A cold wind blew through a dark and lonely alleyway. Shivering, I raised my lantern to keep the shadows off my path. A small scratching noise brought me to a halt. I glanced around but couldn’t find the source. The noise stopped as quickly as it started and so I kept moving. After rounding a corner, I saw a stone wall that marked a dead end. My lantern’s light didn’t reach far enough and so I was forced to squint into the darkness. Two glowing yellow eyes returned my stare.

The fight was over before it even began. It wasn’t worth mentioning.

“Wow, that was brutal.” Hades snickered from inside my lantern. “That demon didn’t stand a chance.”

“Obviously…” I sighed.

The subdued demon’s body didn’t release any steam. I knelt down and examined it carefully. It was only unconscious, just as planned.

“Hades, bring this one back to the house.”

“Aye, aye.” Hades chirped as he materialized in another fiery display.

“But first, there should be one more demon in this district. Tell me where they are.”

“Oh, so you noticed. He’s about ten minutes south-west as the crow flies. That’s what my nose says, anyway.”

“Remember where that smell came from. You’ll be carrying that body back as well.”

“Jeez, you’re such a slave driver.” Hades let out another short laugh. “It’s strange though. Didn’t you decide to let the festival run its course? If that’s the case, then you can just let these small-fries run free. Sooner or later, they’ll all get eaten by larger demons.”

“This is for a separate project.” I grinned. “Curious?”

“If it’s about your new pupil then I’d rather not know.” Hades shuddered, probably remembering the gory results of Eris’s sorcery.

“Then get to work.” I chimed. Hades still looked distracted and so I snapped my fingers as though I was calling a maid. “Any day now.”

Hades saluted and then bent down to grab the body.

Satisfied, I left to find the next one. My assistant’s directions weren’t precise but once I learned about an abandoned house in the area, it became a simple task. The front door was unlocked so I walked right in. Then I immediately stumbled back out as cloud of steam forced its way past me.

“Huh?” I heard a familiar voice. “I guess meeting you again was inevitable. Since we’re both hunting demons.”

When the smoke cleared I could see Eris and Hal inside the house. They stood over a demon who had all but evaporated. The house itself was clean, as clean as an abandoned house could be that is, but one look at the demon’s body told me that it had died in a memorable fashion.

“Another failure, huh?” I chuckled.

“I guess.” Eris replied, folding her arms. “I’m sorry if I took your prey again.”

“Please, I’ve got more than enough money for myself. I’m not doing this for a reward…” I paused for effect while I put on a sincere expression. Gathering information may be my job but manipulating it is my hobby. “These stray demons have been making life here a living hell for the residents of this city. I just want to let everyone live their lives free from the mistakes of sorcerers.”

“Aren’t you guilty of making more than a few of those mistakes?” Eris narrowed her eyes.

“The mistakes of a younger man, eager to use his power.” Next I wore a pained expression. “I can’t erase my past…but I can at least help people in the present.”

Eris ambled over to me without breaking eye contact. I didn’t falter, playing such a role was as simple as breathing. She stopped in front of me and smiled.

“It’s reassuring to hear that.” Her voice didn’t hold a hint of malice. In fact, the way she carried her weight and the lightness of her tone indicated that she had begun to relax. “Your name came up a few times during my travels but it was never associated with anything good. I’m glad that you seem to have turned over a new leaf.”

“Well, the longer you live the more chances you have to reflect on your actions. I’m thankful that I’ve lived long enough to see the error of my ways.”

“Speaking of living a long time…” Eris started.

I stifled a grin.

“If the information I have is correct, then you’ve been living for a very long time. An almost astonishing amount.”

“What? Were you wondering if I became a demon or something?”

“It wouldn’t be impossible.” Hal stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. “Especially for someone like you.”

“True, but that’s not the reason.” I replied, retrieving a small knife from my coat pocket. “My longevity is a result of sorcery, but not demonic sorcery.”

I wrapped my hand around the knife’s blade and sliced across my palm. Blood sprayed out and the two of them stepped back to avoid the sudden shower. Meanwhile, I began a chant. Seconds after I finished, my blood started to shiver and shake. At first, it was a quiet movement, one that could easily be created by stomping your feet near a puddle. Then, the blood began to thrash violently until it evaporated into a fine mist. Once the blood vanished, my wound was healed.

“This is the sorcery that I developed with my late pupil. I can heal wounds but this magic’s most impressive property is that it can slow the effects of aging.”

“That’s amazing!” Eris exclaimed as she rushed forward to examine my hand. “There’s no scar! Check this out, Hal!”

Hal eyed it from a distance but eventually his curiosity won out and he came in closer.

“I’m…surprised.” He coughed. “I wouldn’t have guessed that you developed healing sorcery.”

“Like I said, I’ve turned over a new leaf.” I showed the pair a bright smile. “Anyways, I’m glad that we ran into each other here. The sorcery that Eris showed me was extremely interesting. Frankly, I’m not even sure that it can be done, but I want to help you try.”

“You want to help me turn demons back into humans?” Despite the goodwill I had carefully generated, she still seemed uneasy about accepting my help.

“Yes! Like I said before, I can’t erase my past…” Once again, I paused for effect. “But with your sorcery, I might be able to save the people that I’ve hurt. Many of my creations are still alive and up until now I could only save them through violence. If your sorcery can turn them back to normal, then I would be able to make up for a small part of my sins.”

“…I understand.” Eris sighed. “I’m not sure how you can help but-”

“-I’m actually in the middle of preparing a station for us to work in.” I quickly interjected. “I’ve subdued a lot of demons in this city but I haven’t killed them yet. If you’d like, you can use them as research materials.”

This proposition might sound repulsive but it was no different than what Eris has been doing up until now. She searches for demons in the name of protecting the weak and then slaughters them as test subjects. Eris really did remind me a lot of myself. This girl might think that she has a moral stake in things, but that’s only because she hasn’t realized how much she cares about her own research.

“Eris, this all seems…I don’t really understand but somehow it’s wrong.” Hal spoke first. “I’m against it.”

“I’m being handed the opportunity to learn from the world’s most experienced sorcerer and a batch of test subjects. I would be insane to decline.”

Eris extended her hand and I shook it eagerly.

“This is wonderful! Simply wonderful!” I beamed at the two of them. “I’ll write down some instructions for where you should go. Just meet me there tomorrow.”

“You carry around a pen and paper?” They both replied in unison.

“Of course. I am a merchant, after all.” I grinned.

~ ~ ~

After securing Eris’s cooperation, I returned to my house with a skip in my step. I probably should have moved into the castle once Rowell arrived but that would only be a nuisance for me. For one thing, it would be difficult to conduct experiments in the lord’s residence. Although, I’m sure that I could fool Malcom somehow, especially with the king’s assistance. My true motivation for living away from the castle is one of pride. Not pride that would make me snub the lord, although that certainly exists. I have my pride as someone who was born in this city when it was just a small town. That pride has forced me to own land here, despite my nomadic lifestyle.

I made sure to pick up Hades on my way back. If I hadn’t, he might have run into Hal and Eris and who knows what would have happened after that. Fortunately, Hades isn’t difficult to catch. I let a couple souls float out and he came running like a trained dog. I guess they smell different when they’re outside of a body.

Once we reached the house I stopped dead in my tracks. Everything was going so smoothly up until this point. I had almost forgotten what it was like to be surprised. Until, that is, I saw the man standing at my doorstep.

“Hello, Elver. There wasn’t much to see, so I’m back early.” The man’s greeting was more of an abridged report. He was covered from head to toe by random pieces of clothing. At his side was a short sword which he always carried, despite never needing it. The only visible part of his body were his eyes. They appraised me with a cold glare, just like everything else that they saw.

“Hey, Rowan. This is certainly a surprise.” I replied as I walked past him to open the door. “Come in, you’ll have to tell me about everything that happened.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Rowan hunted down the nearest seat and took it.

“Yes, yes it is.” I found my own chair and sat in front of him.

“So, should I just…go?” Hades mumbled. He stood meekly in the doorway, ready to bolt at any moment.

“Sure, I don’t have anything else for you to do today. Come back tomorrow, though.”

Hades was already out the door by the time I said ‘sure’.

I can’t really blame him. I have a widespread reputation among demons as someone to be feared but Rowan has built his own reputation in a much shorter amount of time. Demons that recognize him flee on sight, it’s actually been a bit of a nuisance recently. Unfortunately, it can’t be helped. Rowan is just too eager to kill them.

“This really is a surprise, though. The festival hasn’t started yet, so why did you return?”

“Because one isn’t happening.” Rowan replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

I blinked. “No, it’s definitely happening.”

“The rumor is a hoax. If there really was a grim festival happening there, then that town should be swarming with demons.”

“There’s demons swarming around every adjacent town and city.” I hissed. “It doesn’t matter whether they wait at the exact location or not.”

“I disagree.” Rowan shook his head. “If they weren’t there, then how did the rumor start in the first place?”

“It’s your job to figure that out! That’s why I sent you there!”

“Yes, and I concluded that there was no plausible reason for such a rumor to spread. The heart of the rumor is that demons are gathering in droves at the abandoned town. This indicates that a grim festival will start soon. However, there was no proof of that at the place in question.”

“Well there must be some reason why the rumor started.” I knew I was arguing in vain but my stubbornness got the better of me. Rumors are always created for a reason but it doesn’t have to be a simple one.

“I don’t know why someone started that rumor, or how it spread so quickly. I am, however, sure that it’s a hoax created for some other purpose.”

“Ugh.” I sighed heavily. “So that means everyone’s waiting for a signal that won’t come…”

“Everyone?” Rowan eyed me cautiously.

“Everyone who’s heard the rumor, obviously.” I lied through my teeth. It wouldn’t be good to let him know about the demons in the bell tower. Although, it would be even worse if he learned about the king's plan. “Right now, they’re all worried about something that will never happen.”

“Well that’s good. Now we can exterminate all the demons in this city and then move on to the next one.”

“Before we get to that…How about you finish your report?”

“Sure, I found six other people. Five of them showed up because of the rumor, like I did. The last one was a young woman who has apparently been living there her entire life.”

“She was living in that town? All by herself?” Memories from long ago began to surface but I brushed them aside.

“Apparently.” Rowan shrugged. “As for the others, you probably know most of them. There were three demon hunters: Howes Lacer, Dain Surt and someone who called himself ‘Ten’. The other two were Bismarck Vole and a bodyguard sent by his lord.”

“Ha, ha, ha!” I had to laugh at that lineup. Besides this mysterious ‘Ten’ and the bodyguard, any of those people could have become a thorn at my side. Instead, none of them will be in this city as I prepare for the festival.

Rowan eyed me curiously but didn’t comment.

“Rowan, I want you to stay in the castle for a while.”

“Why? You said there were demons swarming around this city. If that’s the case, then I’ll…”

“You’ll have to wait for a few days. The king is still here and our main job is gathering information.”

“That’s your job.”

“Which is why I need you to stay and represent me in the castle while I go out and finish my research. I have more experience at searching for demons anyway. I’ll find out where they’re hiding and then we can take them out together once the king is off our backs.”

I cringed inwardly. That lie wasn’t up to my standards but it was all I could come up with on such short notice. Rowan couldn’t stay here or else he’d run into Hades or Eris. I silently cursed whoever made such a flimsy rumor. Rowan was not supposed to be back so soon.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Make sure you take off that ridiculous outfit before you go to the castle. They have a pretty strict dress code.”

“I don’t want to hear you call it ridiculous when you’re the one who forced me to wear it in the first place.”

“You need a reason to hide that mark. Those clothes come from a pagan tradition where they cover the body of the sick to prevent illness from spreading. We wouldn’t need to go to such lengths if your mark wasn’t in such a prominent place.”

“I could just wear a mask…”

“That’s much more suspicious. Plus, a mask would only make people wonder what’s hidden underneath. With that outfit, their attention is divided across your entire body.”

“There’s practical issues as well.” Rowan ground his teeth. “I nearly got heatstroke while I was travelling. Quick movements are also extremely difficult…”

“Suck it up.”

Rowan tapped loudly on his armrest. “Then what do you expect me to wear instead?”

“In the castle? Just wear a mask. I’ll warn them that you’re eccentric.”

“If I’m eccentric then I can just keep wearing this, right!?” Rowan stood up. “Since it’s less suspicious!”

“Sure, that’s fine.” I nodded dismissively.

“Arrgh!” Rowan stormed out.

Whether he went to the castle or the tavern is anyone’s guess. The important thing was that he forgot to argue about his new assignment.

“Now I just need to deal with my newest pupil…” I mused. “…And then find a catalyst. If no one else is going to start this festival, then I just need to make a signal.”