The hunter's eyes were staring unblinkingly at the creature in front of him. His weapon was sitting firmly in his grasp, aimed at the demon. The urge to shoot was so strong that if it wasn't for all the volatile souls strapped to the monster's carapace, Glavas would've already riddled him with holes.

"Ruundanedai. My pleasure. But you may call me Ruun."

"I don't care what you're called. I only want to know why you came here."

"Straight to the point. I like that approach. Well, to put it very simply, I wanted to ask you if I could borrow Alma for a few weeks. Naturally, I would guarantee her safe return without any injuries."

One corner of Glavas' mouth widened into a slight grin. "You can't be serious. You're the one responsible for her soullessness. Because of you, Surdi's deaf! Why the fuck should I hand her over to you? What even makes you think she would want that? You should know that she only goes where she wants. Nothing can force her."

"And that is precisely the reason why I came asking, instead of demanding." The demon looked to the ground. Some of its eyes closed, almost making it seem like he felt some distant relative of remorse. "It is indeed a pity what happened to the two. If I knew that she would awaken, I wouldn't have left her among the corpses. And what I did to Surdi... yes, that was cruel, I admit. I should've chosen a different spell. Something that was guaranteed to kill him. Back then, I had never seen a raging dragon before. What a scary sight it was. Lost some good men to the boy. Everything about him grew stronger. Physical strength, magical prowess, endurance, pain tolerance, and even resistance to spells, which resulted in his disability instead of demise. But rest assured, I have learned from my past and have stopped using sound-based magic entirely, to avoid such mistakes."

The grip on Glavas' weapon tightened. "You bastard. You really think killing him would be a better fate?!"

"Yes. Wouldn't you agree? The alternatives were to only spare him, but then that would be unjust to the others I've killed. And even if he was the sole survivor with his hearing intact, the trauma would persist. Killing him would end that suffering and let him rejoin his family in the afterlife. Wouldn't you say that is better than having to deal with a lifetime of nightmares and panic attacks?"

"I would say that not killing anyone at all would be better. But you demons really can't help yourselves, can you?"

"Indeed, that would be the best path possible. Your prejudice against demons is unfair though. I do not kill for pleasure or to consume flesh. I do so because there is no better way. If I could change the world without spilling a single drop of blood, trust me, I would do so, no matter how hard it would be."

"You think the suffering you cause will change the world? To what end? What do you actually desire?"

"Peace for my kind. And for yours too." Ruun began walking back and forth across the room. The gun in the hunter's hand kept tracking him with utmost precision. "You probably know that sometimes, demons escape from the netherworld through random fluctuations in magic."

"Yeah. So I've heard. Like when pests infiltrate a house."

"No, not like that at all. We have no control over that. Magic simply works differently in the land from which we come. I did not come to Ezma willingly, nor do I remember coming here in the first place. You see, demons are made of magic and are first born as..."

"Beasts. I know. Lesser demons are just hungry and don't think. Then you eat and evolve. That's when you become truly dangerous."

"Wrong again. It is when we are truly born. My sentience, memories, and all of who I am, started when I evolved for the first time. Back then, I found your world fascinating. But the other species didn't forget all the lives I took back when I was still a mindless beast. They hunted me for it. Wanted to kill me for crimes I didn't even know I committed."

"And you think that makes you innocent?"

"No. You keep missing my point. This is how demons come into this world. Of course, we are hated for what we do, but that is because we can't control that. What if we could though? What if a demon could enter this world as a blank slate?"

"There is no guarantee you wouldn't just kill people again."

"Of course, of course. But that is only natural. Even among the four major species, there lurk monsters. Or have you forgotten what atrocities happened at Rotler? Demons kill and eat out of reflex. The humans of that city caused suffering for profit and leisure. Every coin has two sides. There are good humans and bad humans. And I believe the same is also true for demons. Or rather, it could be true, if they were given a chance at a fair life in Ezma."

"You want to release the netherworld with Alma's powers, am I right?"

"Stop guessing. At this point, it is just embarrassing how wrong you are."

"Then stop babbling and get on with it! My patience is running out. I will rip the soul bombs out of your body if I have to!"

"Alright, alright. Please, no need to be so rash. I would prefer not to detonate myself either. Simply put, I discovered the truth during my travels. Centuries ago, dwarves, in their endless digging to reach the underground land of Oboro, their god, found a layer of dark, impenetrable metal. It seems to completely absorb both physical and magical attacks. It cannot be destroyed. The miners believed that beyond it lies the holy land and that Oboro will open the way for them when the time is right. I, however, can feel what is on the other side. Home. The netherworld. It is not a different dimension. It is right below Ezma, spanning far beyond the Impassable mists. But naturally, opening the wall would lead to a catastrophe. The demons would eat everything. So, I came up with a plan. Alma would open the entrance, and then, a portal would be placed inside it. All the lesser demons that would rush out would get transported into The Pit. A place that would be designed as an arena. Demons can't really become aware unless they consume flesh. But it does not matter what flesh they eat. To prevent overpopulating Ezma and causing trouble, they would kill and eat each other, and the moment one would gain full sentience, they would be transported back outside. Like this, they would be born into a world of beauty and through means that would spare the other races."

"You want to create a civilization. A fifth major species." Glavas' eyes dilated.

"Bingo! Finally, you are finally thinking like me. What I want is to give my kin a bright future. Unfortunately, change can only be brought through blood. And the bigger the change, the more blood is required."

"That's not true. Conflict will never resolve anything. It will just create grudges and be the cause for future suffering."

"And yet it led us here. Think about it. Right now, the four species are finally united, but peace and alliance were formed only after numerous wars and mountains of corpses. Governments have never become better due to talks and treaties. Revolutions, uprisings, and coups. Those were the things that changed the world in the past. As great as the species of Ezma are, you are incapable of change unless someone suffers first." The demon shrugged. "Not to mention that only a soulless being like Alma could open the impenetrable prison. And a such person can only be created by extracting souls until someone survives. Trial and error, so to speak."

"You think your ends justify the means. That is a perfect example of cruelty. You don't care who you have to kill, as long as you get what you want!"

The demon did not react at first. He slowly grabbed the edge of his tunic and lifted it up. "Fallah. She was a baker. Did not want anything from the world than a happy and peaceful life. This one was Rundir, a student of history. Wanted to explore the ruins of old civilizations and uncover secrets. Always a romantic. Then we have Wilia, Astu, and Rinom," Ruun spoke while gently sliding his claws over the containers with souls. "I have never forgotten." He let his tunic fall back down again and instead reached into his pocket, out of which he slowly and carefully pulled a tiny black notebook, the same as the one Glavas carried around. He then opened it at random and showed the contents to the hunter. On the two visible pages were names, always accompanied by relatively detailed descriptions of their owners. "When I take life, I make sure to see what they were like first. I write down their names, families, and dreams. Every night, I read through these lines as if they are of a holy text. I make sure that they will never be forgotten. That their names will be chanted and remembered by the generations of demons to come. The children will be taught whose lives allowed them to exist outside of the netherworld. They will honor their sacrifice. So no, Glavas, I do care. This is why with Alma, this can all end. I don't want to kill any more people. I have all I need now. Creating another soulless would just be cruelty. I need her. If she does this little service to me, I swear I will leave you all be. You can live your lives to the fullest after that.

"That's all super nice, but your plan has a massive hole in it."

"Enlighten me then."

"You want to create a portal system, a sealed-off murder pit, and then another automatic portal that would get the demons out? That's science fiction. You will never be able to create magic so complex."

"I know. That is why I will have help."

"Help? That will need more than just some help."

"No, it will suffice, if it comes from the Valimar Circle."

"The Circle? The strongest mages that love maintaining traditional values? The biggest conservatives of all of Ezma? Ha! I'd like to see you try. They will never agree to this. They will kill you on sight."

"Under normal circumstances, they would, yes. But you see, several decades ago, I have saved one of their newest members. She owes me now. We made a deal that if I ever need saving, I will call her and she will come. With her by my side, I believe I can persuade the Circle that my plan is worth doing. Besides, they will not be able to reseal the netherworld. Once the barrier is opened, they will have no other choice."

"You have connections among the Circle? No! I refuse to believe that. No Circle member would help a demon."

"Believe what you want. I require your cooperation, not your faith. I need Alma's help. And she has to come willingly. Will you please take my side? Together, we can persuade her, and then it won't be your problem anymore."

"You're just delusional. The Circle will kill you even if your plan succeeds. Do you think they will forget about all the lives you took?"

"No, I do not count on that. In fact, I already know that I will join the list of the dead. The demons will walk free and have a chance at a happy life. The children will be able to laugh and have fun alongside the ones from other races. But I will not be there to see it. They will execute me for my actions, that one is certain. Nevertheless, I will die happy, knowing that my kind is no longer suffering. So please, Glavas, help me out. Two weeks. That's all I need. Most of that just to travel there and back. Help me save my people." Silence filled the room. The hunter kept staring at the demon, not saying a single word. "Will this help?" Ruun walked around the metal table and dropped to his knees. "I am begging you, Glavas. Help me out."

"No." The elf answered firmly. "Whatever your intentions may be, the kids have suffered because of you. I will not let you anywhere near them."

"I see." Ruun sighed and stood up again, dusting off his pants. "Glavas, I will not give up. I hope you know that if I leave this place now, I will be forced to find another path. No matter how you decide, I will get Alma to join me. The question is if you want it to go the easy way, or the hard way."

"No, there is a third way." He stood up, aiming the gun at Ruun's head. "You played it well, but when you dropped to your knees, I finally figured it out. Any impact can detonate the souls in your body. It would be foolish to just drop to the floor, especially with so much force. They are fake, right?"

"Damn. They weren't kidding when they said you were one of the best."

A gunshot echoed through the room. The moment that happened, Alma was no longer willing to wait. Something was happening inside the workplace. She kicked the sealed door wide open, sending the shards and splinters flying.

"NO!" Glavas shouted when one of his projectiles hit the incoming debris instead of the demon. For a brief moment, Ruun's and Alma's eyes met.

"I will come for you. One day." The demon spoke as he stepped through a bright portal, emanating an aura of biting frost.

"Master Ruun!" Miora shouted the moment he appeared back at their hideout. The demon's body dropped out of her magical gateway right onto the floor. His dark yellow blood began spilling onto the floor.

"Miora... Please... call a healer," he groaned as he sat up, holding his left hand over a wound where a right arm used to be.

"What the fuck happened?!" Another man inside the room asked rushing over to Ruun's side. The moment he left his station at the rune circle, the white portal closed.

"He got me good. Fuck, I got lucky. One second too late and he would've blown a hole right through me. UGH!" He leaned against the nearby wall, focusing on his breathing to distract himself from the agonizing pain. "Glavas the hunter. What a terrifying man."