Before beginning this chapter, i want to give a huge thank you to Ia Shub-Niggurath, who took the time to proofread it before i posted it.

All the respect my man!

War is inevitable, as war is eternal. And all that is eternal is so by divine will, and by divine will shall we fall on the battlefield gloriously. For honor, glory and blood.

Motto of the Imperial Army

"Time to go then"

Andrew had just left the park where he finished talking with Rulia, thinking of what could have been a good present for Edresia, who was very upset after he left her alone in the morning. He didn't know good shops, so he simply decided to wander around. When he realized that in the part of the town he found himself in there wasn't anything decent to give as a present, he began walking towards the main plaza, where he was sure to find something.

*Uhm, i wonder what she'd like....? Some Church accessories? Nah, she must have thousands of those. Then again, maybe i can give her a necklace or a bracelet. Actually, is there something that represent a request for forgiveness around these parts? I imagine there must be something*

He looked at the road and noticed that if he followed it it would take him too much time. Luckily, he remembered that during the walk with Rulia they passed through an alley that greatly shortened the walk. He quickly found it, a bit far away from where he was, and walked towards it. He had just passed the corner when he stumbled into something huge.

"Uh! What the....?"

He looked in front of him. A giant clad in dark grey armor stood in front him, his brown eyes the only part of the body that could be seen thought the minuscule slits of his helm. On his breastplate a cross surrounded by a sun symbol and decorated with a skull was engraved. Andrew couldn't even think of what happened, as the man grabbed his neck tightly and threw him into the other side of the alley.

"UGH!"

Andrew rolled on the ground and felt a painful sensation through his whole body. It wouldn't have took much to recover but he didn't have the time to do so, as his neck was grabbed tightly again. He tried to free himself with all his strength, which was the equivalent of thirty men, but the grip of his attacker didn't falter or move by a millimeter. He could only gasp in search of air.

"You are strong for a kid. I suppose that's thanks to your dark arts" He began talking, and his voice was deep and authoritative.

*He knows?!?* Andrew began panicking.

"But i mastered many kinds of buff magics, along with the fact that i would naturally be much stronger than you if it wasn't for your dark powers. And as such, i ask you one question: what do you plan on doing? You see, i don't see any sense in your actions. In fact, just the fact that someone befriended my lady from out of nowhere was strange for me, since everyone keeps their distance from her, as much as i dislike it, after they discover who she is. That was the first suspicious sign, though not vey important. Then i decide to check on you after discovering you're able to defeat a King Slayer and i find you wandering a sewer full of dark energy and then talking with a Blood Demon. And in the sewers i was even blocked by some kind of barrier. From all of this i deduce you have to do with Gorwyn's Fall, but that's something you'll have to confirm yourself"

"..... Let.... me..... go"

"It seems you don't understand your situation, black mage. You have no chance against me"

Lanius said so, and Andrew used [Dark Solidification] to create a mask directly on his face.

"A mask? I already know your face, so what's the p-"

As he was talking, Andrew released a huge quantity of dark energy, sending him flying into a building. The people walking the street began screaming and running in terror, as far as they could from the impending battle.

"Ah, i see. So that's how it's going to be"

Lanius nonchalantly got out of the rubble, as if nothing happened at all. Andrew thought it would be useless to run, so he rushed at him with Perditor, coating himself with [Dark Barrier]. He then casted [Black Annihilation], shooting him with an endless wave of black spheres, even stronger than bullets. But contrary to Andrew's expectations, Lanius dodged most of the spheres, being much faster than he looked like. But those which hit, damaged his armor heavily.

"It seems i have underestimated the power of your attack magic. An error i won't repeat"

Saying so he dashed towards Andrew and tried to break his barrier with his fists, which were enchanted with some kind of holy magic, making them more efficient against darkness. Andrew managed to dodge him just in time, mainly because he had buffed himself with [Haste], but the Lord Inquisitor simply charged again towards him, as Andrew's speed was nothing compared to his. He smashed his gauntlets through the barrier and right into the kid's stomach, sending him flying. As he was in the air, Andrew tried to recover himself but Lanius had other plans for him. The Inquisitor jumped towards him and smashed him on the road, keeping him pinned down.

"Now, do not resist any further, else you face dire consequences"

"Uuuuuugh..... Shiiiit"

Andrew tried to free himself but the Lord Inquisitor was far too strong for him. And when he was about to give up, he heard a familiar voice in his head.

*Kid!*

*Murgin! My favorite Deus Ex Machina! What the fuck do i do?!? This guy's too strong!*

*This was not part of the plan! They actually have someone competent! Listen kid, i have an idea, but i'm gonna need your complete collaboration*

*Ok, what?!?*

*Be ready, because this is gonna be rough*

*Wait, why i-*

As he was telling him so, Andrew felt an enormous flow of energy entering into him, so much in fact, that he couldn't keep it all in his body. He began releasing darkness and Lanius was shocked in finding out just how much power the boy had as he was flown away by the sheer pressure of his power. Andrew slowly began getting up, as his eyes turned completely black, apart from two small purple dots. He wasn't conscious nor unconscious, but in a state of pure confusion as his body was engulfed and filled with more power than he could imagine. The air around him began distorting, the earth breaking and floating, as a shadow began to cover the the area around him, like a tornado. In his rampage he looked at Lanius, who was trying to get closer to him, and launched a wave of pure chaotic magic at him, slowly breaking his armor, but not slowing him down. With every step, Andrew increased the intensity of his power, till the Lord Inquisitor was immobilized and resisted only thanks to his holy magic and sheer willpower, as his chest armor was completely gone.

"UUUUGH.... HOW CAN YOU BE SO POWERFUL........ WHO DID YOU SELL YOUR SOUL TO?!?....... UUUUUUAAAAAAAAGH!"

He shouted, and a chain appeared from a blinding light in his hand, which he threw to Andrew, binding him. The moment the chain touched him he could feel his power weakening, but not enough to stop him. Just as he was about to overwhelm Lanius, a group of men clad in black and dark grey armor and cloaks appeared from beyond the shadow barrier that had formed around them.

"LORD LANIUS! WE HAVE COME TO ASSIST!"

"QUICK! USE THE HOLY CHAINS! I WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP HIM FOR MUCH LONGER!"

"YES SIR!"

The Inquisitors surrounded Andrew and each began binding him with chains, each one of them weakening his powers. He tried to suppress them with raw magic but slowly and inevitably, he could feel his body losing strength and his mind fading. As much as he resisted, in the end all his power was drained, and he fell to the ground, barely conscious. Lanius and his men walked up to him.

".... You put up quite the fight, didn't you.....? Bring him to a cell and make sure of binding him with mana restrictive chains. I do not have the intention of dealing with that again"

"Yes sir"

And so Andrew's eyes began slowly closing, till the world around him disappeared, making him fall in a deep slumber.

"....Uh..... What?"

Andrew opened his eyes, confused for a second, before quickly realizing he had been sleeping, though for how long was a mystery. He noticed he was sitting with a wall on his back and tried to look around, but he was still very drowsy and everything looked blurry, though he could see it was pretty dark. He got up and tried to walk, but after a few steps he noticed that something stopped him from advancing. So he looked at his body, his sight finally returning, and saw on his arms two heavy metal bracelets with chains that were connected to the wall and that he was now wearing only short leather pants. Then he remembered what had happened.

*Oh no, nooooo, this is baaad. MUUUURGIN! MUUUUUUURGIIIN!*

But nobody responded, and as much as he tried, his magic would not come out, whatever he did. Realizing any effort was futile, he decided to see where he was being kept. Unsurprisingly, he was in a cell deep down in some kind of prison, the only source of light a torch on the hallway wall in front of him. There were no windows and the wall and floor were built with some kind of black stone.

"A classic dungeon..... though i much prefer the monster kind"

"Oh, i bet you do!"

"What? Who's speaking?"

Andrew turned around, searching for the origin of the voice. It didn't take him long to do so, as right behind a skeleton appeared. A very abnormal skeleton, as he was transparent, and colored in a dark and intimidating purple. His "body" slightly reminded Andrew of some kind of energy flow, erratic yet orderly.

"A.... skeleton ghost?"

"Exaaaaactly! 10 points for you! Do you also want cooooookies? Well, too bad, because the most you'll get here are roaches and the occasional "food" they give you. And as you probably have noticed by my very sarcastic tone of voice, it's not good"

"What the.....? Why is a skeleton..... a ghost?"

"Now, that's a great story! You see, i was a veryyyy talented dark mage. Then i died. Then i resurrected as a skeleton. Then i was captured, tortured, as much as one can torture a pile of bones, then i died again. Then i resurrected again, but too bad for me, i was only powerful enough to survive in here, not to escape, since this place is full of holy mumbo jumbo! And it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that people that resurrect as ghosts have initially the appearance they had right before dying. Anyway, enjoy the company of me and the rats because in a while you will either scream a lot or die a lot. HAVE FUN!"

"Wait, so are we.... in the Inquisiton base or something?"

"Precisely! And you are going to die, most certainly!"

"I see you're very supportive"

"Thank you, i knooow" He put his ghostly skeletal hand on his chest vainly as he said so.

".... So, did you see who brought me here?"

"Oh good old pal Lanius brought you here! He's a nice one! If he says he's gonna kill you painlessly if you just confess your crimes, he'll actually do it! Most people just torture you for another month! Too bad i was a good 150 years too late for him! Horrible luck, ain't it?"

"..... Reassuring..... Anyway, you just said you've been here for a long time, so do you know of a way of escaping?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. I have been here for over a century and not even a rat, roach or any kind of disgusting small creature has ever got out. So get comfy, pray to whatever being you sold your soul to, and hope they won't put some kind of contraption up your ass. And believe me, if they feel reaaaaaaaly, reaaaaaally douchy, they will do it"

"You are a ray of hope in this hellhole"

"Indeed, my young, soon to be dead friend"

"Anyway, if this place is so secure, how did they not find you?"

"As i said, i have just enough energy to survive, so as long as i stay in the prisoner area, i'm good. Nobody can feel my presence and i hide into the walls. And right now there's no one, so don't worry, you can scream all you like. Nobody will hear you anyway"

"So, i wait"

"You wait. On a second note, what are you in for?"

"Uhm....."

"Come on tell me, if it's not too bad, they'll kill you quickly! And i'm sure to not tell anyone!"

"....I destroyed a small town"

"Uhuh, ok, you will be punched for a while, but that should be it. Maybe some knives, but nothing extreme"

"I created a dungeon, like, a monster dungeon"

"I see, i see. They'll use the Iron Maiden and the Stretcher. I've seen worse"

"I placed a dark barrier in the sewers"

"Eh, they won't care much if it's only that"

"Uhm...."

"Ok, so there's something. They will use the Tear Drinker and the Ripper. It's a bit bad, but that sho-"

"I befriended their Arch-Cardinal and hid the fact that i was a dark mage and then i fought against Lanius till he needed his subordinates' help"

The ghost just stared dumbfounded at him.

"...... Yeah, you'll be lucky if they don't purify your soul all the way to Lux herself. Which is an euphemism for lots, lots, lots, lots and lots of painful pain"

".... You seem pretty trusting about what i say. Also, way too honest"

"And you seem pretty chatty. Honestly, who cares about those things, i'm dead, you're gonna die, and everything in our lives has evidently, gone to shit. Because no successful person ends up here, unless he fucks up real bad. And i'm talking about dark mages like us too. So, yeah, bad times. Bad. Times"

".... Well, impending doom never felt so.... trivial to me, somehow"

"Yeah, that happens when death is not a possibility, but THE only possibility. So, in this case, a certainty. Sunshine and rainbooooows...."

"Can i at least know your name?"

"Oh yeah, that. Almost forgot. And i'm not talking about the presentation, i'm literally talking about my name. Long time i don't use it. Uuuuuuugh"

The ghost got up, his bones somehow creaking like he had been there for an eternity, and walked up to Andrew, showing his hand.

"I am Kalas, nice to meet y..."

"Andrew Tenebris"

"Oh, you remember your surname? Enviable"

"You really don't remember much, do you?"

"You try remembering such trivial details after staying more than 150 years in a dungeon"

"I suppose you're right"

They tried to shake hands, but they simply passed through each other. They tried for a while till they managed to put them in a position that could be somehow described as shaking hands. But just as Kalas was about to continue the conversation the sound of a door opening could be heard.

"Shit! Gotta go! Good luck!"

Kalas fell through the floor, as the sound of footsteps got closer and closer. Andrew felt more and more tense every second that passed, his every hair staying straight and his legs trembling. Never before he felt so helpless. And then, finally knew who was behind the footsteps: Edresia, dressed in her Arch-Cardinal attire, a white robe decorated in golden symbols and decorations, jewels and a huge mater. Her greek cross pupils were looking straight at him, a bit reddened and swollen. She stood in front of the cell for a minute, before entering with a key and sitting down.

"So........ you're a dark mage?"

The absolute silence was broken.

"...... Yes"

She lowered her head when she heard his response.

"So, it was true....... You know, when Lanius told me, i couldn't believe it. After all, i trusted you so much. It seems my trust was misplaced.... ugh.... i.... why.... why did you lie to me?"

"...... I did not intend to lie to you..... i wasn't even supposed to meet you......"

"And what were you supposed to do?"

Andrew simply stood silent. Maybe he could have survived thanks to Edresia's mercy if he talked, but as he had no other reason to tell her his plans, he decided not to say anything. He wouldn't take advantage of such a thing.

".... So you won't talk about it..... It doesn't matter, i already know what you did before and Lanius is working on your barrier..... I will not ask you about your objectives, your leader or any of that, i just..... i just want to understand..... why?"

"......... Why do you care?"

".... Because as much as i fell betrayed, i still think..... i still think that you have a chance at redemption. Salvation from your path of darkness, which can only bring you and everyone around you pain"

"On what basis do you say that?"

"I understand what you mean, and i'll answer.... You see, as an Arch-Cardinal i had to deal with many black mages. Every single one of them would sacrifice people, devour souls or kill senselessly. They were all desperate, insane, or just evil. And i have met many dark mages. I... i do not wish for you to end up like them. Is it too much to ask for?"

Andrew stood silent for a while, thinking on what to do. After some time he realized that lying would have brought him nowhere, and it would also been unfair towards Edresia.

"..... You know what? Okay, i'll be honest with you, i'll tell you why i'm doing this. First, what do you think of humans?"

"What has that to do with this?"

"Please, answer"

".... Well, they are beings with an incredible potential, but easily corruptible by evil and vices. Nonetheless, every human is essentially good, but some strayed from the path of light, and a few without no chance of redemption"

"Ok, that's a hopeful but realistic view. I understand that. Now, i see humans this way: 99% of humans are petty, greedy and unbearable bastards, and a few of these ones are honest about those feelings. We call them criminals. The rest hide them till it's convenient to them, like that one neighbor that always says hi to you smiling, but the moment he arrives home he tells his family just how much of an asshole you are. And the remaining 1% of actually good people, like you, has to take their shit constantly. Actually, you're the perfect example of this: your job consists mainly of helping people, without asking nothing in return apart from their faith. At least that's what i understood, maybe i'm completely wrong, who the fuck knows. Then, when you're done helping, you have to discuss with a bunch of greedy bastards, hiding the fact that you detest them. And i noticed how much you hate having to hide it the day you talked with Jupir. I mean, i was in a chest, but when i got out it was obvious!..... Are you, beginning to understand?"

Andrew was breathing heavily, as he spoke fast, without stopping, and his voice had gotten louder and angrier the more he spoke. Edresia looked shocked, but contained herself quickly.

"I didn't know you..... you had such a horrible opinion of humans"

"Oh, actually, it's much better that what it was. Now i actually know that if you try to ignore some flaws, some people are decent. And the only reason i learned that is because a person that fits that 1%, though barely, since she's a reaaal sadist, helped me. But we knew each for little more than a year, an incredibly insufficient amount of time for me to change my opinion of humans completely. Now, instead of hating every single one of them, i tend to dislike the majority of them. That's some real progress. Because, you see, my life was shit. My parents were a pair of negligent, greedy and uncaring assholes that never bothered with me..... I.... i actually can't fucking remember their faces..... i actually can't.... Jesus Christ, i saw them for such short amounts of time and most of it without them interacting in any way with me, that..... that i can't remember their faces.... and it's not like i had images of them..... just, just imagine Edresia, imagine such a situation. Oh, and that wasn't the worst thing. I was harassed and bullied constantly by my peers, because some hundreds years ago my ancestors practiced dark magic. I mean, i don't even know if it's actually true, but they didn't care, they just thought it was a good excuse to fuck with me. They only stopped when i stopped reacting, you know, when it stopped being entertaining"

"Andrew...... i had no idea.... I.... i am so sorry, but.... aren't you proving them right by doing all of this? Don't you think that this "vengeance" or whatever it is, made you into they monster they deemed you as?"

"That's the thing about being called a monster, Edresia. You will silently cry, slowly losing your emotions, drowning them in your hatred, till the point that you either stop caring and deeming it as normal..... or you wish you were that monster. You wish you were that terrifying beast deserving of their disgust and contempt, so that you could fucking get rid of them, so that you could see them crying and regretting the fact that it's only thanks to themselves that you became that monster. I am surprised i didn't go on a rampage, honestly. Probably thanks to my generally calm demeanor and the few happy moments i had. Regarding happiness, you remember that person i talked about? Well, thanks to her i made some friends. It's not much but it's a record for someone like me. And all the happiness that i got from them..... ahaha..... disappeared... just like that.... thanks to a petty, desperate, thief. I'm not going to tell you the whole story, but thanks to that faceless nobody..... i lost that happiness i had finally got. And then i was introduced to dark magic, without much choice to be honest, and you know the rest....... this is my story. This is the story of why and how i became a monster, more or less"

Edresia didn't say anything. She only then realized just how much Andrew passed through, and that his sins weren't his fault alone. She had seen dark mages that researched the dark arts to help their families, to get revenge, to accomplish their own selfish desires, but this was the first time she had met someone that did so for his hatred of mankind. She could see the anger and the disdain in Andrew's eyes as he spoke, his whole body expressing the pain he had suffered. A pain that had yet to heal completely and then had been restored and worsened.

"Andrew"

"Yeah?"

"Everything's ok"

"WOOOOAAAAH!"

Edresia jumped at Andrew, hugging him tightly. He was startled and shocked, to say the least, and his face reddened a little.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING EDRESIA?!? LET ME GO!"

"NO! You have suffered enough! You need help Andrew. A new shoulder to lean on, now that you lost those that you had. I've spoken with you, laughed with you and i know that you're a good person. You can still be saved from what you're becoming"

"..... Edresia, i said all those things, but..... i am not in that 1%"

"Maybe not, but does it matter? Nobody is perfect, not even i"

".... Even if i decided to give up all of this.... i still killed so many people.... and i think that they deserved it"

"So you think that your victims deserved it..... a small city of innocents, templars whose only objective is to defend the faithful and adventurers who protect the people from monster, although with a price?"

"Those...... innocents happily slaughtered a population of goblins whose only crime was living in a forest which the adventurers wanted to use as a potion factory. Those same townspeople were genuinely happy, that a village of intelligent beings, with family and friends would have been destroyed"

Edresua loosened her hug and looked at Andrew straight in the eyes, her face showing confusion.

"You.... you killed all of those people.... for some g-"

"Edresia! I already know what you're going to say, and stop right now! They are people, not just some beasts! They're not like ferals, they're people! Like us! Like you, and me!"

Edresia got up, letting Andrew go from her arms.

"What, what are you talking about? Those.... those are monsters! The evil of this world!"

"Why do you say that, exactly? Because they always told you so? They have families, friends, emotions. They. Are. People"

"That's..... that's simply absurd..... they're a menace! And.... and what about those you killed?!? You think they didn't have family or feelings?!? You think that those templars and adventurers that tried to solve the situation didn't have any of those things?!? And.... and exactly how many goblins were there.... a hundred, two hundred? And just for them you killed more than a thousand people?!?"

"Yes, because their territory was being invaded and they, completely innocent, were being slaughtered for profit. But i suppose that's not important. I mean, they're the "bad guys", aren't they. Like everything humans are unable to interact with"

"That's- You know, i do not think this discussion will be able to continue properly. I will revisit you tomorrow"

Edresia turned around and began walking away, but Andrew was enraged, due to what Edresia said of the goblins, along with the fact that he had kept venting his anger since the moment he talked about his past.

"Getting touchy Edresia? Do you have no good arguments to show me just how great the path of light is?"

Edresia stopped walking.

"Please, stop"

"Why? Why should i? I'm going to die anyway, since i have no intention to comply. That's what your Inquisition does, isn't it. Silently gets rid of any nuisance they find in their way, unless they surrender completely if they have any use! I mean, that's what all inquisitions do, that's what they're meant to do!"

"Andrew, please shut up"

"Make me Edresia, make me!"

"WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE THIS?!?"

Edresia turned towards Andrew, her face red and her eyes watery. Andrew was shocked and ashamed after receiving such a gaze, so he calmed down, still retaining his opinion though.

"..... Because.... i feel you're being unreasonable, i, a person that you deem as good, tells you that monsters are not essentially evil, but you keep insisting and denying what i say, along with the fact that you're protecting what were all in all cruel invaders, with no real good excuses apart from the fact that they also had families, friends blah, blah, blah. So, what? It doesn't change the fact that just for some easy money and potions they intended to slaughter innocents, treating them like beast. But i guess that's the only way normal humans can think of monsters"

Edresia passed her arm on her face, getting rid of the tears and looked down.

"What about those templars? Actually, no. What do you think of the Church?"

"..... From what i know..... it spreads a message of good to the people.... while getting rid of or hating everything that does not follow its beliefs, in this case, monsters. So, very hypocritical"

"...... Do you.... do you think i'm like that?"

"No, i don't think you're like that. I mean, you didn't found the Church, you didn't decide how it is now. You just guide it, as best as you can"

"..... Thank you. I, i have to go now. I'll have to think about what we just spoke about. Have a good day"

"You too...."

Edresia finally left, and silence returned, once again reigning supreme in the dungeon. After some minutes, Kalas emerged from the ground, his skull somehow expressing awkwardness. He laid against the wall and looked at Andrew for a while, before speaking.

"Ehm... Andrew. We have barely met each other, but i can safely say, that i am sorry for what happened to you"

"There's no need for that, you know?"

"There is. But i'll stop if you wish so...... I gotta say, that is the kind of thing that makes me glad i forget things easily, ahahaha...."

"You forget things?"

"Yeah, a lot, i actually don't remember absolutely anything before i became a dark mage. But that doesn't matter, does it? The past is the past, and the present is as shitty as it can get"

"Yep, it is"

"Oh, and about that whole dark and light thing you had with the lady, nice catch by the way, let me tell you something"

"What? Also, did you just call her a c-"

"You may be right that the Church is mostly a bunch of hypocritical assholes, but this situation is not about what's right and wrong"

"What do you mean?"

"That whole discussion, it wasn't a clash of good and evil. That was a clash of worlds, two completely different worlds. And in a clash of worlds the only thing that truly matters is which side you're on. Everyone is a hero and an evildoer at the same time, it doesn't matter what you do, in this case, some people will approve of you, while others will despise you. It's simply how it goes. And from what i understand, your world intends to get in a fight with many others. And believe me, no matter how much good you're out to do, there will be plenty of people that will just think of you as a nasty asshole"

"I guess you're right. You're pretty wise"

"Yeah, it happens when you you're more than two centuries old"

"...... Do you think i will get out alive?"

"I would be surprised of the contrary now"

"Why?"

"That girl genuinely cares about you, she really does. She will do everything in her power to bring you to her world, if you understand what i mean. And she will try till Lux herself tells her to stop, and even then she'll be reluctant. Honestly, i'd use the opportunity, give up dark magic and get her to the bone zone"

"You did NOT make that joke"

"Ow yeeeeaaah, i did and youuuu know it"

"I now have a bone to pick with you"

"Retaliation i see. I must say, your response chills my bones"

"That one didn't fit very well with the situation"

"I realized that just while i was saying it, but i still kept going"

"Know that feel"

"Whatever, i won't let it get under my skin"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Yeaaaaah, tricked yaaaaaaa"

Andrew and Kalas kept joking and talking for hours, their arguments ranging from philosophical discussions to the most random jokes and stupid things they found to entertain themselves, till finally Andrew fell prey to his sleep, pushing his troubles away, like they never existed. But his troubles were yet to end, as the power of the light threatened to bind him down and the power of darkness was already at work to free him, in the shadows where it belonged.

The Abyss, Meanwhile

"Shitshitshitshitshishit"

"My lord, please calm down"

"Nox, Nox, Nox. My only champion was captured by the damn Inquisition. So he's either going to die or he's going to be brainwashed. And i'd rather the former, to be honest"

Murgin was currently thinking on a way to free Andrew, who had been captive for almost a day by that moment.

"My lord, can't we just use the Kradlaits? They're well equipped and ready to battle"

"Yes, they are, but they're not strong enough to make an all out attack on the capital. I mean, they got a Hero, a Saint and various Inquisitors, along with all the city and noble guards. Even if they won, they would be crippled"

"...... Indeed, my lord. But, i seem to recall there being a powerful noble whose mind was taken control of by young master. Maybe we could use him"

Murgin's eyes widened as he got up from his dark throne.

"UNHOLY SHIT! YOU'RE RIGHT NOX! I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT GUY! Time to use my rights as Andrew's protector! Get ready to assist me, this may get tricky"

"Of course, my lord"

Murgin began concentrating all his magic and energy in a single point of Kieris, as Nox watched over him, ready to assist him in case anything happened.

Somewhere near the capital, At the same time

"The donation to the Church has been completed, my lord"

"Very good, i hope this pleases the Goddess. You're free to go now"

"Of course, my lord. Have a good day"

The servant left the office, where his lord, Gius Alse, Duke of Sunlen, took care of his work. After his region was devastated by a monster assault similar to the one of the incident of Gorwyn's Fall, he moved to a mansion near the capital, completely surrounded by many plants and animals, which made it very peaceful and relaxing. His office was made completely of wood, giving it a very rustic appeal, along with a spiritual one, thanks to the many religious paintings and symbols that were around, like tapestry representing a sun circling a cross or a painting of a white knight. His desk was filled with books and papers, most of them regarding religious tales and stories, which he mainly used to pass time, and placed in front of a huge window to allow the light to enter. He took a book in his hands, "Tales of Faith", one of his favorites, when a splitting headache suddenly hit him, making him fall off his chair as he grabbed the edge of the desk instinctively.

"AAAAAARGH! IT HUUUUUUURTS!"

The pain got more and more intense and his strength left him. He tried to crawl to the door in search for help, but he felt a cold and twisted sensation engulfing his body, so he looked at his hands, and saw that a dark shadow was taking over them.

"NO! NO! NO! WHAT IS THIS?!?"

He panicked and crawled in fear to his mirror and saw what was happening to him. His blonde hair was falling down, his skin becoming more and more pallid, as his veins showed themselves in a sickly black color. His eyes were darkening, his pupils turning purple and his hands were slowly deforming into claws and runes were appearing on his arms. When he saw it he tore his vest and realized that the same thing was happening to his whole body.

"NO! HELP ME! HELP ME! PLEASE! HE.... l... p..... meee..."

He fell and leaned on the mirror, as his servant busted through the door, worried and scared about the sudden screams of his lord.

"MY LORD, ARE YOU OK?!? WHAT HAPPENED?!?"

He entered the room, seeing his master collapsed on the mirror, and began walking towards him, till he grabbed his shoulder.

"Lord Alse?"

His heart pounded in worry and anxiety, since his master was not moving. But suddenly, the duke turned around and grabbed his mouth. Startled, he tried to break away from the grip, wiggling and pushing his master's arm away, but he could do nothing against what was in front of him. His master grinned.

"Now, now, please call me Murgin"

The attendant kept trying to break free, but a shadow crawled from his lord's arms and into his eyes. They became black, and so he stopped resisting.

"Good boy. Now, why don't you spread my blessing to your friends?"

"Yeeeeees........."

The servant slowly walked out of the office, hellbent of following his new master's will. Murgin chuckled, as he lifted himself from the ground, stretching a little bit.

"OOOOH! Ugh, been a long time since i had a physical body. Still feels as fragile as i remember it. Ok, so, the noble's good. Time to warn the rats. Too bad i can't use the Altar right now"

He took his hand out, and a dark winged rat appeared on it.

"Go warn the rats, my little friend"

The small summoned beast took off from Murgin's deformed hand and flied away, passing directly through the glass.

"And so the preparations are ready and now...."

He walked towards the window, gazing at the capital in the distance.

"Time for some good old war"