Gabriel and Mak have returned to Kevin's house after the whole incident with Ozymandias, Nico has lent them his Bag of Holding since they wanted to bring back the wyvern scales, he prompted them to relax as he would contact them soon about any news that they should learn, from the moment that Kevin saw the wyvern scales and Mak explained in detail about their properties he decided to dive headfirst into researching and kept in contact with Munderic for assistance. Nico told them that he had to clean some things up in Mexico before requesting Gabriel's addition to the forces of the Vatican and that gave Gabriel some time to rest, as he was now sitting alone in the living room, he decided to take out the book he found at the chapel, the book was about Consentual Possession, presumably, someone invites a demon to possess his body, from what Gabriel was reading, there was no way that this book would have anything to do with his state, the book described that the user of such a ritual would surrender control to the demon, even though the demon would be in charge of the vessel, the soul of the previous inhabitant would still linger around the vessel, the ritual protected the soul of the owner from being disconected from the vessel, the demon would be the one controlling the vessel and the owner would function as nothing more than an observer with no chance of reclaiming control of the vessel, just observing like Gabriel did while Mike fought, like Mike does when Gabriel is in control of the body, this sounded kind of familiar to Gabriel but in his case, Mike was able to control the vessel as soon as Gabriel allowed him, they could both control the body. Gabriel's consciousness might be dominant most of the time but Mike has forcefully taken control before while Gabriel was on the verge of death, while reading, Mike felt like discussing with Gabriel...

Mike- (This doesn't make sense.)

Gabriel-(Why? One of your theories was that I might be a demon possessing this body, right?)

Mike-(In that case, I would have memories of performing such a ritual. I never was human.)

Gabriel-(Well, Kevin said that I am not a human either.)

Mike-(You are human though, Gabriel, your consciousness, your body before the machine was installed, we were both in this body, I told you, I have been alive as long as you have.)

Gabriel-(I never asked you about that, I can't believe it took me so long to realize, do you know my parents? Do you have any knowledge of where my parents are, I can't recall when I was abandoned to the orphanage but you might.)

Mike-(No, I am sorry, Gabriel, I completely understand the need to know your origins, I feel the same way. The first memory that I have is the same as yours.)

Gabriel-(I thought so.)

Mike-(Your woman companion is coming, hide the book.)

Gabriel-(Wha...?)

Mike felt the presence of Carmen walking to the garage where Gabriel had moved all his stuff, he hid the book and pretended to have been doing sit-ups...

Carmen-Um...Gabriel?

Carmen was wearing a really colorful and cute dress with frills and she had put on a very thin line of make up, just enough to be even more breathtaking than usual. Gabriel didn't really know how to respond after being approached like that...

Gabriel-Hi...

Carmen-I know this is sudden and all but... Would you like... To go out with me when you are done with your exercise... and... I know that you just returned from Mexico and you fought with a warlock and a huge serpent... Mak told me so...

Mike-(Is she asking you out? That's cute.)

Gabriel-(Oh shit, Mike HELP ME!)

Mike-(Don't worry, just tell her that you will go after you take a shower. Keep it cool.)

Gabriel-I will come after I take a shower. (I hope you are right.)

Mike-(I am, look at how relieved she feels, she is also trying to read your mind all the time, figure out how you feel about her, I have been blocking every attempt.)

Carmen-Oh... Right, I'll wait in the living room for you. Don't keep me waiting too long.

Carmen's attitude changed, she seemed for playful and teased Gabriel for a bit before going to the living room, Gabriel went to the shower. While Carmen was waiting, Mak appeared from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand and a bag of jelly beans, an odd combination but Mak was an odd person all of the time. It appears as though he had something to do with Carmen's sudden confidence, he talked while also chewing on the jelly beans and occasionally sipping from his cup...

Mak-So...What did that little idiot say?

Carmen-He agreed, I am so glad that I listened to you and got already prepared for going out. Also, don't call him an idiot.

Mak-Yeah... Didn't I tell you that he would comply easily, seeing you all dressed up and pretty like that, what kind of moron would turn you down? Obviously he would agree... Where is he anyway?

Carmen-He had to take a shower first, he was exercising in the garage.

Mak-Gabriel? Exercising? What for? It's not like he can get any stronger with conventional training routines.

Carmen-Yeah, now that you mention it... Why was he exercising?

Mak-(Oh no, he must have heard her coming and pretended to exercise to take a shower because... Oh Gabe, you dirty little rat. He was masturbating.)

Carmen's face turned red, she looked at Mak and was embarrassed to the point of hiding her face with her hands.

Mak-Right...(Fucking hell, I forgot she can read my mind.)

Carmen-I... No, Gabriel wouldn't... I mean... There wasn't any evidence that he was... His computer was turned off and... there weren't any magazines or...

Mak-Hey, I might be wrong, Gabriel is an idiot after all, he might think that an exercising routine is going to improve him. He could just be exercising without knowing that it's useless.

Carmen-Yeah...

At this point, Gabriel walked to the living room, he wore some nice clothes, not too fancy, he had a casual outfit but also good enough to go grab something to eat on the road. Carmen stood up and walked towards him, as soon as she saw him, she forgot the previous thing about what Mak thought, now Gabriel was the one feeling weird, Carmen was standing right beside him but he just could reach out... Mike had his back once again, without even realizing it, his hand extended and grabbed Carmen's hand, both of them walked out of the house without any plans or anything in mind. Mak was left alone, he was impressed at how easily Gabriel was able to grab Carmen's hand, he always thought Gabriel was a wimp when it came to girls, after all, Mak didn't know about Mike's existence, he thought that Gabriel's previous fights where Mike was able to take control were just Gabriel's power unleashed. With his coffee cup and jelly beans in hand, he walked to Kevin's lab.

Kevin was so captivated on the wyrm scales that he didn't eat at all since they came back with them, he was just refilling the same cup with coffee as he stayed up all night once again, trying to figure out a way to turn this scales in a full-plate armor. Mak looked at Kevin who was working passionately on the scales, pumping energy in them with his own powers, using cables to pump voltage in them, trying to heat them up and forge them by hand, he thought that he could skip the ritual this time since the material was already in the form of scales, his efforts though were ineffective since the wyrm scales were almost indestructible and not malleable, there was no way to soften them up enough to be forged or shaped with traditional methods, Mak walked closer to him and told him exactly that,

Mak-That's not gonna work, Kevin. The scales cannot be forged or drilled through to tie them up in the shape of armor, the only possible way to make them of use would be to perform the Infusion ritual.

Kevin-Quite possibly yes, despite how much energy I pump into them, it doesn't seem to activate though, the ritual is already in place out in the yard. At first, I thought that since that particular ritual was already used once, I should remake it.

Mak-You tried it with a fresh ritual?

Kevin-Yes, although it still failed.

Mak-Why don't you ask our little idiotic warlock friend about it?

Kevin was talking with Mak but he was also working at the same time, almost like he wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying but instead replying automatically.

Kevin-Huh? Munderic? Yes, I contacted him earlier, his only advice was that maybe the catalyst wasn't strong enough.

Mak-Hm, he might be right, I cannot imagine the puny power of a simple shadow elemental, more like the instrument of such an elemental being able to produce enough energy to invoke the Infusion ritual on a material like that.

Kevin-You know I am supposed to praise Nefaris, I can't be ungrateful for the power he has given me or else he will strip me of it.

Mak-Oh yeah, that thing was such a secondary character I almost forgot its name. Oh crap, I just remembered Munderic's pet with all of this recollecting of memories.

Kevin-The Invunche? It is quite astounding, I could never imagine such a useful thing to exist, the idea of a soules being used as a catalyst when there is a sacrifice required, imagine the problems that such a thing can solve.

Mak-Imagine the problems it can create though, that thing was horrible, the alchemical ingredients that require to make one out of a human baby...

Kevin-Uhm...

Mak-(Wait, if I recall, Munderic said that he didn't actually use a live baby to make that disgusting thing... He said he performed a necromancy spell. It didn't hit at that time, how on earth did someone so inexperienced, someone who got tricked by a mid-class demon was able to perform a necromantic spell?) Call Munderic immediately!

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Kevin-What's going on?

Mak-I have a lot of questions for that boy. (How was he able to do something like that? It doesn't add up, he didn't seem all that smart, he didn't trick us by any means, someone must have taught him that spell.)

Kevin-Sure, I'll give him a call and ask him to come by, plane tickets aren't exactly cheap you know.

Mak-This is way more important than some stinky currency, Kevin. Also, don't tell him I want to speak with him, just call him to help you with the scales, a happy idiot like him won't resist the thought of playing with such material.

Kevin-Ok...

Meanwhile, Gabriel and Carmen were out, to the usual coffee shop, Carmen was clearly happy that she could spend some time with Gabriel, even if they tried to keep her away from any mission that they went, she was happy to at least be there with him when he was relaxing, she was worried for a bit when Gabriel announced his desire to join the Vatican, having more dangerous work to do would mean that he would be away from her for long periods of time, there was no way she would let something like that happen, in her mind, she wanted to make Gabriel and Mak acknowledge her strength and at least consider taking her with them.

Carmen-Uhm, Gabe?

Gabriel-Yes?

Carmen-What do you plan to do now? With all that stuff that Mr. Nico said.

Gabriel-I am gonna actively work towards my goal. I am no longer gonna sit by while terrible things happen around me. It might have all started out of the blue, I didn't really have a legitimate reason to begin this work, I could have easily just stayed dormant and lived my life back when Kevin rescued me, but after acquiring such power, who would stand idle when monsters destroy all the good things in this world? I don't feel like a hero or anything, I think that every person has the resolve to change things around them, I have only been given the chance to do it now, the power I have acquired has set me in this path. If I stayed the way I was, I might never have had the will to do all that I have done. I sometimes question my resolve even now, I am not sure whether I am supposed to follow this road. I have had second thoughts about a lot of things, there were times when I felt helpless even with that strength, I felt weak.

Carmen-Oh, I wouldn't ever guess that you would have such thoughts.

Gabriel-I do, I just can't share such thoughts around Mak, he would just make fun of me, call me soft and other crap, with you, I feel... More relaxed. I have a feeling that you would listen to my thoughts without judging me.

That sudden trust to share his deepest thoughts with her made Carmen feel wonderful, in her mind, she has achieved a position where Gabriel feels relaxed around her, he feels like he can share his emotions with her. That made her extremely happy, her cheeks were bright red.

Carmen had feelings for Gabriel even before meeting him, the stories that Mak has told her about their missions, the quest that he has taken upon him to fix the world has brought hope to her. Carmen was shunned, she was abandoned by her family who didn't accept her, every person that she has met apart from Gabriel, Mak and Kevin has tried to harm her or didn't even care about her, she was abandoned by the world, she felt that Gabriel was also in a similar spot when he was back at the orphanage, his cries for help could not be heard, the people around him didn't actually make the effort to help him, they were all standing idle to the horrible behavior of others, no one would make a stand to defend him. After all, that is the mindset of humans, why risk your own wellbeing to save another? Why would someone make an effort to change something that doesn't affect themselves? There are people who see the horrors around them and want to make a change, they just aren't strong enough to be heard, their voices are silenced by the constant sound of human nature, their efforts are crushed by those who wield all the power. In Carmen's eyes, Gabriel has done exactly that, she knew that he had the resolve, to begin with, she knew that he was also forgotten by the world, cast aside. Gabriel already had the wish to change things, his powers were the catalyst that drove him to this path, he has taken upon himself to change things around him, to correct every wrong that he sees. Carmen developed feelings for Gabriel because he represented the hope she wanted to find, the things he had done and will do to improve the lives of other people like her. In her eyes, Gabriel was the most important person in her life. Gabriel, on the other hand, was clueless. Despite all the time he spent with Carmen, despite the constant affection he received from her, his mind wasn't straight. In his mind, every person that was ever kind to him seemed like he had feelings for, he didn't know the feeling of love, to begin with, Helen has tried to ease Gabriel's mind time and time again, she was concerned with the behavior everyone had towards him but then the result was the same, she didn't really have

the power to stop it, to stop the harassment that Gabriel was the victim of. Gabriel understood that, he knew that Helen wanted to help him, he just didn't know what the feelings he had were. Helen was attractive beyond belief, her characteristics were enough to classify her as gorgeous, it was normal for every boy to be enchanted by her based just on physical appearance. Her behavior towards Gabriel was also a factor to his feelings, he was confused though. He wanted to spend more time with Helen but his own view of himself didn't let him, he didn't feel worthy of her time. He felt like she wouldn't want to spend time with him because he thought himself a loser. Up to this point, Gabriel had put Helen on an unreachable pedestal, with Carmen though, he also felt the same affection, he also felt the kindness she had but still had the same dark thoughts haunting him. A girl so wonderful as Carmen wouldn't really want to be with him, right? That's what he burdened himself with. Even if he felt jealous at times when other people showed any interest in her, even though he wished for nothing but her wellbeing, even with such clear signs that he cared for her, he questioned his feelings just as much as he had questioned his worth. The problem was that he always cared for how others perceive him, even though he hated when the view of others was negative, he didn't know how to respond to positive comments when he got them. When Carmen had openly shared her thoughts with him, he was scared of screwing things up. Gabriel needed more confidence, despite all his accomplishments, all of his strength, deep down, he was still a frightened boy with explosive anger. In time though he felt all the more relaxed around Carmen, he could share some of his thoughts with her, he could openly spend time with her.

Mak was also responsible for this outcome, if nothing else, Mak was incredibly efficient in reading the emotional signs of others, he could tell what the other person was thinking just by looking at them, he poked and mocked others to expose their feelings and collect more information out of them. Mak had incredible charisma despite his vulgar language at times, he was a master schemer, it might seem immoral to someone but his plan to bring Carmen close to Gabriel was to stabilize his personality, Mak was a person of results, Mak always wanted to the best for himself, as far as he knows, Gabriel might be the strongest individual on earth at this time, if he ever succeeds in his quest he would become the leader of the entire world, being close to him would mean he would also be favored, even Kevin knew what Mak's plan was, he knew that he only looked after himself. As far as Mak is concerned though, he wanted to make Gabriel's personality as normal as he could, Kevin's excitement for all this new stuff they came across has distanced him from Gabriel, he spent all of his time experimenting, the role of the mentor fell on Mak as soon as he arrived at the house and he knew that it was his responsibility to ensure Gabriel's mental health was stable, a relationship would also be beneficial and that's why he exploited Carmen's mindset and gave her a view of Gabriel being a hero, he intentionally sparked Carmen's interest for Gabriel, he exploited Gabriel's lack of female companionship and poked at him to deliver the illusion of genuine feelings in both of them. It was by his hand that these two became close. With his words and his actions, he was the one who sparked this relationship with

the sole purpose of making Gabriel feel at ease. As immoral and evil as that sounds, Mak was a person, or rather a goblin that valued only results, as he has shared earlier, he developed a god complex. He viewed many creatures lesser that him, even his own kind, the memories and personality of a dragon has made him arrogant, he knew that what he was doing was wrong by all means but he couldn't let Gabriel snap one day and decide to destroy everything, he needs him to stay calm and fulfill his wish because then Mak would also benefit. Gabriel's growth as a person was so important to him that he would defy all logic and moral ground to make it happen. No matter the consequences.