It was finally time; the moment Ephram had been waiting for. The final act in the play of his life, enacted upon the stage of the Stellarh Inc. rooftop. The night sky seemed colder than usual as he stood face to face with the Rootlord. The willpower coming from within his reddened soul burst forth with immense strength. His boiling hot passion for a better future bubbled and raged within his mind, furious at Aberlain for having the audacity to take his bright future from him. The future he was supposed to share with Silvia and the others had been snatched from his hands in the blink of an eye. Aberlain had seen to it that everything he held dear would be taken from him, and he simply could not allow that to happen.

"You look a bit different from last I've seen you... new hairdo?" Aberlain joked, the voice of the sneering Rootlord cursing the tongue of his human pawn.

As the two demons stared each other down for what felt like an eternity of silence, Ephram thought to himself what could possibly be motivating Aberlain. He had nothing to fight for beside his own arrogance, the need to prove everyone wrong. From Ephram's perspective, the Rootlord was simply shoving his own ideals upon the rest of the world as if they weren't capable of thinking for themselves.

"Aberlain... I can't let you do this any longer! May, your daughter, you've nearly killed your own flesh and blood for the sake of your own ego! You've hurt the people I care about! The future I've dreamt of has been crushed once again... thanks to someone like you!" He yelled, his eyes beginning to harbor a small fiery rage within. The soul Ephram commanded had begun to toil about in his body as if clawing to escape the binds of his flesh to rip through Aberlain.

"You don't seem to understand the severity of our situation, E! A few lives here and there is a very small price to pay for any future! Seeing as how we all don't have one to begin with! You'd truly mock the only one capable of driving this rotten existence into longevity!?" Aberlain exclaimed, his golden eyes peering into the soul of Ephram as if trying to understand just why this demon couldn't see eye to eye with him.

"What the hell are you talking about? You're doing this for the future!? What future could this possibly hold!?" Ephram screamed as he asked Aberlain, holding out his arms to gesture towards the towering smoke billowing above from the destruction of the city below.

As if something inside the Rootlord's mind had snapped, the face of Ryan Bailey went limp from the lack of emotion. The sneering smile plastered upon his face had been wiped away, and all playfulness had ceased to emanate from his mouth as he spoke quietly without missing a beat.

"The future of Yggdrasil is doomed if we continue on the path before us. I know you won't understand now but once I have total control over this thing we call life, you'll see. The laws that govern this world are no mere coincidence, and those laws seek to destroy us all. We can no longer sit back and enjoy the chaos; we must redirect it. Whether you believe me or not, it pays me no concern. I do what I do because I must, not because I want to." He said, the commanding power in his voice suddenly going out like a dying flame as he stared towards Ephram.

His yellow eyes seemed devoid of any emotion whatsoever, as if the Rootlord had seemingly gone numb from his raging ambition. It was only for a few moments, but something about what he had said peaked Ephram's interest. His own goals were to seek a better future for Silvia and the others, but Aberlain had gotten Silo killed in the process. He had tried to kill him by using Pestarrem as a pawn, even wanting his own daughter dead for these same reasons he seemed so keen on keeping secret. Whatever lay behind Aberlain's motivations were something Ephram knew he may never be able to understand, but nevertheless, what the Rootlord was doing would bring only torment and pain to those who couldn't fight back.

Reaching into his pocket for the golden pocket watch he carried, Ephram brought forth the small device and clicked it open. The photograph of himself and Silvia stared back at him as the watch ticked with every passing second, their smiling faces warming his heart to remind him why he fought. A better future was what his wife needed, along with the friends he'd made along the way. Surely, Ephram thought, there must be a better path towards the future. No amount of destruction and torture inflicted upon the masses would bring forth anything he would find worth fighting for.

"What... are you doing?" Aberlain suddenly asked, unsure of why Ephram had suddenly gone quiet as he stared down at the pocket watch.

"We aren't so different, you and me. I guess I hadn't realized it before, but we seem to want something quite similar. However, what you're doing is still wrong. The future must be something everyone wants to fight towards, not against."

"You don't understand... there will be no future if the weak and ignorant keep running this world. Only the strong should build us up towards the future, leaving the weak behind as the disease they truly are. Hell has been overrun by mindless demons wanting nothing more than to quench their thirst for destruction, their minds twisted by the fact of an eternal nothingness. Us Rootlords are few too many, and not strong enough on our own to unite the forces of Hell. Even the humans of this world and the angels of Heaven fear the Abyss, the true Abyss. Death itself."

At the mention of the Abyss, Ephram remembered the Rootlord's capabilities. He had taken Restavel from the eternal nothingness somehow before, but he still didn't know just how Aberlain was capable of such feats. Aberlain's demonic magic seemed to allow him to grant humans the sight of a demon, and to possess or control their very minds. Why he had taken the mind of Ryan was beyond the understanding of Ephram. He would have to keep this in mind if he really wanted to make an enemy of someone more powerful than he could imagine.

"No, I don't think you understand. The world is not yours to control, it doesn't belong to anyone. You've hidden yourself away in the shadows until now because you know what you're doing is wrong. The future of Yggdrasil is up to everyone who calls it home, not an unjust King ready to sacrifice his own people." Ephram proclaimed, watching as the face of the CEO twisted back into its original condescending sneer.

The sneering smile of the Rootlord shone through the face of the human man, as if to mock the fact Ephram was even there to begin with. Taking a few steps forward, he began fiddling with the golden cufflinks upon his crimson suit sleeves. The devilish aura of the Rootlord gave Ephram more fear than he'd like to admit, but he held strong against his enemy.

"A King, huh? I like the sound of that..." Aberlain said, looking down at the golden watch wrapped neatly around his wrist, "Y'know, E, I had always noticed something different about you. After all my preparations for this day to come, after everything I've held secret, you've somehow managed to surprise me."

Ephram scoffed under his breath at the Rootlord's remark, growing more and more on edge with every step Aberlain took towards him.

"Would you like to know these secrets? If I tell you... perhaps you could find that better future you want so desperately. By all means, if you think you can do a better job, go ahead."

"Is this... some kind of trick? Why would you tell me anything!? Why would I believe anything you have to say!?" Ephram protested loudly, taking one small step backwards away from the approaching Rootlord.

As Aberlain stopped his advance towards Ephram, he looked down at him. Being just inches away from his face, the Rootlord thought he sensed some hesitation coming from his enemy. The unwavering anger Ephram seemed to hold inside his soul had begun to question itself, and perhaps the future the Rootlord had envisioned exceeded even the expectations of Ephram himself. His methods were cruel and unjust, but the two demons did find it strikingly odd how similar their end goals were.

"There is a place here on Earth, hidden away with ancient magic. A single white and black rose grows from the ground, without a blade of grass in sight. The power of the balance rose is enough to change the course of our future, and it's that single rose that dictates the minds of all who reside within this plane of existence. If one were to uproot this rose and pick a single petal from either side, the balance of the world would be undone. It's said that the one who uproots the rose will have the power necessary to control the past, present, and future. The only thing left to do now that I nearly have control over Earth is to find the rose and kill its guardian. I will uproot the balance rose, and usher in a new era of prosperity! That, E, is my goal!" Aberlain said, his voice growing louder with every word he spoke as he watched Ephram back away from him slowly.

Raising his arms to the sky as if embracing the fading night, he began to shout upwards as small slivers of sunlight crawled over the horizon. The morning sun was quickly approaching, and the day of tomorrow had finally come to pass. The few rays of sunlight shone brightly upon the crumbling city, who's screams were beginning to die out.

"Under my leadership, all of Yggdrasil will march towards a future full of pride and glory! The weak will no longer rule us! We will take this world by storm! We will no longer cower in fear under the blind hands of fate! We are masters of our own destiny! We are Gods!" Aberlain boomed triumphantly, the rays of the morning sun shining past his tortured soul and into the eyes of Ephram.

As Ephram locked his eyes upon the Rootlord, he felt a wave of regret wash over him. It was unfair that the world had beaten the Rootlord down this much to the point of madness, and Ephram felt pangs of guilt knowing he could have done something to help if only he knew how. It was too late for Aberlain now, the madness of ambition had taken hold of his mind.

"Aberlain... I'm sorry. I can't imagine how hard your life must've been to find yourself in this position."

Looking down confusingly towards Ephram, the Rootlord made an odd face at him. It had been quite some time since he'd heard the words just uttered to him, and he was no longer certain as to what emotion he was supposed to feel at them. He couldn't recall the last time someone had apologized to him with such a sincerity in their voice, and it had taken him quite off guard.

"Wha-" He began, but felt a cold chill encompass his body as he leapt backwards instinctively from Ephram.

Staring back at him now was no longer the weak and confused demon he had met once before, but someone entirely different. It had struck Aberlain as odd before how Ephram now possessed a pair of eyes, and everything was slowly beginning to come together in his mind. The way this demon carried himself was unlike any other he had ever seen, and it only helped to reinforce the fact that Ephram could be dangerous.

For all the knowledge and power Aberlain held within, something still told him to keep his distance from his enemy. This feeling was something he hadn't felt in quite a long time, perhaps the last time he had felt it was the day he had killed his parents. Fear coursed through his spine, chilling waves of terror seemingly finding their place within his mind.

"What... are you?" He asked, using the only approach he could think of to gain more information about his enemy.

"You call yourself a King... but you're not. You call yourself a God... but you're not. You are merely an animal trying everything in its power to survive. I am nothing like you, Aberlain, I am much more." Ephram said, his voice slicing through the air and infecting the thoughts of the Rootlord. As he closed his pocket watch and placed it back within his left breast pocket, he took a single step forward.

Growing furious at the jabbing of his own pride, Aberlain's face grew contorted with animosity. It had been far too long since he'd found someone worthy of calling his enemy, and found strength in this fact. The constant reminder of fear in the back of his mind was significant to him, and knew that if Ephram were to stand in his way any longer, he would cause problems.

"Then let's settle this. The future of the world, in both our hands. There's only one future, however, so I suppose I'll just have to take it from you." Aberlain said with monstrous anger, letting the fire inside burn to heights he never thought possible.

"I'm glad we're both on the same page."

As soon as Ephram had finished speaking he charged towards the Rootlord, the full force of his body soon to plow through him. Aberlain, however, did nothing but smile as he side-stepped him with a swiftness Ephram had never seen before. With every swing of his fist towards Aberlain, Ephram felt his hands reach nothing but air. It was as if he were swinging wildly with no target in sight.

"Interesting... you fight exactly how I thought you would. You have power but don't know how to use it. How cliche." Aberlain sighed, showing his obvious disappointment towards Ephram as he dodged yet another wild swing of his fist.

Trying to put the Rootlord's banter out of his mind, Ephram tried once more to land a hit. It was as if Aberlain knew every move he was going to make before he made it. He had at least expected to receive a few counterstrikes against him, but the fact Aberlain hadn't even tried was all the more terrifying. It was like he was being toyed with, as if his power was nowhere near that of the Rootlord.

Growing frustrated with the lack of progress he was making, Ephram yelled furiously towards his enemy. Charging at him once more to take him down, a sudden burst of pain shot through his midsection. Now finding himself gasping for breath upon the ground with his face to the sky, he couldn't make sense of what just happened.

"My my... quite arrogant aren't we? Unlike you, I don't miss. If you truly want to fight with our fists, you should be prepared for the consequences." Aberlain laughed, finding it amusing to see just how quickly Ephram had fallen to his back.

Trying to bring himself back to his feet, Ephram struggled to move a single inch as he lay nearly paralyzed upon the ground. The force the Rootlord commanded was something more immense than he was even capable of understanding, it felt as if he had been hit by a speeding missile. Nothing he could do was enough to bring his body out of its shocked state as he laid writhing upon the ground, trying desperately to get back in the fight once more.