In an instant, Shadowfax took off and exploded into the air. And in the next, Alexander and Kieran were thousands of feet above the ground.

Kieran's black hair burst past him and blocked out his eyes. But in any case, it wasn't as if he needed them. He kept his eyes shut and his arms wrapped around Alexander's ribcage as he started screaming. He kept it up for a whole minute, while Alexander ignored the pressure on his torso and instead focused on controlling the young dragon.

As soon as the Earthling's ears stopped ringing from the shift in air pressure, as soon as the wind exploding against them steadied... He himself was steadied.

He let go of Alexander and grabbed his portion of the saddle. He separated himself and finally opened his eyes. And he was met with a sight unlike any other.

The UnderWorld wasn't just a barren landscape of red sand like Kieran had seen around Furcas' castle. It was a world more colorful and more vibrant than his own. Mountains and hills and fields covered in green, with stark blue rivers the color of the sky running through the ground. In the distance, he saw what seemed to be grand, massive cities, all separated by miles and miles.

The ground beneath them was no longer dark, but pure white dirt that was adorned with sporadic flowering plants of all colors he could imagine.

"Alexander, are you seeing this, mate?!" he shouted out against the current of the wind.

Alexander laughed in response. "Hell yeah, man!"

It was beautiful- all of it. But not beautiful enough to drown out his fear. And so, unease once again settled into his stomach. He tightened his grip around the saddle's handle and clenched his jaw. Kieran didn't know how long he had to endure the flight of this beast, but he knew he still had to get through.

That was all he could resolve for now.

Alexander on the other hand...

He felt no fear at all. His heart seemed untangled and straightened out. The feeling he was met with as he flew was one unlike any other. Even as cool wind burst past him, it didn't feel more than a simple swaying.

It was peace. He wasn't falling- He was flying. Death wasn't staring him in the face- only the wind was. And before he knew it, a thin smile crawled onto his lips, the corners of his mouth beginning to curl.

He took in a deep breath, and let out a heavy exhale.

Alexander was dead. He was on a quest. He was riding a dragon. But for a minute, all of that slipped his mind. All he could feel, all he focused on was the pure pleasure of the cool wind breezing against his skin.

The slight trembles from Shadowfax's movements, the humidity in the air, and the temperature in his surroundings- It all culminated into a pure, simple feeling.

...Until they started to crash.

It was only about an hour into their flight when Shadowfax began to tremble more and more in the wind, her wings shaking. They began to lose altitude, quickly descending and growing closer and closer to the ground.

Before Kieran could do anything other than scream out, before Alexander found his way to control Shadowfax through her reigns, they crashed.

Thankfully the dragon's instincts knew better than to stop itself from fully nosediving into the ground, but yellow dust and dirt still flew up into the air from the impact.

Now, minutes later, Alexander and Kieran stood around, doing literally nothing while Shadowfax stood on the warm sand, her lips curled into a smile as she basked in warmth itself.

"Do you think it can talk?" Kieran asked.

"She. And probably not. Furcas mentioned that her breed can do unexpected things, but... Talking doesn't seem reasonable."

Kieran cleared his throat and bumped his fist into his chest before extending his hand at the dragon. "Speak, girl."

The dragon had no reaction. Shadowfax simply shook its wings once again, letting more and more sand cascade from her wings.

Alexander gently rubbed her head again as he turned to Kieran. "Told you." He kept touching her and examining all that he could. Each of her inhales and exhales, each trembling beat of her heart, and the fluttering of each scale on her wing culminated into one understanding.

"Oh. She's just tired."

"What do you mean?"

Alexander furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, she's a normal living creature. What she just did was the equivalent of a kid running a marathon. It's a miracle we got this far." He turned back to Shadowfax and rubbed her snout. "She did great so... She just needs rest. A meal and a couple of hours should get her in good shape again."

Kieran forced down his light grumble and instead focused on Alexander. "How are you already so close to a beast you met a few hours ago? You're acting like it's a dog you've had since you were a child."

Alexander chuckled. That was all he could do as he unhooked the latch on Shadowfax's back. Everything she carried, every bag and compartment, and even the saddles were all connected, and with Alexander unclasping one hook, it all fell off her back and onto the side, crashing into the dirt and raising a thin cloud of yellow dust.

"What was that for?" Kieran asked in genuine confusion.

"I just said she's tired. She doesn't have to be carrying this at all times." Alexander walked past Shadowfax and began rummaging through the thick, heavy bags she carried. He grabbed his sword and tied it to his belt.

"Come on Kieran, get your things."

A sigh left the boy's lips as he began climbing over the bags in order to find his shield and spear. But no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find them. He wasn't familiar with the idea of shifter weapons, after all.

He let out a frustrated groan before Alexander moved him out of the way and quickly found a thin wooden stick painted light brown with a small yellow embedded in its bottom, as well as a small steel circle with a single piece of leather protruding out, connected to it at its center.

He tossed them both to Kieran, and in mid-air, they began to shift and grow and change into their original forms. Kieran extended his arms before him to catch them, just barely managing to catch the shield in both arms.

At the same time, the long spear drove itself into the ground. "Mate, that could've killed me."

Alexander shrugged and smiled, going back to ruffling through the bags and pulling out a thin piece of roasted meat. He had no idea what animal it had come from or how old it was, but Furcas said it was all safe to eat.

That was the only assurance Alexander needed before he bit into the tough meat and started chewing. He still examined what was in the bag and made himself certain that they had enough food for the days to come.

Still, his focus was interrupted when Kieran called him. "Wait, Alexander..." his friend spat out.

"Yeah?" Alexander muttered out through the piece of meat clenched between his teeth.

"Where did Shadowfax go?"

Alexander raised his head. The dragon was gone. The giant, hulking black beast had somehow disappeared from their line of sight. If Alexander wasn't in between chewing, his jaw would've dropped open.

That wyvern was their best way to get to Purgatorio and to get to the mountain Furcas needed them to go to. But... There's no way she just disappeared. Right?

Alexander swallowed his dry saliva and shot his head up to the sky, squinting through the blaze of the bright sun and scanning everything he could. There was no trace of her. Kieran already dropped to the ground and began mumbling panicked cries to himself.

Until Alexander heard a slight purr coming from the food storage.

He raised the opening of the leather bag and stared at the small black creature that nibbled on a piece of black meat.

"...Huh?"

The creature turned to Alexander and stared with brilliant yet dark blue eyes before going back to sinking its tiny razorlike teeth into the food.

"Kieran, look at this."

The boy got up from the sand and brought himself to stare at the small creature.

"...That's Shadowfax, isn't it?"

"I guess so."

After another couple of small bites, the creature looked back to the boys and began to crawl its way up Alexander's hand. It was small enough to fit and lay down in Alexander's hand, but still made its way up his arm before sitting down on his shoulder. It slowly began to grow, ever so slightly before taking in what seemed like a yawn.

"Well... I guess this is one of the surprises Furcas mentioned."

"So, what? She's getting rest now?"

Alexander nodded as he smiled at the tiny version of Shadowfax. "Yeah, she really needs it."

"We..." Kieran told Alexander, motioning his hands between the two of them. "Have to get moving. We're still far from where we're supposed to be. We have to hurry up and get moving. Use your magic and get her back to being big again. Or do something and-"

"Look, man," Alexander interrupted. "I know you're here for a purpose, but this isn't something you can force. Magic isn't all-powerful. You just- You have to be patient. We'll get to Purgatorio. And we'll save your mom. But just-" A sigh left his lips. "Tro to take it easy, okay? We're already in Hell. All I can do right now is promise you that the plan will work."

Kieran had no response. He only looked to the side and faced the wind blowing against them. And with a strong gust, a boulder just a dozen or so meters from them had budged. A boulder he hadn't noticed before.

Kieran wasn't one to grasp his surroundings in an instant. But he did notice the slight movement just now. The wind wasn't strong enough to move such a heavy boulder. He must've imagined it. But regardless, it was... suspicious.

"That rock just moved," he said aloud. He couldn't afford to take any chances, especially when in Hell.

"Huh?" Alexander muttered out and turned around. He laid his eyes on the grey stone just a short ways away. Magic energy was emanating and floating off it like smoke from a fire.

He couldn't help but smile. The magic was young, fresh, and unsteady. Two lifeforms stood beneath it, tunneling somehow and trying their best to not be noticed- But that didn't matter. They were demons, but more importantly, they were children. Alexander could tell that much.

Kieran had already tossed his weapons to the side and into the dirt. Before he could even try to reach for them, he was ordered to freeze.

"Right now... We're in a stalemate," Alexander told him with a smile. "In order to break that stalemate, we need an external piece. Let's just... see what happens."

He went back to the bag and brought out a metal container of water. No matter what came next, he knew he had to be hydrated.

It was then that a screeching, somewhat high-pitched battle cry burst onto the scene. The boulder had burst into rocks and the rocks into stones, exploding outward and raining down onto the dirt.

"Don't move!" a boy screeched out, his cry echoing out into the empty plain.

Kieran's arms flew up in surrender, while a thin glimmer of light reflected off of some metal and flashed in the corner of Alexander's eyes. 'A weapon,' he realized. A sword or a dagger, anything of the sort. But with just a second more, with another glimmer of light, he understood the length of whatever blade he was faced with.

It was short. Barely a dagger, more like a simple knife. A makeshift weapon, he realized as he turned his head to the side ever so slightly. All he saw was a boy, a young, small demon with a knife held in a poor grip.

He turned entirely, now facing two children with his stale obsidian eyes.

"Identify yourselves!" the boy shouted, pointing the blade at both Alexander and Kieran.

"And state your purpose in these lands!" the girl mustered out, shouting out with courage mixed with fear.

With one move, Alexander could close the distance between them and disarm the knife-bearer. With one move, Alexander could turn the tables of this strange encounter. Still... That wasn't the best idea, although Keiran was thinking of the same course of action.

A young girl was standing beside, or rather, behind the boy. She had short purple hair and the same grey skin as the boy. But while the boy had no armor, the girl did. She was younger, only by what seemed to be a few years, only ten years old compared to the boy's thirteen. She still wore the same rags and loose cloths over her skin as the boy did, but she was covered with a single worn but still intact shirt of chainmail that clinked and jangled with each of her unsteady shakes.

She was trembling in fear. She was young and inexperienced, and rightfully so. Her mind was shrouded in the uncertainty of what could happen next, only managing to stare instead of speak or more- only managing to stare at the dense cloud of darkness and murky energy that surrounded Alexander.

Still, the boy pulled his free arm back to her. His touch was soft and warm; it calmed her nerves and forced a deep, slow inhale, as if it was part of a habit they had built over time.

They were siblings, Alexander guessed as a thin smile began to grow on his lips. Even if they weren't, they faced each other with trust and love and neither of them would let harm come to one another.

He remembered Emilia and with her memory, the reason why he fought, the reason why he pushed forward, and why he couldn't give up on life itself. He had to make it back to the World.

Alexander's brain began to race, forcing itself to find the best possible outcome, the best possible decision to make, one that wouldn't bring any harm or pain to the innocent pair, but one that would let him and Kieran keep on their quest.

He could run and escape, but they would only alert their superiors. He could knock them out painlessly and keep moving. He could-

His crawling smile widened as an idea of a lie forced its way through his mind. That smile turned into a chuckle, and that chuckle into a laugh. That laugh burst into a cackle as his clenched fists opened and his arms spread.

Wind flowed south, brushing past him and the others. And with his arms and hands spread, he extended a single finger at the two demons.

"Boy," he called, still facing away from them. He deepened his voice as he uttered, "Do you know who I am?"

The boy furrowed his eyebrows as the wind chilled his bones and sent shivers through every nerve in his body. He shook his head and spoke, "That's why you have to come with us. A demon wandering around here-"

"A demon?!" Alexander's new, instantly created persona cried out. "I am no mere demon," he told them, beginning to turn, his lips spread apart with a grand, wicked smile. "I am a devil. The first one, at that."

A single second of silence slithered its way around the children as they came to the same conclusion. The man that stood in front of them, against all odds, and as a manifestation of their bad luck... It was Him.

The girl gasped. She took a step back.

The boy, by contrast, operated on more than instinct. As soon as he understood, he clenched his jaw while his eyes widened. He dropped and bowed his head down onto the ground.

He spun his head to the side and faced the girl, his eyes still wide as he urged her. 'Hurry!' his eyes screamed out to her.

She reacted in an instant, dropping to her knees and bowing her head so far down that it touched the red dirt beneath them.

"I hope you can forgive us, by the grace in your heart, milord," the boy said, his head now pressed against the ground. "We were... We didn't expect to meet you in this corner of the UnderWorld... Lord Lucifero."

Kieran furrowed his eyebrows, his unusually expressive face twisting in confusion. Alexander didn't turn to face him, simply sending his palm towards his friend's face to remind him. There was no time for confusion, only time to act.

"Very well," Alexander told them. "I suppose your actions don't merit a punishment. You may stand, children."

The girl arose immediately, while her brother paused and waited before standing.

As the boy got back on his feet, he began to mumble to Alexander. "Milord... if you don't mind me asking..." Alexander stared down at the boy with his obsidian glare, leaving the boy to clench his teeth once more as he summoned his courage. "Why are- why are you wandering our lands alongside a human?"

Alexander's brain churned out the best ideas and thoughts possible, only to spit out the first one that came into his mind anyway. "This boy is a Demon-Born," he said, motioning a hand to Kieran. "...or rather, a Human-Born," Alexander muttered as he recalled the term in the UnderWorld.

"What is your name, boy?"

"Berane," he responded before signaling his hand at the girl beside him. "And her name is Esila. My sister."

Alexander steadily nodded. At the same time, Kieran scratched the back of his head. He brought his hand to his face and studied the thick layer of sand that coated it, the thick layer of sand that must've been all over his hair. His face twisted in some slight disgust, as if he had forgotten everything he knew and expected from the land of monsters and condemnation.

Berane eyed Kieran and set his gaze back to Alexander. "That Human-Born with you... We detected him from far away, and assumed that-"

Alexander raised a single finger. That alone was enough to silence him. "Repeat that word you just uttered. Assumed?"

"...Yes," the boy mumbled as he swallowed his dry saliva. "We... Well, it may have been incorrect, but we assumed that-"

Alexander took a step towards them. "Do not assume. I am the lord for a reason."

The boy dropped and knelt once again. "Yes, lord."

Alexander took in a deep breath of the dry wind. "Good," he uttered. He stared at Esila just as Berane began to rise once again. "This region..." he muttered out, turning his head to the side and gazing upon the structures and buildings in his distant view. "Who's governance is it under? Currently, at least."

"Uh, Osdohrne," the boy told him. "I thought you would know that, milord."

"And why would I know about every single regional governor of Hell? I have too many troubles and too many leisures to attend to. The names of my subordinates are of no concern to me." He smirked. "Well... Calling them subordinates is giving them plenty of high praise, don't you think? Almost too much."

The girl stared up. "You are correct, Lucifero."

Berane smacked the side of her head. "Refer to him as Lord Lucifero!" he quietly yelled at her. "He is one of the greatest devils in all of eternity and existence!" He froze once again. "The greatest devil in my opinion," he continued as his eyes met Alexander's. His gaze was still shrouded in fear, the fear of death.

"Yes, brother," the girl mumbled. She slowly raised her head and brought her sight upon Alexander's face. "I... I do apologize, Lord Lucifero."

Alexander wasted no time and searched for possibilities. "So, you two work for Osdohrne?"

They nodded. "It's the only way to survive," Esila mumbled.

"The Purgatorio District is just outside this region's bounds. Who here has access to it?"

"Only Osdohrne," the girl responded truthfully. "And those that sit at his side. Those closest to him."

"But for you, Lord Lucifero...!" the boy spat out. "I'm sure you'll be allowed in immediately! All you must do is ask and everyone would be more than willing to assist you with whatever you need."

Alexander smirked. "That includes you, doesn't it?"

"Yes, sir!" they uttered out in unison.

"In fact!" the boy continued. "We would be graced to be allowed to help you in your endeavors," he said with a brimming fervor in his eyes. He spoke with truth, pouring his heart into each word. "We only ask in return a small portion of your grace, any blessing you can provide for us! Nothing else, and we shall dedicate ourselves to your service!"

Alexander was now beginning to understand. The children had nothing, even as they stood afraid in front of who they thought was one of the supreme devils, they couldnt help but see it as an opportunity to gain something. Berane used this opportunity to fight, to change his and his sister's lives and to end the cycle thus far of being at the bottom of the UnderWorld.

"Good," Alexander said with a smile. That smile was genuine. He felt bad for manipulating children, but he knew they wouldn't get hurt. All they had to do was follow his orders for now, and then they would never see Alexander or Kieran again.

And all he had to do was lie his way into Purgatorio.

That was it. A proper plan that would work for once, he told himself. He smiled at Kieran before turning back to the children. He crouched towards them, leaning forward with his hands on his knees.

"Now, then," he said to them, his obsidian eyes shining as he stared at the two siblings. "Be some kind demons and lead a devil to your governor, will ya?"