter, either way.

Alexander raised his hand once more and immediately put it down. "So... will the demons all come at once?"

"They will come one at a time, from weakest to strongest, as they always have. Sloth, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Pride, Wrath."

Lumiel looked up from her folder. "So we're like... the Virtues... Do we- are we supposed to fight the demons that are our... y' know, designated counterparts?"

"Not necessarily. If necessary, of course, but you never know what'll happen. Which is why you must always be prepared to fight."

They nodded in response.

Archibald continued to speak. He continued to tell them about the demons, the Princes of Hell, they were called. He told them about the Golden Dawn and how big of a threat they were.

Archibald continued to inform them of the demons and answered all their questions.

"That is all. You may go if you please." They each got up and began to leave the room.

Anastasia opened a Connection to the side of the room and entered. The Connection shut seconds after, not allowing anyone else to follow.

"Guess I'll take the stairs," Leonard mumbled.

And from there, Alexander was the last of the Virtues in the room.

"I just gotta ask you, Archibald," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Why?"

"Like why?" he repeated. "Why are you just putting us to fight monster demon things? I'm pretty sure you could handle it alone, anyway. Hell, yesterday, you said you could handle the strongest one. So all I'm asking is... Why us?"

"A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit."

"Huh?"

"It's a quote. It's basically saying people should do things for the sake of the future. For prosperity. Alexander... Do you know who I am?"

Alexander didn't know how to respond to that." Charles Archibald? A Paladin?" he asked.

"I'm nothing more than a guy who recognizes potential. I'm the old man, in the case of the quote. You see if I didn't ask you to join us a few days ago... You probably would've lived a normal life. Forget about the curse, you still would've been a regular person. Do you understand that?"

Alexander nodded.

"Good. I made the choice to choose you. You made the choice to accept. Now the world's gonna be a better place. I want to... No, I need to know that the world is gonna be in good hands when I die. That's why."

Again, Alexander nodded.

Now, he had begun to respect Charles Archibald. Not just because he was a Paladin, not because of what he could do or what he's done. But because of his character.

It was just like Archibald had told him. All it took was a single choice. A single step forward. Archibald's first step was that realization. He moved forward for the sake of the future. He was someone who understood they wouldn't be able to change the world. And so, he chose to help others change the world.

'Helping others, huh?'

Alexander smiled. He finally stood from his seat. "Thanks, Archibald."

Archibald nodded.

"Oh, one more question. When do you think the first demon will, you know, arrive? When will it be summoned?"

"My sources say within two months from now."

The inside of his mouth instantly dried. Alexander had expected it to be many months in the future, not just a measly couple of weeks.

"T-that soon?" he asked.

"Precisely. That's why we don't have time to waste. You have to train. Physically, mentally, magically. You must be prepared. Understand?"

Alexander furrowed his eyebrows. "...Yeah. Yeah, I understand," he muttered.

He turned and headed for the door. Alexander opened the door. He faced another wall.

Alexander sheepishly turned back to Archibald. "So, uh..."

"Oh yeah. Sorry."

Archibald snapped his fingers.

Nothing had changed.

"You gotta close the door."

"Ah."

Alexander shut the door and opened it once again. Now he was back home. He spat out a sigh. "Well," he said, facing back to Archibald. "See ya."

As he shut the door, he let out another heavy sigh.

'I can barely use magic,' he reminded himself.

If he didn't get stronger, he would only be a hindrance for the others.

No, forget that. He wouldn't be able to put up a fight. Hell, he'd end up dying.

Alexander raised his head. All he had to do was resolve himself.

- - - - -

Nine people sat in a single room. The room where the Paladins held their meetings. But again, only nine sat there. Only nine.

"Well, Archibald's late. Again," a woman muttered. She burrowed her head into her hands as she spat out a heavy sigh.

"Relax, Tucker," a man beside her said. "You gotta have patience, you know?"

"Reinhardt... I'm gonna punch you if you don't shut up," Tucker said, raising her head from her hands. She brushed her golden blonde hair behind her ears. "I'm gonna leave in ten minutes," she said, pushing onto the buttons of her watch. "If he doesn't show up, I'm gone."

"Might as well as get started," another man muttered. "Only nine of the twelve Paladins are present. Someone make a note of that."

None of the Paladins budged.

"No? No one?" he asked.

"Do it yourself, Eldar."

None of them said it out loud, but he understood they were all thinking it.

Richard Eldar sighed. He stood up from his chair and moved across the room, to the wooden desk that sat at the end. Again, he let out a sigh as he sat at the desk.

He patted the sides of his jacket, searching for something. The coat he wore was made of crimson cloth, and near his heart sat an orange emblem of an upwards triangle. "Ah," he muttered, pulling out a pen from his pocket.

He wrote on a sheet of paper, "Nine out of twelve."

"So," he said, pointing the pen at one of the Paladins, "Wanna start, Eldritch?"

The one he pointed to was a man in a mask. A plague doctor mask. His head was tilted downward, and no sounds came from him.

"Is he- Is he asleep?" Eldar asked.

"I think he's dead."

"Both those scenarios make sense."

"Quit joking around and wake him up," he ordered.

Reinhardt was sitting right beside Eldritch, but shook his head and refused to get closer. "He's always creeped me out; I don't wanna touch him." He turned to the man in front of him. "Nero, can't you just... Y'know... Do the thing?"

The man- Nero- looked up at Reinhardt's remark. "What thing?" he asked.

"I don't know, just... see if he's alive."

"Why me?"

"Because you're like... a necromancer and everything. Just check."

Nero sighed and ruffled his jet-black hair. "Alright," he said, standing up. He took in a deep breath and shut his eyes.

Not a second had passed before he opened his eyes again. From there, he sat back down. "Yeah, he's fine."

"You were supposed to wake him up, dumbass!"

"Can we focus?" Eldritch asked.

Every head in that room turned to him and his booming voice.

"Well.. we kinda thought you were dead, so-"

"I was simply thinking," the masked Paladin clarified. "Simply thinking."

Eldar cleared his throat. "Guess I'll start," he said.

"So, uh..." he said, standing from the desk. He tossed the pen and paper to Eldritch. Eldritch didn't move an inch, and they hit the wall.

"..."

"..."

Again, Eldar sighed.

"In any case... This is far more serious than we'd anticipated. The Age of Tribulation started over six months ago. Not five. So the first demon's gonna appear next month. In other words... It's too late for Midgard."

"Oh, don't say it like that, you fool!" Eldritch said.

"What?" he asked.

"It's too late for Midgard," he mocked. "You said it like we're all going to die. Relax. It's too late to prevent the Tribulation as we had intended. But so what? If we do things properly, we can end it."

"My question is why," a woman muttered. "Like why are they doing this?"

"The record of Ragnarok says that after all the death and destruction, a new, pure world emerges. That's their objective," Eldar informed her.

"And if it takes the destruction of the nine realms and trillions of deaths to get what they want, they'll do it. All for purity. For justice. Grace, mercy, all of those types of things.

"You know Alexander Lane?" Archibald asked, suddenly appearing onto his seat. "He had a dream about a horseman. Horseman of War."

"We need to find out if anyone has had a dream like that."

"How nice of you to show up on time," Eldar said.

"Dude, are you sassing me?" Archibald asked, scoffing. "That's out of character."

Eldar stared at him with tired, stale eyes.

Archibald sighed. "Alright," he said. He smacked his hands onto his knees. "Listen here. We're gonna stop this. But like every war, information is key. Meaning, we have to limit and control what information the Golden Dawn has on us. Are any of you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Reinhardt's eyes lit up.

"Not you, Reinhardt. I know you're just reading my mind."

He spat out a sigh as his smile faded.

Just like him, Nero sighed. "Is it spies?" he asked, his voice dull and bored.

Archibald smiled and turned to him, snapping his fingers. "Spies! Exactly!"

"That's actually why Hohenheim isn't here. He's already gone."

A woman in purple clenched her fist and took in a sharp breath. "You're telling me... You sent a Paladin to spy on the Golden Dawn?!"

"Okay, first... It's not as bad as you're making it seem, Romanov. He's not just spying, he's infiltrating."

"That's even worse!" she protested. Her brown hair cascaded over her eyes as she drooped her head.

"Secondly-" he interrupted. "-he's not the only spy."

Eldar stared at Archibald. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"You can't keep doing this shit," Eldar said, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Adam will be fine."

"I'm not worried about Adam. You just have nonsensical ideas and put them to use immediately. Without any regard for anything. Adam Lane and Alexander Lane. It's as if-"

"I don't mean to interrupt," Eldritch said.

"But you clearly do," Archibald understood.

"You reported that you say Alexander's eyes to be glowing white. Just like Adam. From that evidence alone, we can understand that his Awakening is going to happen. Soon, at that."

"So?"

"Awakenings never go well. You know that."

"If he shows his true nature as a demon, I'll just slaughter him."

Archibald turned his head to the door. The voice came from a man with a scar across his face. It was another Paladin, Marx Ashford.

A wry chuckle came from Eldritch, his laugher booming through his mask. "When was the last time you killed a demon, Marx? The last time you destroyed its heart? Or cut off its head?"

"It doesn't matter if it's demons, humans, or even giants. If it's mortal, I can kill it."

"Neither of you will kill him," Archibald said. "He is bound to awaken, but he isn't a threat. He's a good person. I know it."

The plague doctor interjected, "Him being a good person holds no ground in this matter. If his awakening were to occur in, say, a city, the results would be catastrophic." He spoke quickly and eloquently, his hands on his lap, fingers interlocked.

"He's not possessed nor is he an actual demon, so exorcism won't work," he continued. "And he'll likely lose consciousness during his awakening, too. The only option would be for someone of great power to halt him. And based off of Miss Voltaire's divinations, the only ones powerful enough would be a Paladin or a Knight at least in the upper limits of Grade 2."

The room returned to silence.

"I understand your concerns, Eldritch. But, as his strength increases, so will the power of his comrades. The Virtues will likely be enough to prevent him from harming others until he can control his demon heritage."

"That may be so..." Elritch said. He stood up and grabbed his cane. "Well, I suppose I should take my leave now."

He stopped at the doorway. "But heed my words... That boy, Alexander... He will bring destruction. Whether it be through his curse, or by fate itself, he will be a danger."

Eldritch tipped his hat, and walked out.

Ashford moved from the door, sitting in Eldritch's seat. "Archibald. He's Adam's kid, isn't he?"

Archibald responded with a silent nod.

The scarred man smiled. "It's been a while since I last saw him. I even became a Paladin 'cause of him."

"I'm aware of that."

"So... The kid. How strong is he?"

"He's not experienced yet."

"Ah. That's too bad. Demon-Borns are always fun in combat. Always full of surprises."

Archibald pushed his glasses and stared at his comrade. "Don't try to fight him."

"Oh, come on," Ashford said with a smile. "You gotta say the magic word."

Archibald sighed. Again. "Please."

"Perfect!" he said gleefully. "Still... Adam's out there. Making himself useful and all."

"It's best if you don't interfere with him either. I'm not saying please this time. All I'm saying is you'll probably be killed.

"You're probably right. After all, I gave him that scar. But..." he said, running his fingers through his scar, "He also gave me this one. I'm just itching to see him."