Albert and Eshdar ran and ran, but soon the found that they were being led to a dead end. The illusions made it hard for them to know where they were going, with Eshdar falling down a non-existent floor and Albert grabbing his hand before he fell into the abyss. If they did not content with the illusions, they had to content with the unusually high amount of the shambling, living corpses that accosted and attack them relentlessly. If not, illusions of monstrous giant spiders, centipedes, and other critters started overwhelming them.

“We are not going to last!” exclaimed Eshdar as he and Albert ran to escape the illusions. “Have you found the demon yet, Al?!”

Albert kept trying to find where the illusions started, but the demon did not make it easy. They kept running and avoiding the illusions, but also found that they could not hide, because the demon somehow found where they were immediately and threw them illusions that could easily kill them if they were not careful. Even if they were illusions, the fact that they became real made them lethal.

Albert, however, quickly pin-pointed the source of the demonic essence after he and Eshdar ran for a full 15 minutes. It just happened to appear, with one of the kits he used reacting positively towards it. He suspected a trap, but at that point, he would have to risk it if they wanted to survive.

“That demon is in the courtyard!” he said.

“But the door’s locked!” reasoned Eshdar. “And shooting at the windows don’t do shit!”

“Well, let’s just hope we’re shooting at the right one!”

Albert readied his rifle and promptly shoot, but not towards the glass pane windows over the grand staircase, but instead towards an unassuming wall on the opposite side of the staircase. Eshdar could hear glass breaking.

“That’s where the courtyard is,” said Albert. “And that’s where the staircase is! Stay close to me and don’t trip!”

“How the hell should I do that?! I don’t even know where the stair is!”

Albert held up something that looked like a torch. After he twisted it, the torch emitted a bright light that dispelled the illusion and showed the grand staircase, complete with its decaying carpet that Eshdar just noticed was ‘fixed’ by the illusion.

“Don’t complain, just do,” said Albert. “Come on.”

Eshdar let out a smile on his vulpine face as they ran up the stairs, all while being pursued by the illusions. The window was guarded by the giant centipede the managed to escape from earlier, though this time Eshdar did not hesitate to shoot some of his arrows through the centipede’s head. Determined to end the whole thing, he and Albert ran through the centipede and through the ‘wall’, which quickly revealed to be the glass pane. They crashed through it, sending sharp glass shards below. Both avoided the death trap, specifically using Eshdar’s longer jump due to being a vulpine hellhound, grabbing Albert as he did so. The landed far from the glass shard, turning around to check on the mansion. The mansion looked like before: abandoned and dilapidated. The other thing they noticed, however, was the time of day. They entered the mansion when it was in the middle of the day. Now, they found that the sun already set.

But they did not have time to relax. Albert could sense the demon, now that it was clear. He turned around, calling Eshdar, who followed suit. What they saw surprised them.

“Lilac?” asked Eshdar.

The figure waiting for them was, in fact, Lilac. The black-furred Lycan-turned-pseudo-hellhound was standing, eyes closed, while carrying her rifle on her hand. She promptly dropped it, apparently losing her grip.

She slowly opened her eyes, and both Eshdar and Albert gasped upon seeing the color of her eyes.

They were bright red. They were the opposite of her bright blue eyes.

“No…no, this isn’t happening,” said Albert, who became aware of the source of the demonic essence. “Lilac….”

“There is no Lilac anymore,” said Lilac. Her voice was menacing and otherworldly, like several voices, male and female, came out at the same time. “There is only Gurlon!”

Albert and Eshdar, realizing that their friend fell victim to the demon, attempted to approach her, half-hoping that it would trigger her memories. Instead, the demon now controlling Lilac made a fighting stance, baring her claws. To their astonishment and horror, her hands turned reptilian, and her claws became talons. They were closer to that of a bird than Eshdar’s hands, which were merely covered by scales but without the sharp claws that came with it. Even her tail transmogrified, giving her a long, reptilian tail that clashed with her lupine appearance.

“Has this always been your aim, Gurlon?!” exclaimed Albert as he cautiously approached the demon-possessed Lilac. “Is this the result of you toying with us?!”

“She’s a perfect target,” said Gurlon. “A perfect body. You should be ashamed for not realizing this earlier, Demon Hunter. Wait. I think you are already aware of it, but you are just a mortal. Compassion is your weakness, after all. And don’t give me that crap about it’s also an advantage. Your voice can never reach her.”

“We won’t know until we try, demon.” Albert pulled out a spherical object from his coat. It looked like a ball, but both Eshdar and Gurlon knew what it was.

“A blessed bomb,” said Gurlon. “So, you rather disintegrate her body and me? How cold of you, human.”

“Al, you can’t be serious!” protested Eshdar.

“Esh, stop asking questions,” said Albert. He then turned back to Gurlon. “I can’t hurt her. She’s a dear friend and I can’t do it. But you, Gurlon, has left me with no choice.”

Gurlon looked at Albert’s determined eyes and chuckled. “Oh, you’re serious,” he said. “Guess you cease to see her as a Lycan the moment she’s possessed by me. Well, Demon Hunter, you will have to make it count!”

Eshdar was the first to react when Gurlon lunged at Albert with incredible speed. He drew his knife and stopped the sharp claws from making a deep gash on his vulpine face. Yet, the vulpine hellhound did not count for the lunge having so much pressure it pushed him a couple of feet back. He also realized that the Gurlon-possessed Lilac had terrifying speed when the demon pulled its claws and kicked Eshdar, almost in succession. The force of the kick was strong enough to throw Eshdar aside.

Albert took the chance to aim his revolver at Gurlon. He had a clean shot, but then hesitated when he saw Lilac’s lupine face. This hesitation costed him a precious opportunity, and he had no choice but to jump back to retreat. Gurlon noticed this and laughed.

“Like I said. Weakness,” said the demon.

“More like cowardice,” snapped Albert.

“Then, try and take it from me, if you can!”

The demon’s mockery was not without basis. Deep down, Albert knew that Lilac’s possession was strong, and if the fight went on for any longer, they would lose her psyche and the demon would win.

Thus Albert resolved to try and spur Lilac to try and fight from within, only to find that Eshdar beat him to it.

“Lilac, if you are still in there, fight back!” he exclaimed as he shot his arrows. “Don’t give up!”

“Your words can never reach her anymore, Hunter of the Outer Realms,” said Gurlon.

But inside the body’s mind, where her personality, and her being, was trapped by Gurlon’s overwhelming mindscape, Lilac tried to fight back upon hearing Eshdar’s words. However, she had no idea how to. She was trapped in a perpetual hell that was not helped by her corrupted, vulnerable mind. She, of course, managed to stay in control as what remained of Lilac Rezmirn’s conscience, with her corrupted, unbridled rage being controlled by Gurlon. Both her and Gurlon knew that this conscience was the only thing that prevented total corruption, and Gurlon made every attempt to make sure her conscience would be lost. Lilac, knowing full well that losing herself meant dying, tried her best to fight Gurlon from within, assisted by Albert and Eshdar on the outside for a two-pronged attack. So far, that did not work as well.

Gurlon taking over Lilac also exposed her to everything she thought she had moved on from: that from every traumatic event that she experienced. Her dark mindscape, ever since she was absorbed by Gurlon, changed several times, each showing the darkest moments in her life, starting from hearing the deaths of her parents from an accident, the night when Sidve burned to the ground and witnessing villagers she personally knew got slaughtered by the hellhounds, witnessing the public lynching in Snohand, The ambush outside Tynt, and up to the death of Ifrit. They were all memories she tried to repress and move on from.

Then, there were also her negative thoughts, such as the internal fear of her neighbors’ aversion to Lycans, her initial fear of violent hellhounds like Ifrit, and even the feeling that Ifrit blamed her for his death, all represented by shambling reanimated corpses suffering violent ends creeping at her and cursing her existence. Gurlon also made this worse by also included those had not died like Albert and Eshdar, and also those who died without her being directly involved like her parents. Hans, whose fate was still questionable, started to appear among the pool of blood, glaring at her and cursing her.

She missed her brother dearly, and his uncertain fate made it even worse. She ran and ran, trying to shut them off her, but in the end, she reached a metaphorical wall, and she was surrounded by her fears, regrets, and trauma. Lilac could only look at them, saying ‘forgive me’ over and over. She cried, knowing that the demon had finally won.

That was until someone grabbed her hand. It was a furry hand and its warm, almost familiar even. She looked up to a familiar hellhound.

“Come on,” said the hellhound. “I know the way.”

Lilac, desperate the get away from all her negativity, did not hesitate. She ducked just as one of the apparitions tried to cut her. She ran with the familiar hellhound, who was Ifrit Schelkz, in his appearance before he lost one of his horns. One of his ears, similarly damaged when Rhynsa shot him, was undamaged. This was what Lilac remembered Ifrit before their night of passion.

They ran and ran until Ifrit opened a door that led to a familiar room: that of her now-gone childhood home. She instantly knew what to do by locking the door behind her, relieved that she was saved.

“Things have been messy for you, huh, Lilac?” said Ifrit with a smile.

Lilac smiled back, but suddenly, she became reluctant and backed away from Ifrit. Confused, he said, “What’s wrong?”

“You’re yet another one of that demon’s traps, aren’t you?” said Lilac, slowly backing away as Ifrit approached her. “This is his way to lull me into a false sense of security. Again.”

“Maybe,” said Ifrit.

“Well, you’re sloppy,” said Lilac with a scoff. “Ifrit did not speak Tragorian that fluent. He had an accent.”

“He certainly did, huh? Can’t say this is a good representation of him, but he is the only thing that came up in your mind on trust and hope, after all.”

“You bloody joking, mate? There’s nothing about Ifrit that represents that! He’s a demon who…bloody destroyed my life! He took advantage of me and look what happened to Sidve! He’s nothing but a liar and a killer! And a violent one at that!”

Ifrit sighed. “Then who do you think is more appropriate?”

“Albert,” said Lilac sharp. “And Hans.”

“You mean these two?”

To her surprise, both Albert and Hans went in from the back door of her home, which led to the forest. Albert had certainly not been in Sidve before, though Hans was. However, their appearance confused her further, because they stood with Ifrit, who did not disappear.

Thinking about it, Lilac said, “If you’re not gone…then what do they represent?”

“I represent your dedication and courage,” said Albert. “One who helps you realize the potential you always have.”

“I represent friendship and family,” said Hans. “One who you always think about when everything is bleak.”

“And I represent trust and hope,” said Ifrit. “One who help you understand the virtue of trust.”

Lilac scoffed. “There is nothing trustworthy about you at all.”

“Oh? Then why did you fall for him that night under the full moon? You did not hesitate to show your Lycan form, even though you were hesitant towards Eshdar and Albert.”

“Did he charm me, then?”

“Charm?” Ifrit chuckled. “He is quite charming, isn’t he? He occupied quite a portion of your heart. You two were an item.”

“And even though you felt betrayed by that revelation,” said Hans. “Deep down, you always believed that he never knew. Did you forget his reaction when he realized what happened to you?”

Lilac remembered. Ifrit was surprised and feeling guilty. It was Lilac who told him that it was alright.

“And you did not despise him, because you know he was telling the truth,” said the representation of Ifrit. “You readily trusted him ever since you two met for the first time.”

“I didn’t know anything about him back then!” snapped Lilac. “And he looked lost, injured, and talked nonsense. Anyone would try and help him!”

“But only you would do that without even hesitating. Well, you did hesitate when you thought he was a foreign criminal on the run, but he did save you.”

Lilac wanted to say something to refute the claim, but she couldn’t. She knew the representation was right. She had her reservations about Ifrit, but in the end, helping him was the only thing that mattered.

“Lilac,” said Ifrit. “You can’t know anything in advance, and it is normal to feel betrayed. However, you must keep on hoping for the best.”

“Only when you focus on that will you be able to fight back,” said Albert. “That demon may have taken over your body and a huge chunk of your being, but you still have some left under your control. Lilac, there is always a way to make things right.”

“How? I couldn’t even trust my own conscience! The corruption is destroying my mind, too.”

“You cannot escape that corruption,” said Hans. “But you might be able to get some help. Do you know why we can talk with you in this safe place?”

“Your friends are trying to help you. You heard Eshdar’s plea, didn’t you? The lingering will that sustains your being heard that voice, thus keeping your conscience intact. We are the extension of that conscience. You are the control taken away by the darkness, and you will take it back.”

“To do that, you need to start trusting yourself, and to trust yourself, you need to remember the moments that made you what you are now,” said Albert.

“You remembered the phrase, right,” said Hans. “Badness cultivates badness. Goodness…”

“Cultivates hope,” said Lilac. The representation of Hans was right. Ever since the revelation of her being a Tainted One, she lost all sense of optimism and hid it behind a strong front. While this made her more assertive, this also made her restless. Now, she realized that the restlessness fueled the corruption, and she fell victim to the demon.

Determined to fix this mistake, and to help her friends, Lilac turned to Ifrit and said, “Tell me what to do.”

***

Outside the mindscape, the real Albert and Eshdar struggled against the Gurlon-possessed Lilac, both because of the demon’s speed, and their reluctance to heavily injure their friend. Both believed that Lilac was still in there somewhere, especially Eshdar, who kept talking to Lilac, hoping she would listen.

Gurlon, of course, kept reminding the vulpine hellhound that it was useless. She was no longer in control, and Lilac could no longer hear Eshdar. This culminated with Eshdar forced into the defensive when Gurlon lunged at him, pushing him high to the sky. Then, Gurlon, with his enhanced speed, kicked Eshdar’s back from above him, sending him plummeting to the ground. He was only saved by a hellhound’s heightened resilience, but even that did not prevent debilitating injuries. He could feel his fractured ribs.

Just before Gurlon could deal the finishing blow, Albert threw his sphere grenade, which detonated just above Eshdar. However, there was no explosive force, just a bright flash that momentarily blinded Eshdar and Gurlon, though with the added effect of burning Gurlon. Albert, acting quickly, ran and kicked Lilac’s body, while muttering, “Forgive me” under his breath. He then helped Eshdar got away.

As Eshdar recovered his vision, he weakly said, “Al…why did you…?”

“I have no choice,” said Albert. “I can’t lose you too. But fear not. That wasn’t a full powered blessed grenade. In fact, I don’t think it hurts Lilac that much, considering that her transformation is not complete yet.”

“Transformation? You mean, those talons and her lizard tail?”

“Clearly, Gurlon is changing her to fit his image, but the transformation is uncharacteristically slow,” said Albert. “Also, I think we contributed to the delay.”

“So, we hit him hard, and he’ll eventually get out of Lilac?”

“I don’t think it’s going to be that simple. Look at her.”

Eshdar turned to see the possessed Lilac, but he only realized what Albert meant when he saw her bleeding and her muscles strained.

“That demon is going to kill her,” said Eshdar. “Shit! Then it won’t work.”

“Gurlon expected the transformation to be gradual, but from what I see, it isn’t the case. However, trying to save her will end up killing her. We need to trap Gurlon and stop him before Lilac’s body reaches its limit.”

“You have an idea?”

“Only one. But I need your help.”

“Say it.”

“Lure him when I call for you. We only got one shot at this. Can you do it.”

“I’ll try. Ribs are going to be a problem, though.”

“I’m sorry, but we have no other choice.”

Eshdar could only nod, understanding that whatever Albert was doing felt like a non-lethal last resort. If it failed, then they had no choice but to assume Lilac was beyond salvation, and they would have to reluctantly kill her before Gurlon could take over. At that point, Gurlon was still not used to the limitations of a former Lycan’s body, and they should use that to their advantage.

“Leave it to me,” said Eshdar, taking his bow. “Do what you have to do.”

Albert nodded and quickly ran towards the courtyard, trying to find a good place to set up the trap. Eshdar stood and yelled, “Hey! Look at me!” prompting Gurlon to look at him and laugh.

“Do you really think you can keep up after I broke your ribs, hellhound?” said Gurlon mockingly. “One more attack like that and you are a goner.”

“Don’t fuck with a hellhound, asshole,” said Eshdar, pulling his arrows. “I haven’t even started yet!”

Eshdar did not bother telling Albert about it, but he kept the best arrows for the last. He knew the redundancy of bow and arrows in the age of guns and rifles, but that did not mean he couldn’t modify the arrowheads to suit his needs. While he still needed to learn how to make them less volatile, he had several arrowheads that could be useful in setting up whatever Albert was trying to do.

The first was a special hollow arrowhead that Eshdar shot towards the ground near Gurlon. The impact sent out a burst of thick white smoke that completely engulfed Gurlon. The demon reacted by dashing away from the smoke, but soon lost his balance and realized what the smoke was.

“Tranquilizer,” said Gurlon as he became dizzy. “And because this body is still not complete yet, you took advantage of it.”

Eshdar could not risk getting himself caught, so he unleashed a second arrow, which had a blunt tip. It would not kill, but upon being stopped by either impact or caught in the air, the tip broke, spraying the eyes with a substance that was irritating. It would not have any impact to a demon, but with an incomplete transformation, his eyes were still Lilac’s. The itch would not damage her eyes, but it would severely hamper the demon’s vision.

This effectively stunned Gurlon to the point where Eshdar could approach and grabbed Lilac’s body from behind and held a knife over Lilac’s throat. Gurlon quickly retaliated by hitting Eshdar’s side. Eshdar grunted in pain until he was unable to hold on after Gurlon kept elbowing him until he couldn’t bear the pain anymore. Gurlon turned around and, with murderous intent, thrusted the talon-like claws towards Eshdar.

Eshdar felt the claws and gasped, but then realized that it wasn’t painful. He looked down and found that Gurlon stopped his claws before it penetrated his chest, only dealing superficial wound. The vulpine hellhound then looked at his expression, and he found that his expression changed from cocky to straining. He seemed to be straining, holding himself from killing Eshdar.

“You…bitch…,” he said with immense strain. “How…is it possible…?”

Eshdar realized who Gurlon meant.

“Lilac.” It came out as a whisper, before he raised his voice and said, “Lilac, is that you? Can you hear me?! Keep fighting him!”

“You shut the fuck up!”

Gurlon shoved Eshdar, to which his immense strength threw him a couple feet away. Gurlon let out a guttural, otherworldly roar before he stopped, flexed his claws, and cracked his neck.

“Can’t believe she still has any part of her left,” said Gurlon. “Now, I see why I am not complete yet.”

Eshdar did not waste time. He quickly stood up and said, “Lilac, listen to me! Do whatever you can to regain control! We’ll keep him busy, so keep fighting! You can do this, girl. Come on!”

Gurlon, however, became aware that Lilac’s conscience was still strong and was fighting for control of her body, so he went into her mindscape, a specialty of his demonic kind, to hunt and finally end her conscience, thereby completing the takeover. He went in, trying to find where Lilac was, only to then surprised by the wolf lady herself with a bonk on the back of his head.

Lilac, carrying a frying pan from the kitchen of her mindscape home, had been going around all the moments of happiness in her life as per the representatives of her friends and lover suggested. She visited the moment when she taught Ifrit Tragorian, laughing at his heavily accented delivery while also amused by his fascination with a glass of water. She made sure to experience this memory, to believe that even a violent hellhound like Ifrit could act like an innocent person and, ultimately, a kind person that was contrary to the name of his kind.

Her doing this made her able to hold onto the things that made her Lilac, and as a result, she momentarily gained control of her body. She returned to reality just moments before she felt herself preparing to stab Eshdar. She stopped Gurlon just in time, and now Gurlon realized that she was still fighting back.

This, of course, was a risk she must take. As Gurlon cursed her, Eshdar gave her words of encouragement. This fueled her, giving her self-confidence and something to look forward to: her friends. She must not let them die. This time, she will protect them.

And what better way to protect them than to call the demon that caused the whole mess in the first place and hit him on the back of his head with her favorite pan? She felt rather satisfied by this.

The demon, however, instead of angered, could only chuckle. This slightly unnerved Lilac, especially when he got back to his feet, showing his true appearance, which was that of a humanoid frilled lizard, though with a row of sharp teeth and two fangs that reminded Lilac of a snake. His hands and feet were talons, like a bird of prey, and his scales were brown with diamond-like pattens. Other than that, he was wearing head ornaments, which made it looked like he was nobility or at least someone important.

It did not change the fact that he was menacing.

“Ow,” said Gurlon as he rubbed the back of his head. “You really blindsided me, woman.”

Gurlon approached her, with Lilac holding her pan up threateningly.

“I will take my body back, no matter what it takes, demon,” declared Lilac.” That’s a bloody promise.”

“And you think that will change things?” said Gurlon. “Your body is no longer Lycan-like. No one is going to look at you and think you’re just a werewolf. I have changed your body. You will be declared a demon and you will be put down. I bet no one is going to listen to your reasons, or even your friends’. No one will believe you anymore, Lilac Rezmirn.”

“Well, I like the odds,” taunted Lilac. “Makes life a little less dull.”

“You don’t get to decide on the odds!”

Gurlon attacked her and she tried defending herself, but then Ifrit’s representation pulled her down as the demon slashed through her countertop. It left a deep gash that opened the house into a white void.

“Go, now!” said Ifrit as he helped Lilac opened the door, putting them in yet another situation of happiness, this time when she felt a ray of hope when she met Albert. It wasn’t much, but given the situation she was then, when she lost her village, someone who offered them a job and a chance to travel through the region felt like a lifesaver, and she was grateful for Albert because of this.

Gurlon, however, realized what she was doing and said, mockingly, “Your hope does not mend the pain in your heart, Rezmirn. I know you, and I know how to make that weakness my weapon!”

Gurlon did not hesitate to grab the scenery and literally ripped it off the wall like a wallpaper. Lilac was horrified but did not falter. She knew the demon could make sure she would lose everything she ever had. She knew he had that power. All she could do was fight back the best she could, while holding onto everything that gave her hope, anything that could drive the demon out of her body or make sure its efforts were divided.

“You can bloody try, demon,” declared Lilac, discarding the pan and readied her claws. “Now, have at you!”