My head snapped up. “How…how do you know?”

Jade smiled sadly. ‘It’s not like Deseray didn’t know what his purpose was.”

I stayed silent. “If I’m not wrong, he’s a fallen Solarian god. In that case…he’d not only be hunted to death by Solarians, but also by the Ancient Lords.

Jade dipped her head in agreement. “And there is your purpose too. Have you made a deal with him?”

I paused, then lowered my head, both in affirmation and in shame.

“That would be how you escaped Mitriel’s clutches. So. Am I speaking to Lucifer now…or Mist?”

“I gave half of my soul.”

“Do not. Do not give your whole soul to him. Or else…you will spell the end of everything that we know.”

I gave a wry laugh. “The end? It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

Jade suddenly stood and slammed her mug on the table. I jumped.

“Just because you want to die, don’t drag every other person to die with you!”

I looked at her. “What does it all mean? What’s the point? Everyone that I care about dies. Maybe I should just die right now…”

A pale, white hand covered my own calloused one.

“You mean more than the world to that little girl.”

I shook my head. “I ended up causing the death of both of her parents.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You did your job more than well enough. And you avenged them. At the cost of your own sanity.”

“...”

“Your only job now…is to keep Lucifer from taking all of your soul.”

Jade slid a small pamphlet across the table to me. “Use this. Churn the Magic and Law inside of you; it's very good for sealing away the dark energy that Lucifer has. “

“Keep him sealed…huh.”

We talked a little more about a couple of things and then set off to bed. I cleaned out a small room for her to live in.

Once we’d bid our good nights, I opened the pamphlet and began to turn my Magic and the Law within me in the method that the book showed. Suddenly, a burning pain erupted out of my right arm. I dropped the pamphlet, and clutched my wrist. To my horror, my palm had for some strange reasons grown one bloodshot eye, a pair of cracked lips and a tongue.

“Now, now…” came a gravelly voice.

I glared at the eye. “Go back. I never agreed to a term called not sealing you away.”

The lips parted, and then closed, as if he could not find any falsehood within my statement.

It finally let out a sigh. “What if I told you…That I pity you? And that you’ll need my power?”

“I would not believe you.”

“My hosts are always destined to fight against the Solarian gods. There is only one end for them. Death, or demonhood.”

“I don’t recall you saying that about Deseray.”

“He was the Dragon Prince. But he failed. He was extremely close. Help me tear them down. Kill the Solarian Gods.”

I paused. “I have no reason to help you.”

“I will return the half of the soul I took from you…if you practice this along with the sealing art. Then you will see why I exist.”

Out of my hand came a dark purple scroll. I unrolled it. “My soul.” He complied, and I felt my sense return to normal .The missing part of my soul had taken away my senses of taste and touch.

I nodded. My hand returned to normal.

I closed my eyes. The first thing I did was complete the sealing art. It was indeed very helpful. I could feel my reserves of Magic and Law get replenished within the first half hour of churning.

Then, I picked up the purple scroll. I unrolled it. I instantly blacked out.