A pilgrim traveller walked along the paths circling the Kingdom of Trinity accompanied by an energetic and giggling young girl. A black hood covered his face, especially his eyes, which he seemed to be shielding from the sunlight. On the other hand, he wore a woollen cloak that reached down almost to his heels and concealed his arms. His long brown leather boots stomped hard on the ground, but strangely left no footprints behind them. Although he was a conspicuous fellow, no one would even come close to guessing who he was beneath such hermeticism.

His pace was a hurried one, but his legs were tireless. It did not matter how many miles he had to cover of those rural terrains, his only concern was that night might come before he reached the gates of the main city. During the journey he had found no sign of human civilisation, not even a shack, so he knew they were not remotely close to arriving. He glanced up from time to time to check the position of the sun, at which point glowing grey eyes could be seen for a few seconds.

"At least the weather has cleared. It would have been a problem to travel such a distance with the snow and rain against us."

The pilgrim stopped and took a small detour to stand on the edge of a large rock, which formed part of a cliff overlooking a valley. At the end of the valley, where man-made buildings started to appear, the traveller could make out the impenetrable walls of the city of crime.

"I estimate it will be about thirty miles, sixty at most. It's already past noon... I'm not taking the girl through the forest in the dark. It's too dangerous for her." Before returning to the path he wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his right arm and drew from the pouch he carried on his back a canteen filled with cold water. "I didn't expect to travel much of the Ethna River without being washed up on shore. I'm surprised I survived that long underwater. But it couldn't have been worse... I ended up on the border with the kingdom of Laffrith. Too far from home."

The pilgrim turned for a moment to see how far away his companion was. He was surprised to discover that the girl was not at all concerned about hurrying. She was merrily whistling melodies of her childhood while picking flowers of exotic fragrances and admiring the songbirds resting on the branches of the trees. She ran her hands through the tall grass to feel its soft touch, and with a gentle puff she released the seeds from the crown of the dandelion flowers, which travelled through the air close to each other.

With extreme care the young girl sheltered one of the dandelions in her hands. She walked struggling against the weight of her backpack to the pilgrim and showed him the gift with a smile. The man picked up the flower with equal gentleness and looked at its pristine white. "Thank you, Iris. We must keep moving. Night will fall soon."

"I-I am in no hurry, Mr. Noir. I know we have to get to the city as soon as possible, but... I'd like to admire all this a little longer. It's the first time I've been able to explore the world beyond the farm." Young Iris climbed up the rock with him and marvelled at the breathtaking views. Her feet couldn't keep still and did little hops. With her index finger she pointed towards the horizon, towards the snow-capped peaks of the Albna-Kori homeland. "Look, Mr. Noir! I can see the mountains! And the valley! And the houses! Even the city walls!"

She waved her hands up and down with clenched fists. Her eyes glowed so brightly that it was not much different from looking directly at the sun. Even if the heat reddened her face and filled it with beads of sweat, nothing could take away the thrill of observing the vastness of the world and her own insignificance. Dayfall could almost plaster a smile on his face, but only lifted one end of his lips.

"Yes, it is beautiful. Everything that has not been made by humans is a perfect work. There are even things we have made that can be considered beautiful. Our architecture is proof of that. We could be so much, and yet..."

Noir extended the arm with which he held the dandelion until it was inches from his face. With a modest puff the flower seeds dispersed and set a course towards the horizon, towards the extension of life.

"This was one of the first things my late father taught me about flora. These flowers take advantage of the wind to spread their seeds. They travel far and wide until they fall to earth, where other dandelions are born... It reminds me a lot of him. A flower that is easily plucked and its life is taken away, but with a little effort it can leave a legacy elsewhere."

After Noir's reflection, Iris clasped her hands behind her back and watched the flight of those little mushroom-shaped seeds. To her surprise, one of them was still attached to the flower, so she plucked it off and showed it to the young demon. "My father taught me something different. First you must make a wish. If you blow the dandelion and all its seeds come out at the same time, your wish will be granted. There is only one seed left, but... Let's assume that your wish will come true no matter what. What would you want to come true?"

"Iris, I don't understand the purpose of this. It clearly doesn't..." Iris quickly brought the seed closer to his mouth, insistent. Her intense gaze left him no choice but to agree to do so. "Alright... It's hard to choose between so many things, but I think the most sensible thing would be... I wish for our guild to prosper! May our lives never be in danger, and above all, may we be able to return to our families every day!"

This time the young Dayfall blew with extraordinary force, as if he truly trusted that his wish would come true. The seed spun uncontrollably like a derailed wagon, causing Iris to laugh uncontrollably.

"That's a lot of wishes, Mr. Noir! You can't be that greedy!" The sweet young girl continued to laugh as Noir tried to hide his embarrassment. "Don't be ashamed! You have a good heart, Mr. Noir. I can feel it. You have desired nothing for your own benefit. You've even included me in your wish... You are very kind. You should be more proud of yourself. Maybe that's the reason you can't smile."

Iris's sudden conclusion caught Noir by surprise, who did not know how to react. "I, uh..." He couldn't look her in the eye any longer, so he pulled his hood down even further and turned his back to her. "You don't know me well, Iris. I'm not a good person, and I'm far from it. I've done bad things, things I regret and things I don't want to talk about again. If it's hard for me to smile it's because... I've forgotten how to do it. I know it sounds like a ridiculous reason, but it is like that. I don't deserve it... I don't deserve to be happy."

The atmosphere changed. All calmness in the air vanished, as did Iris's smile.

"I don't know what you have done in the past, but if you regret it, it is because there is still humanity in your heart. Besides, an inhuman person wouldn't agree to take care of a girl like me." Iris let out a small laugh, but she still had a lot to do if she was to lift the adventurer's spirits. "I know very little about life, and even less about death, so any advice on the subject would be useless. But I too have lost things. My parents died in the holy war. My father was forced to fight as a slave knight and my mother was killed by looters. My grandfather has always treated me more like an object than a human being, and my grandmother... Her only weakness is our family, and to face him would be to destroy it forever. I also have to take care of my little brother and the farm. My only escape are these dreams of travel and adventure. It's what has kept me alive... and will continue to do so..."

Without realising it, her eyes were once again fixed on the ground, and filled with tears. When she raised her head she could see that Noir was listening intently to her story, and was slowly shaking his head. Neither of them wanted to continue that conversation, it only brought pain.

"You don't need to empathise with me just to make me feel better. You have achieved what I could not. Confront your demons from the past. I'm still anchored to those memories." He pulled an arm out from under his cloak to point towards the path, reiterating that they should continue. "Don't worry about me, really. You must focus on yourself. Taking on someone else's problems will only bring you misery. I know you just want to help, and that's admirable, but don't do the stupid thing of sacrificing your happiness."

Iris heeded Noir's gesture and followed the path with the same body language as when they first met; shyness took over, her eyes never leaving the ground. The fluency with words she had gained was gone. "I-I just wanted to say that you can recover. If it's not a happy ending... it's not the end."

When they reached the main city.

"The smell of death fills the streets of the southern district... I didn't remember how depressing this part of the city is."

Noir made up his mind to reach the official adventurer's guild through the black market of the southern district. The stares of the locals fell on both of them as soon as they set foot in the place. Suspicion and mistrust were cast on all of them. They had never seen a young girl as well cared for and fed as Iris. Envy, in part, gnawed at them. They could not bear to see a privileged one set her dainty feet on those streets.

"All these people are watching us, Mr. Noir. I'm scared..."

"They won't do anything. They have no interest in it. I lived here for a long time, long enough to know when they intend to steal or kill. They can see you bring nothing of value." Still, Noir slid a dagger into Iris's left hand. The girl, seeing the weapon, wanted to return it to its owner. "No, you have to take it with you. Trusting in people's good hearts will only get you killed. Your life is more important."

Iris's hands trembled at the prospect of having to use that against another human being. Her sleeves were rolled up, so she pulled them down to hide the dagger under one of them. She clutched her skirt tightly wishing the criminals would stay away.

"I'd like to help these people, they're obviously in trouble, but... I'm also very scared of them. Why shouldn't I trust the unfortunate ones, Mr. Noir?"

"Because these people don't want help. They would take advantage of you. They wouldn't know how to value kindness or love. They have known nothing but violence and hatred."

They were already halfway to the northern district. Iris felt somewhat relieved, those numerous stalking gazes slowly fading into the distance. But Noir suddenly grabbed her arm to stop her in her tracks. Someone had emerged from among the stalls to block their path. A man, drunk and disoriented, but armed.

"Sober criminals are aware of the danger they are in when confronting an adventurer, but a drunk one is not. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this..."

The drunk swung his sword at Iris as if it were a wizard's wand. His decayed teeth and cracked lips showed in the form of a grotesque grin. Bad memories came to Noir's mind as he watched the drunkard's face turn into that of another similar person who had tried to harm him in the past. Young Spring, on the other hand, was disgusted by his pitiful appearance.

"Oh, I love those soft, small lips... Those slim, pale thighs... That neat, childish face.. That frail little body... Good stuff you've got there, you hooded man! I'll bet three coins she's a farmer from the frontier, one from a good family!" They both took a few steps back as they saw the drunk approaching. Noir reached inside his cloak to pull out two blades.

"I recommend you don't take another step if you don't want to die slowly and painfully." The stranger ignored him, paying attention to nothing but Iris. The girl made several cuts to the fabric of her sleeve trying to pull the dagger out, but Noir stopped her when he saw that she was emotionally unprepared. "Iris, you don't need to fight. Stay behind me and take a good look at our surroundings. He may not be alone."

"Hey, hey. Why are you hiding, Goldilocks? Let's have some fun!"

With a hiss from the drunk several other criminals emerged from shops and alleyways, descended from rooftops or emerged from the sewers. Noir and Iris found themselves surrounded from every angle, everywhere they looked they found only enemies. The number of criminals going after a simple country girl was absurd to Noir. He knew the blades would not be enough so he put them away, unsheathed his two swords and showed his adversaries the blades he had sharpened to perfection.

"Something strange is going on. There are too many criminals. If things get complicated run towards the northern district and don't look back, got it?" Iris nodded nervously multiple times. Noir looked ahead again, specifically towards the first thug, to launch his attack.

"Do what you want with those little knives, they won't do you any good! You won't be able to fight all of us! When I'm done with you I'll cut the laces of her bodice with this very sword and taste her..." The demon reached him in a couple of blinks. Though he could not finish speaking the thug reacted and parried the first diagonal slash. The force Noir was exerting to push his sword towards his neck was overwhelming. "Shit, he's fucking strong... Don't just stand there, you useless pieces of shit! Grab the girl and help me!"

"You won't do anything to her!" Noir sheathed the sword he carried in his left fist and held the other with both hands. He managed to bring the thug to his knees with the sword wrestling. The blade of his sword came close to slicing his own neck. His breathing quickened and whimpers came from his mouth. "Are you afraid now? A little late, don't you think?"

"Don't just focus on him. Two guys are coming for you, and many more are after the brat. Hurry up."

Two other thugs swung with spears and sabres in hand towards him. Though his reflexes were capable of outrunning the speed of any human attack, his body still could not. The tip of the spear embedded itself in his abdomen and the sabre landed on his shoulder, forcing him to drop his sword. They almost succeeded in subduing him, but the demon split the spear with his gripping force and impaled its wielder with the splintered wooden pole. The sabre, on the other hand, was difficult to remove, as it was not sharp enough and would not detach from the bone.

"No matter how much damage you receive, you can handle it. Don't use your demonic powers."

"I know, Blazh... I don't need them!" A kick was enough to push the second thug away and buy some time. Noir grabbed the hilt of the sabre with his opposite arm and yanked it roughly from his flesh. He had to twist the blade a couple of times to ease it out, and when he released it from his shoulder he saw that it was rusted. " Was he planning to poison me?"

The second thug was recovering from the kick, so Noir threw the sabre towards his head as easily as he would throw a knife. The man died the instant his own weapon split his brain in half. There were no more enemies nearby, but Noir could not regenerate his wounds until he was out of sight.

"It's a nuisance not being able to heal, I won't be able to fight much longer..." His attention returned to Iris, who was running towards him being chased by a dozen men. Dayfall picked up his sword from the ground and unsheathed the other, ready to take on that horde of enemies on his own. "Iris, do as I told you! They won't be able to get to you!"

The girl nodded and kept running until she left him behind, though as she saw the first man they encountered get up she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Mr. Noir! Behind you!"

Though Noir heard her, it was too late. The man was too disoriented and tired. The drunk charged forward with his sword and slashed through the mercenary's stomach from behind. The others took advantage and plunged their swords and daggers into him as well. They all turned away after a few seconds to watch their feat; Noir was barely standing, breathing hard and lacking the strength to free himself from so many cold blades piercing his body.

"They didn't hit my heart or my neck... I'm fine... I'm..."

The first thug kicked his leg to bring him to his knees in front of all the people in the market, plus the laughing and jeering criminals. He tried to prevent it, but the drunk pulled down his hood and his face was revealed. The market people instantly recognised those grey eyes. There was silence. Dread crept quietly through the hearts of those who knew of the half-demon's crimes.

"It's really him... The chief's intuition was right." Said one of the criminals. Although silence prevailed a little longer, soon all the thugs burst out in joy:

"We've captured him! We've captured Noir Dayfall! The murderer of Regin Sighur and William DeLoire!"

"We'll get filthy rich with the bounty! We'll never have to steal again!"

"This is the demon that terrorised all the nobles? It was a piece of cake to defeat him!"

"Boss, let's hand him over as soon as possible! Surely the Holy Trinity will give us an honorary title!"

As the thugs celebrated his capture the local residents took the opportunity to throw stones at the helpless Noir. Insults also rained down on him. The hatred of the slum dwellers was at a fever pitch, now more than ever. They were not going to hold back now that they could stand up to him. The years of misery had to be repaid at all costs.

"Serves you right! You have brought nothing but disgrace to this district! You should pay for your crimes with your life!" An elderly beggar exclaimed, expending what little strength he had left in bending down and picking up stones.

Two familiar women stepped ahead of the rest of the crowd carrying a good number of stones in their arms, which they did not hesitate to throw at the boy's face. "Because of you many slaves have died! People we knew and missed! The nobles have executed them because of your recklessness!" said the younger one.

"Don't talk to him, Yulia! There's no point in talking to a demon! They know neither guilt nor mercy..."

Instead of throwing a stone at him like everyone else, the second woman unhooked the lamp she carried on her arm and smashed it in his face. Shards of glass flew in every direction. Noir showed the first pained expression as he felt those sharp little fragments embedded in his skin. His flesh throbbed and begged to be free of the intruding objects. Afterwards, the woman spat on his hair and returned to the crowd, but not before turning her head with her eyes closed in contempt.

"That was a hard hit... Are you okay?"

The answer came in the form of long, thick tears that slid down the glass on his face. The cause was not pain, such a sensation was no longer foreign to him. He could not bear to see that his actions, motivated by good and genuine intentions, had led to that. To people uniting against him. To those people seeing him as the real problem. The thought of Castiel looking down and finding out about his failure terrified him.

"What have I done...?"

Noir remained inert, even with severe contusions his physical pain was irrelevant to him. He wanted to find a way to fix his mistake. He begged in his dry, choked voice for a moment to speak. But there was nothing left to say. The locals would not stop until they saw him dead.

Rivers of blood trickled down from the wounds caused by the weapons and glass, and the stones only helped to push them deeper into his flesh. But he did nothing to stop it. He was incapable of laying a finger on those people. He refused to show his demonic side, and instead raised his head and stretched out his arms, agreeing to become a martyr for his own sins.

"What, are you enjoying this? You've gone completely insane..."

"No... But I've grown tired of judging them. They are right. I haven't done anything to help, I've only brought trouble. If they must take their anger out on me, so be it." Thought the demon. Stones began to pile up around him, many stained completely with blood. His white skin was indistinguishable under the thick layer of fresh blood and dead flesh that covered his body.

"All right, that's enough! I want to deliver him alive if possible!" The drunk, who was apparently the leader of the thugs, stepped between the hail of stones and the young mercenary. A few hit him before they stopped. The locals looked at him indignantly and angrily, barely holding the stones in their hands. They wanted to finish what they had started. "Yes, yes, I know you want to kill him, but I don't give a shit about your opinion. We'll take him."

"No you won't! We helped the Holy Trinity and they couldn't finish him! We have to!"

"He's right! We've been the most wronged! We deserve compensation!"

"Death to the demon! Tear off his limbs one by one! Drag him on horseback across the kingdom!"

"We will not leave until he has paid with his blood! We outnumber you, you cannot refuse!"

More and more locals swarmed around the demon and the thugs, so many that they covered the entire Black Market. They were not skilled fighters like the men who took down Noir, but their tools were not harmless either. The leader of the thugs grunted and raised an arm with a firm, open palm, a signal for his men to retreat. It was absurd to face a mass of bloodthirsty people. "What a shame... We'll come back for the corpse. I hope they pay us well for it."

"All that martyr nonsense is all very well, but now there are dozens who want you dead. So many that I can't count them from here. Listen, kid... You've made the biggest mistake of your life. It's almost impossible to reverse this situation. But not completely impossible. You must hold on to that, there are still reasons to go on living. Your life doesn't end here. Evie and Wayne are waiting for you to come home. Without you, how do you know they're going to be able to survive this?"

"Why do you care if I live or die... It's all the same to you. You'll find another vessel to manipulate."

"Manipulate? Ugh... You're being a dick to the wrong person. I'm only trying to help you because I don't know if there's anyone better than you. But that doesn't matter. You need to think clearly! If you give up now your enemies will have won. Wolf, William's organisation, the Holy Trinity... They will all have achieved their goal. You cannot run away like a coward from the trouble you yourself have caused. Face them and protect your loved ones from them. Prove that there is something redeemable in you."

"Redeemable... Do you too believe there is humanity left in my heart? I... I'd like to believe it."

Several images flashed through his mind. A middle-aged man sitting outside his hut, admiring the sunset with a smile. Children playing happily in the fields in the company of birds and dogs. A woman of indescribable beauty washing her hair in a stream. It felt real, something attainable. But his hand could not yet touch it. Still, his heart beat again. It was born again.

"I'm not going to die today. I want to see those things again."

The villagers advanced towards him. Those who carried long tools such as scythes or pickaxes were the most confident that they could kill him. All of them were armed with bravery and manhood, but only until Noir raised his head and his grey eyes were ablaze with flames amidst his bloody hair. Then everyone left a few feet of distance between them and the demon, including the thugs.

"I told you not to use the Born Power... You know there will be consequences, don't you? Of course you know that, but you don't care."

"There's no other option, Blazh. I'm sorry. It's a life or death situation."

Everyone fell silent as the ground beneath their feet began to crack. Some were unable to stand because of the effects of the alcohol, but those who were sober watched carefully as the weapons and shrapnel piercing Noir's body fell away one by one. His wounds closed with frightening speed. From his back grew the same dark limbs as usual, but this time with five stinging fingers each.

"I will not forgive what you said about Iris..."

Two of the limbs grabbed the chief thug by legs and arms, lifted him above the market tents and tore off his limbs as easily as a child would mutilate a paper doll. Blood rained down on all present, but that was not what really spread terror. Noir stood up and hid his face under his hood. He tried to keep his mind clear so as not to lose control, but even his bulky cloak could not hold back the demonic magic that gathered in enormous quantities under the cloths. The essence of death, the miasma, escaped from his body and spread throughout the place, causing the locals to flee in terror.

"Don't overdo it... Just enough to make them go away..."

His wish was granted. All the locals left the market terrified of the diseases the miasma could spread. His swords would no longer be needed, so he sheathed them and crossed his arms to watch the rest of the fight. There were only five thugs left in the place, for the other seven had fled, unwilling to give up the bounty. They wanted to surround him to attack him at once, but for every thug two more limbs appeared. Noir was an impenetrable fortress with no weak points. Not a hundred humans could do anything against a demon of his magnitude.

"Remember, we're not here to have fun. Get this over with quickly."

"Understood..."