"Wake up. You can't die yet."

Noir opened his eyes after a long sleep tucked by the temperate grass of a hill. On the horizon the sun slowly hid its radiant glow between the snow-capped peaks. A pleasant breeze lashed the boy's face and swept the tears from his cheeks. He felt no pain or anguish, no memory could disturb the peace of that moment.

"This place... It is the hill where Castiel died. It's as if I'd gone back in time."

The boy stood up and walked down the hill appreciating the landscape. Although he knew the place, the feelings it conveyed were completely different from the ones he knew. It was a spring sunset like any other, but his home was so beautiful back then that he wished he never went back to the present.

"Trinity has changed a lot. It used to be... hopeful. People worked hard, but they were happy. They could not have imagined what was coming. I wish we could have done something to prevent it."

The wind flowed stronger, carrying with it the fragrance of rain-soaked grass. Leaves travelled to and fro, raindrops accompanying them. It was not a storm like the ones Noir used to experience, it was the melancholic cry of the world that longed for those happy but distant times.

"Human beings are greedy, selfish, envious, wrathful beasts... Even if they had known what was coming, they would only have delayed the inevitable. They are so imperfect that whatever beauty exists they destroy it. They are nature's greatest disappointment."

Someone stood and watched with him. A strange man, a couple of inches smaller than Noir, who had striking green hair. Noir looked at him curiously, and the man returned his gaze. His intense snake eyes provoked an inexplicable feeling in Noir. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that the man was not human.

The individual smiled, revealing fangs capable of tearing a person's flesh. "Hello, Noir Dayfall. I have been looking forward to this encounter for a long time. I've been watching you without being able to manifest myself, but I'm finally free from the bonds of The Frontier. Ahh, how good it feels to see with my own eyes again, even if only in a dream..."

Both men gazed at the horizon. Noir had many questions, but the stranger already knew everything he was going to say. Though he didn't understand how or why, Noir could intuit that they were connected, and wondered if in addition to seeing his actions he could also hear his thoughts.

"Yes, I can know everything you are thinking. In the absence of a physical body, you are my eyes and ears. We are two souls inhabiting the same body, with the difference that I am only a mere spectator." The stranger showed him a portrait, the portrait of the late Amelia. "I don't expect you to understand, for a mortal used to living in ignorance this may be completely new. Right now we are in the world of ideas, of minds and dreams. Specifically in your psyche, which has resorted to a precious memory to protect your sanity from permanent rupture."

"My sanity? A permanent rupture?" Noir touched his head, but not in the least alarmed. "Well, it worked like a charm. It's strange... I don't feel fear or hatred when I remember what happened in the suburbs. It's as if it meant nothing to me."

"Well, enjoy this moment of peace as much as you can, because it will be over when you return to the real world. In the meantime, let me show you something."

The spring dusk vanished, and in its place the scene of Orus and his mother's death materialised. Noir, still reliving a traumatic moment, showed no change in his expression.

"You say nothing, but you remember this place perfectly. Here you ended the lives of two demons. I know, you couldn't control your powers, but I know how you felt at that moment. You felt fear of the unknown, exactly what Orus was talking about. You were afraid of being just like them, of being a dirty demon... And you still are."

Noir's feet moved without his choosing. Both he and the bodiless man watched Orus closely moments before his death.

"Look at him closely. Black hair, grey eyes, dark magic... Keep saying you are different, the reality is that you have more in common with him than with any human being. Yes, that's exactly what I just said... With any human being."

"It's impossible. My parents were both human. My father died of a wound that any demon would have healed. I remember that perfectly well. He was not one of them. And my mother..."

Noir was pretty sure he had an explanation for his mother not being a demon. But he didn't. In fact, he could not remember naming her in years. He did not even remember her name or her face. Not even a faint, fuzzy memory came to his mind. Maybe there was some truth in the stranger's words, but he did not want to find out. The only thing he could defend himself with was aggression.

"Just because I don't remember what happened to her doesn't mean anything. It's been a long time since she died. Why on earth should I listen to your words? Maybe you're just another one of my nightmares, a much more persistent and annoying one. Who are you? Why are you in my head? What do you want from me? Why are you making my life miserable?"

"Oh, we're finally getting to what I'm interested in."

The surroundings changed again. Now they both stood on one of the many ash dunes that surrounded them as far as the eye could not see. The sky was crowded with stars, exotic colours and diverse celestial bodies.

"Fourteen years ago I perished in a place identical to this one. It was called Purgatory, a world where the souls of the dead wandered seeking atonement for their sins. Some made it across this grey desert, but others lost hope and were swallowed up by the sandstorms. I had to imprison myself here, in this world isolated from the other worlds, to stop the greatest foe mortals have ever seen."

The stranger stared at Noir, smiling. Streams of ash tried to sweep him away, but his feet remained motionless and his face immune to any stimulus.

"My name is Blazh Deus, former Angel of Death and commander of the largest army on Averno. Here, in these hostile lands, I was appointed god and protector of the mortal world. However, other gods outside this world deceived me, and I was cast into the jaws of death and oblivion at their whim. Before I died alongside the Purgatory, I made use of my right of Last Will and wished for a demon to avenge my death and carry on my legacy. In short, I am in your head because the Last Will deemed you the most suitable for that mission."

Noir rested on the soft dunes of ash, his head had filled with so much information that he was having trouble processing it all. "Purgatory, Angel of Death, Averno, Last Will... You were right, this is completely new to me. I don't understand half the things you say, but it all sounds so crazy that something has to be truth. Though I don't think you're telling me everything, and lying by omission is still lying. Do you remember the day I killed William DeLoire? What was all that about the other Heir and the demons? How did you know about Castiel? How long have you been inhabiting my head?"

"Wow, too many questions to answer. You're not one to take things slow, huh?" Noir was not at all amused at how unseriously the man was taking him. Blazh then sighed and replied. "My Last Will won't disappear until it is fulfilled. That is, if you die, another demon will take your place. That's why I said it, because you are an incompetent child who understands nothing about life."

Noir frowned, though he was somewhat more satisfied with what he had discovered. "I was surprised you were so respectful to me. The first time you spoke to me you weren't so nice."

"There's no point in insulting you if you can't take offence. Things will change when we get back to the real world, I remind you." Blazh continued: "Castiel belonged to the race of angels, a minor type of god. As you may have deduced, I am a demon. In the old days, our races were at odds, and in the heat of battle I met Castiel many times. He was a different angel from those of the Supreme Merguel, he was kind and hated war... I woke up again the same day he died. Something inside you made me come out of my long lethargy. That something was the Light of Castiel."

Deus pointed at Noir's chest, but not at his heart, but at his soul. "The power Castiel gave me?"

"Yes, the power you should be using instead of your demonic powers. That same power that saved you from dying a few hours ago. The bullet that knight fired was not a conventional bullet; it was imbued with holy magic, a kind of magic that only those who have communed with a deity can have. Castiel's power has the same nature as it comes from a sacred being. In normal situations that bullet would have killed a demon without allowing it to regenerate. Do you see where I'm going?"

"No, not really."

Blazh put his hand in his face. "Listen! Fourteen years ago I erased all memory of deities and religions, practices that served to worship said higher beings as you would worship a king. Gods are extremely powerful beings who do not need a physical body and do not exist on the same realm as mortals. But they cannot manifest physically in this world if it is not within their domain. And the mortal world still belongs to me. Do you understand now? Those gods have somehow managed to communicate with those knights, and now they have a power they should not have."

"And to carry out your revenge you want me to go after those knights... Pretty selfish of you, Blazh. We barely know each other and you're asking me to risk my life against those knights again."

"It is different now. I'll show you a little of what demons are capable of until you can awaken Castiel's power. That will be enough to defend yourself for now." Blazh watched his arm. It was fading along with the world Noir's mind had constructed. The demon closed his eyes and walked to nowhere. "You're going to wake up soon. I would have liked to explain everything to you, but it's better to take it slowly. I need you strong and healthy first."

"I don't remember agreeing to help you! You're not very good at making good impressions, Blazh Deus." The demon looked sideways at him with eyes of indifference.

"You have no choice if you want to survive in this world. Either you accept my help or you will have nothing left, you hypocritical hybrid."

"Hypocritical...?"

Noir's eyes stopped seeing, his heart stopped feeling. He distinguished thousands of cold hands touching his body, dragging him from the ominous darkness into the light. He felt alive again, regained sensation in his body. But his lungs begged for air, and many litres of water still separated him from salvation.

"Almost... almost there..." Noir thought to himself before aggressively surfacing and gulping in as much air as possible. His strength was still not enough to get out of the river, but at least he was safe in the knowledge that he was clinging to solid ground. He was able to open his eyes and see his hands clearly, the amputation seemed like a mere mirage. "My limbs... I have no more wounds."

The boy rolled over and lay down showing his face to the sky. The little blood that remained impregnated on his clothes was washed away by the water. All that was left was to regain his strength.

"What was that...? It was the strangest dream I've ever had. No... It wasn't a dream. Why do I keep denying it? I still remember his voice. So... Everything he said..." Noir fell asleep again.

Near the spot.

"Um, the snow is finally melting. I wonder how many days will pass without another squall. The youngsters have not been slow to take to the fields, they rely a lot on the warmth of the sun. If only they would deign to pick up seeds and sickles... But no, we old people must work until we faint."

An old woman walked along the riverbank, accompanied by her loyal dog of orange and grey fur. Her cane pierced the thin layer of snow that still remained on the ground and helped her to stand firm. Despite her advanced age, such walks in the cold were no problem for her, for it was partly the freedom of the walks that gave her life.

"Anyway... I have to think about what I'm going to do for dinner. Maybe Iris can help me with the vegetables, my hands are not feeling very nimble today. Um... lamb stew it is then." The dog's barking alerted the old woman's weathered ears. With her tired eyesight, she tried to discover what it was that was upsetting the dog. "Butterfly, why are you barking so much? Have you seen a wild animal or something?"

The canine abandoned the old woman and ran a dozen yards further along the bank itself. The old woman, distressed, trudged up to her, and when she saw what the dog was sniffing at, her eyes filled with as much life as in her youth.

"By all the... Is that a boy? He looks so young, he can't be more than fifteen. Hey, are you still alive? Can you hear me?" The old woman tapped lightly on the boy's forehead. Even increasing the force, he didn't react. "Did he fall into the river because of his drunkenness? How reckless, he could have drowned! Hey, wake up!"

The woman was snatched from her cane at a speed beyond her reflexes. Noir woke up again, unable to fully raise his head, but with one eye firmly fixed on the old lady. "I was almost killed by a bunch of knights a few hours ago and then I had the strangest conversation ever with a man that doesn't even have a body... The last thing I need is an old woman beating my head! Stop meddling in my affairs and let me sleep...!"

The cane snapped in two purely with the mercenary's gripping force and splinters flew everywhere. However, all his energy was drained in that minimal effort and his head sank back into the snow. The old woman was ready to order her dog to attack, but soon realised that he was not a threat.

"Well... He's a strange boy, indeed. But he hasn't fallen down from drunkenness, I can feel it. Um..." The old peasant pondered what to do. She rubbed her chin and looked at her dog, who was showing her tongue sitting in the snow. "What a pain... Butterfly, go get Iris to come and help me. Come on, go get Iris! Go, go!"

The dog, in a great display of intelligence, darted off towards the family farm. The old woman carefully placed her knees in the snow and moved Noir's hair away from his face.

"He reminds me of him... He doesn't look like a bad kid. But even in his sleep he keeps frowning. What's happened to him?"