For hours, Ain and Senon walked through the streets, mostly quiet. They walked until the marble tiled streets lost their sun-bestowed luster and glow, and the world became dark with stygian night. The city was alive, even in the waning hours of day, with activity that mostly consisted of soldiers carrying the dead elsewhere. There was blood everywhere. By the looks of it, at least a third, perhaps more, of the Human soldiers were Abyssalized and now dead.

Ain, although tortured by what he had done, was more concerned with the most pressing problem -- how did so many people become Abyssalized?

Senon, on the other hand, believed that Ain was too crushed by his own guilt to speak, therefore kept her mouth shut, and simply walked next to him, holding on to his sleeve the way she usually did. After her Enlightenment, she became even more beautiful, her black hair, impossibly dark, absorbed the essence of the night, and her eyes, with those eight-point star-shaped pupils glimmered with newfound light. In that fight alone, against Rale, she had further become closer to the Principle of Equilibrium, and the changes already manifested in her appearance. She was a peerless genius to progress that quickly, but Ain, in this moment, could not even spare a thought on it.

"Let's head home," he said quietly, after he explored nearly every part of the city. Deep in his heart he was also glad that he did this, and this stung him the most. Now, the human army had no choice but to retreat back to the Human Realm; losing a third of an army was not a small deal. In that third were critical logistics elements, officers, friends and brothers in arms, not to mention the trauma the surviving soldiers were subjected to. To say the least, no one had any will to fight left.

It was necessary, he kept telling himself. In the greater scheme of things, and for the generations to come, he had no other choice. Even if it meant being hated by Humanity, anything was better than being destroyed by the likes of Agon, the Holocaust King, who put to death millions because of rogue clans and sects that harbored the Abyssalized.

"Master..." Senon quietly spoke the words, drawing out each syllable with a particular tone that hinted at some insecurity.

"What is it?" Ain asked, tone cold and distant.

"Was that person I fought... really practicing a Heavenly Emperor Method?" she asked. What she really wanted to know was what an Abyssalized was. But the specifics on broaching the subject in the best way eluded her.

Ain nodded his head. "In a way he was and he wasn't."

Senon pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Which is it?"

"What you fought..." Ain began, considering his words and how to proceed with an explanation. "You fought a Heavenly Emperor Method, not a person. The man, Rale of Vidar, stopped existing when he became Abyssalized."

There it was. "What does that mean? To become Abyssalized?"

Ain thought about the question, and how to explain it to someone who never heard of it.

In this era, those who practice Heavenly Methods were so few in number, and therefore, no doubt, most have forgotten the dangers such Methods pose. In the previous era, the abyssals were an almost everyday threat. There were entire Orders dedicated to their extermination.

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"You know how objects can become Sentient? Methods are no different. Unlike objects, which exist for countless years accumulating wisdom and developing a higher soul, Methods exist as a parasite and build on top of a higher soul," Ain said.

Senon interjected in Ain's pause. "All Methods?"

Ain nodded. "Indeed, every Method, from the lowest grade to the highest grade. In fact, it is considered that the pinnacle of all Methods -- the original -- replaces the Higher Soul entirely. Are you following so far?"

Senon nodded. "I think so."

Ain cleared his throat. "What happens when someone Abyssalizes is that they fail to internalize the Method, and it takes over their Higher Soul, corrupts it and cuts it off from the Source."

Senon pondered the words, trying to understand what exactly that meant.

Perhaps waiting to see if Senon would find the answer on her own, Ain allowed her time to think, but eventually, he revealed the mystery: "Nothing can exist without a Source. That is how I found them -- I searched for the echo of their Source."

Senon raised an eyebrow. "But if nothing can exist without a Source, how come they existed?"

Ain shrugged. "No one, as far as I am aware, really knows. To be specific, things can exist without a Source, but the Radix treats them as Outsiders and will eliminate them. However, the Abyssalized are never harmed by the Radix. Instead, the Abyssalized become exceedingly powerful very quickly, and soon, are capable of annihilating entire nations. The Fae, in particular, have historically been overwhelmed by legions of the Abyssalized, and became nearly extinct during the Realm Wars because of them."

Senon nodded. "I understand. But why must they be eliminated?"

Ain answered almost immediately. "Because they devour the Souls of others, sometimes including their Source. I told you already, all Methods have a parasitic, or perhaps a symbiotic, relationship with the Soul. A living, walking Method is no different. It only seeks to devour, kill, and try to reach the pinnacle of its existence. Given enough time, it will achieve this, and possibly destroy the world."

Senon then fully understood why Ain had to act the way he did, why he had to be that merciless and decisive. And she pitied him even more. Senon also suddenly became aware of how difficult this path she walked was. She had given herself to becoming powerful quickly, without truly understanding the dangers. Were it not for her teacher's guidance, she would no doubt have become a True Demon now.

But then she had another question. "Why did you call them True Demons?"

Ain glanced over his shoulder at Senon, with a cold glint in his eyes. "Because that is what they are. You didn't think demons in the Demon Realm were truly that? With their human appearance, human intellect, and human speech?"

Senon tilted her head. She was a half demon, she was sure of that. "What do you mean, Master?"

"Even demons have a human ancestor, in the distant, distant past. There used to be just us, Humans, then the Schism happened. The Abyssalized, however, are the real deal. They are what those who followed the God of Slaughter into exile set as their ideal, and because of that became demons of the Demon Realm. I suppose you could say, True Demons are the true ancestors of Demons. But that is a useless story that no longer matters."

Senon nodded reluctantly. "Very well, Master," she said, staring at the side of his face. There was more she wanted to say, more she wanted to know about Ain. But to Senon, Ain always seemed like an impenetrable wall, even when he did answer her questions.

But the quiet streets lulled her curiosity to sleep. Instead, in that moment, she just wanted to share this walk with him, under the glimmering stars in the canopy of night, and enjoy the feeling of warmth she felt in her heart. In true demonic fashion, she was completely ambivalent to the ambiance of desolation.

In fact, in a very innocent and romantic manner, she hoped that one day, Ain would come to see a walk like this the same way she did.