Chapter 11: Alexander; Shauran 20th, 344SR; 8:20

The sky was blanketed by dark grey clouds, lingering adrift lower to the ground level. Alexander approached Logos for the first time in a year, leading a party of hybrids and angels on horseback. Behind him, Avery Sun, the leader of the monks from Welis, sprawled herself out on the back of the muscular horse as she stretched.

“Not only is there a decrease in the logorite supply... Look at the size of these crops... What is that incompetent brat doing?” Alexander murmured in anger as he noticed more things to nitpick.

“Riva... Why’d we agree to this…” the brown-haired woman groaned in a dry tone as she slipped off the horse slightly but hung on with one foot.

“You’re the one who said it would be fun!” Rolo scoffed.

Avery flexed her abs and up righted herself onto the mount. They approached the brown houses in Logos, the center of the town was directly in sight. Someone in white body armor made his way down the path, an uncommon color for miners. ‘Is that the so-called angel who helped mine? Of course we’d see something like this with Arthur around…’

“Oh no...” Freiya kissed her teeth. “Please give me a moment, I am very sorry!” she shook her head, and her smaller brown horse cantered past the group and toward a short angel walking toward them.

The angel was a little over five feet tall, ‘A scout?’ A pickaxe rested on the young angel’s shoulder. He had a spring in his step, a wide smile with his eyes closed. He hummed down the path, almost unaware of the party of angels and hybrids on horseback.

“Eos! I thought I told you already to stop going to the mines!” Freiya scolded the white-haired scout.

“Huh?! Oh- Uh...” Eos stammered.

“Don’t even say it!”

Alexander’s horse trotted forward.

“But I get stronger in the mines?” the angel named Eos replied with a puzzled look.

“I don’t care! I’m pretty sure Arid was upset with me, because of you!” she roared.

“What house do you answer to?” Alexander suddenly asked as he approached, looking down at Eos.

“Uh.. Captain-” Eos murmured.

“Speak up!” Alexander shouted suddenly.

“Pendragon!” Eos yelled in fear, his body shaking in the presence of the eight-foot man.

Alexander looked down at the angel with disappointment as he heard that. ‘This is why you don’t give Arthur my-’ A large crash echoed through the sky, and the hybrids all turned toward the mountain. The horses all stumbled, Alexander squinted at the ground. ‘An earthquake?’

“What was that?” said Eos.

The trees around the mountain all seemed to shake, and a cloud of smoke rose from the other side of the forest. Alexander got off his horse and looked at the mountain, another cloud of smoke rose from the other side as well. The two thick grey clouds flowed with the wind, joining the other clouds in the dull sky.

“Eos was your name, correct? You said you wanted to go to the mountain, go investigate that disturbance, and report back to us immediately,” Alexander gave the order, but instead, Eos stared at him for a moment. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

“No-no...” Eos replied nervously. “I feel like I’ve seen you before... Who are you?”

Alexander felt an unspeakable rage. It was like his rage toward Arthur, driven by nothing but anger and contempt for his existence and being.

“Are you dense! That’s House Rael’s noble! I’m so sorry Sir Alexander... Eos! Get to work and stop slacking off!” Freiya scolded.

Freiya smacked her forehead and kissed her teeth out of frustration. Eos ran off in a concerned hurry toward the clouds of smoke at the base of the mountain. Lector’s horse trotted forward.

“Who are you?” Lector giggled with a smug grin.

“Do you want to die?” Alexander asked Lector calmly.

“Hah, that kid is weird, I think I saw him get into a scuffle with a guard from our house the other day. Too bad, he reminds me of Yami...”

“That’s a good point... Where is Yami, I thought I asked you to wake him up...” Alexander asked as he turned to Lector who didn’t return eye contact.

“He... He didn’t wake up,” Lector replied hesitantly.

“Tell me what really happened,” Alexander pressed for the truth.

“I’m serious he didn’t wake up!”

“Your first and second vacations are going to Vivian and Bruno-”

“Huh- Wait- Okay, I didn’t even try,” Lector quickly admitted.

“I wanted the both of you to visit a certain house, oh well... Go on your own... You know which, search it, if you find Jack, tell me,” Alexander ordered.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lector understood.

As they entered the town, a black snake-like dragon slithered into the sky. Its maw glowed as it spat a red ball of plasma straight down. An explosion rippled through the air, and a pillar of smoke rose out of the center of Logos.

“Of course... The brat is already up to something,” Alexander commented as Arthur’s dragon lowered to the ground.

“Hey! Slow-” Avery called but before Alexander could turn Rolo and Riva were off their horses and in a full sprint towards the center of the town.

“Well... Looks like we shouldn’t be here for too long,” Avery commented.

Avery put her hands on the back of the horse, pulling her feet up while crouching on its back. As the horse approached the roof she stood and grasped it, effortlessly pulling herself up with one arm. The brown-haired woman flipped onto the roof made of logs. With a hop in her step she leaped across the street and grasped the roof of another building, then climbed on top and looked over.

“Look’s like Arthur got here before us,” Avery observed the center of the town while mid air.

Alexander nodded at Lector as he turned his horse and entered a full gallop towards Jack’s house. Alexander followed the hybrids into the cent of Logos. He took a deep breath, remembering the filthy stench that permeated the air. ‘It’s been a while…’ As Alexander saw the plain of grass in the center of Logos, he immediately noticed Arthur chased three slaves, but one of them had different clothes. ‘A member of the resistance? They still exist?’ The man wore gray camo pants and a tight black shirt. Balakin attempted to go for one of two other people who ran off in different directions.

“Enough!” Arthur shouted in frustration as he chased after the man with short black hair.

Alexander’s horse galloped quickly, cutting the man off.

“Shit...” The non-unified swine uttered as he looked up.

Alexander got off his horse and walked forward, the man put his fists up to retaliate. A grin spread across the Alexander’s face. The man ran forward, shouting to motivate himself through the fear. Alexander closed the distance in a second and kneed him in the stomach. The man coughed as Alexander slammed the back of his steel gauntlet into the man’s face and he fell on his back.

“Ahagh!” the resistance member wailed in pain.

“Tell me where the others are already... I don’t enjoy interrogation,” Arthur asked as he caught up.

“Go to hell!” the man on the ground cursed as he gritted his teeth, and blood ran down his nose.

Alexander didn’t recognize him, he wasn’t a slave from Logos. He had short black hair and a well-defined face, his left eye was scarred and he looked up at the two nobles with nothing but contempt.

“Yeah, go to hell Arthur,” said Alexander.

“You’re here earlier than expected,” Arthur responded, he pushed his thumb against a bruise on his cheek.

“You allowed yourself to be hit by such weaklings... Don’t ever call yourself a noble. Ever again,” said Alexander.

Across the field, Riva had her knee on a dark-skinned man’s back and a sheathed blade at his throat. In the other direction, Rolo had his foot down on the other individual who ran. Rolo rested his greatsword on his shoulder as he glanced around at the ruined patches of grass.

“So... Have you gotten Jack out of Logos yet,” Alexander asked.

“Huh?” Arthur responded in confusion, “What do you mean-”

“It’s beyond obvious you’re up to something, don’t even try to feign ignorance,” Alexander grasped Arthur’s collar. “I’ll make sure your status as a noble is dragged through the mud as soon as I prove you’re full of your own dragon’s shit!”

Arthur looked Alexander right in the eyes as he shoved Alexander’s hand to the side. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Arthur replied as he walked past Alexander toward the clan leaders.

“Tsk...” Alexander turned as well, infuriated by his lack of care or even acknowledgment

“I located these members of the resistance hiding in Logos during the night. These three may not be alone,” Arthur informed them as he picked up the resistance member and dragged him over.

‘Never mind running his name through the mud, I want to kill him myself...’ Alexander reached into his pocket and pulled out a stone with a golden circle on it.

“Lector, did you find him?” Alexander spoke into the stone.

“No. He isn’t here,” Lector’s voice came through the stone.

“Arthur was in Logos before us, look around, there’s a chance Jack is already gone,” Alexander ordered.

Alexander put the stone back in his pocket. He turned and looked to the center of the town where the three non-unified were taken. Riva, Avery, Rolo, and Arthur surrounded them.

“Sir Arthur, who are these people... Why were you attacking them?” Riva asked.

“I investigated the area surrounding Logos as I noticed a suspicious individual wandering late at night. One of the people within the party entered the town at night, I tailed him until he met with these two to exchange information. I don’t know exactly how many there are, but those two are slaves who’ve been communicating with the resistance, and this one looks to be higher up in the resistance’s current ranks,” Arthur pointed to the man with short black hair.

“Try not to be upset about that punch kid. You deserve it after all,” the man on his knees joked despite being in danger.

Arthur looked down on the man whose eyes were wide with intent and rage, his mad grin told the members of the hybrid alliance how much he hated each of them. Alexander glanced at the other two, he recognized them. A slave named Ben, and another named Franklin.

Ben’s eyes were wide with fear despite his muscular appearance. He grimaced at the resistance member, as if silently telling him not to provoke anyone. ‘These two... They look similar...’ Ben wore the typical clothing given to slaves. While he had a strong build, he couldn’t calm his nerves as he breathed heavily. The slave looked down at the ground.

“No,” he whispered to himself repeatedly.

The short dark-skinned slave had a messy head of curly hair. He also wore slaves clothing. Franklins eyes were wide open from how afraid he was.

“I remember this one,” Alexander knelt and looked the dark-skinned teenager in the eyes. “You were the one who told me where Jack was all that time ago, why don’t you tell me once more? Go on,” Alexander asked with fake kindness.

The child looked at the other two non-unified.

“Don’t look at them, they didn’t ask the question,” Alexander’s eyes twitched and the boy started to breathe heavily.

“I... I don’t know?” Franklin uttered.

“Is that so?” Alexander stood up and adjusted his gauntlets, the slave gulped. “What’s your name boy.”

“F...Franklin... Franklin Huvic...” he stuttered.

“Franklin don’t say shit to that ty- Agh!” Alexander quickly planted his boot in his face and cut him off, knocking him onto his back as he groaned in pain.

“Adam!” Ben shouted in fear.

“Huvic? Huvic... Huvic... Huvic,” Alexander repeated as he turned and walked away slowly in thought.

Riva tilted her head, confused as to what the noble was doing. Alexander paced back and forth before he raised his finger.

“Huvic!” Alexander shouted gleefully. “I remember now, I tried to make your parents fight each other to the death! Ha-hahaha! That day was amusing.”

Alexander looked around and saw the non-unified awoken by the commotion. They stood a safe distance away. Although concerned about what was happening, when they realized who had returned to Logos, they stepped back further with worried looks on their faces. It made Alexander even giddier.

“Oh perfect, this is just a perfect moment!” Alexander cheered.

Arthur cringed in disgust, Rolo’s eyes looked disappointed as he watched Alexander make a scene. Riva’s hand shook as she held her blade. Avery didn’t reply, her expression blank.

“They were quite admirable as they didn’t oblige... Until I mentioned that I’d drag you... Their precious, yet useless son... Into this town to be killed in their stead!” Alexander explained.

Franklin’s horrified face turned to shock. He blinked repeatedly, his throat cracked slightly as he sobbed while looking directly at the noble. The dark-skinned child’s eyes were wide with shock, his hands trembling against the dirt.

“Mom, and Dad... Fought... For?” Franklin choked, he couldn’t handle it and started to ball tears.

“Franklin don’t listen to him... He’s just a piece of shit...” the short-haired man uttered, he rolled onto his front, his face against the dirt.

“You... Made- them fight each other?” Franklin uttered in despair.

“Well... Made is probably the wrong word, I tried to make them fight, but they refused until I brought you up. They must’ve loved you because your mother demanded she be killed in place of your father! But you wanna know what I did after?”

Franklin hands shook on the ground, his tears hit the dirt.

“I sliced your father limb from limb in front of her so she could hear his suffering! Then... The best part... I killed her anyway!” Alexander laughed maniacally, no one else laughed.

Franklin’s fists clenched.

“This is good, this is very good... I want you all to watch!” Alexander shouted. “It’s about time Logos had its warden back in power!” he cheered with open arms to the sky, laughing away as if his life never had another worry.

“Jack...” Franklin uttered.

Alexander whipped his head around to the boy. ‘Yes... The only way for these rats to cooperate is for them to understand their place.’

“Jack is-” Franklin sobbed.

Franklin’s head rose as he wiped the tears out of his eyes.

“Go on, tell me where Jack is,” Alexander knelt down.

“Jack kicked your ass! You’re just a pathetic piece of shit!” Franklin hissed in rage as his hands grasped the green dirt and grass.

Alexander looked forward and breathed out. He pursed his lips, gritting his teeth behind them. ‘Jack... Kicked my ass?’ Alexander laughed slightly, he almost couldn’t believe someone had said that to him.

“Sir Alexander,” Riva spoke up. “We’re not here to torture people...” She reminded him with an upset look on her face.

“You and your parents are similar Franklin,” Alexander stood and looked down with a blank stare.

Alexander suddenly grasped his hair and dragged him forward. Franklin cried in pain and fear. He desperately held onto the hand of the noble to stop him from pulling his hair out.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Hey! Don’t-” Ben hesitantly tried to say something.

“Let go of him!” the other resistance member hissed.

Alexander lifted Franklin effortlessly and threw him by the hair. His body spun toward the non-unified who watched nearby. They stepped back with horrified expressions, Franklin crashed into them and knocked a few down. Alexander looked at his palm and shook some of the hair that he had torn off. Franklin’s body hit the ground and tumbled, he was dragged through the dirt to a stop. His face was horrified as he quickly grasped his head.

“Aah!” Franklin wailed.

“Arthur, the one thing you’ve done right and wrong, is not shaving them. Good job,” Alexander said with a smile.

“Enough, you have Logos back, and you’re already working to lose it again?” Arthur glared at him.

“You are why the logorite supply fell though...” Alexander pointed at him. “I’m back because you’re a failure, Arthur.”

The boy grasped his head and tried to stand. Alexander stomped his foot down on his back and Franklin cried out in pain.

“You forgot how important fear was!” he stomped on Franklin’s back again.

Before he could stomp one more time he noticed a blue blade’s edge at the side of his head.

“Stop!” Riva demanded with a look of rage in her eyes, Alexander glanced back at her.

“You’re just the second in command for the royal guard... Who are you to tell me to stop?” Alexander took his foot off Franklin and faced the woman with the blue robe.

“Why the fuck is someone like you a noble?” Riva hissed.

“I’m good at what I do,” Alexander answered as his greatsword appeared in hand.

A hand fell upon Riva’s other shoulder. Arthur’s grasped Alexander’s wrist.

“Now now, let’s not start any infighting,” Avery tried to calm the situation. “Riva, put away your blade please,” Avery asked.

Riva lowered the sword before she sheathed the long blade, however, her blue eyes were locked on Alexander’s the whole time. Arthur backed away, letting out a sigh. Alexander was focused on the katana at Riva’s waist.

It was a long blade, silver with a blue glint that reflected off the light. The guard of the sword was silver, its handle wrapped in a white cloth. At the back of the handle, a red string was tightly tied to it.

“One of the two sabers of Ginpa, not just a fang. Impressive,” Alexander praised her.

Riva didn’t reply, her eyes still conveyed nothing but rage. ‘She might be a formidable fighter, it’s a shame... If I tried her, it’d be three-on-one.’ Alexander thought as he heard several flaps grow louder. ‘Huh?’ He looked up to see Vivian soar through the air and land on her feet before she fell onto all fours. She was out of breath.

“Vivian?” said Alexander.

“Captain... There’s... Bruno is... “ Vivian stuttered.

“You and Bruno had orders to watch the outpost-”

“There’s- there’s a demon! There’s a demon outside Logos!” she cut him off.

“Demon?” Avery stuttered.

“A demon? Are you certain!” Alexander asked, his attention now focused.

“He... He... Bruno was... I had to leave Bruno behind... Or else I wouldn’t have escaped, I, I-” Vivian huffed, however, Alexander put his hand on her shoulder.

“Calm down Vivian, at times like these, you have no choice but to be calm, what happened?” Alexander remembered the massive sound earlier, he looked toward the mountain.

“You think it has to do with that noise we heard?” Avery mentioned.

“It could be what we’re looking for... We should stop wasting time here!” Riva added as she glanced at Alexander, her eyes continued to seethe with anger at the noble.

“Vivian, could you lead us there,” Avery asked.

“I’ll help Arthur here and join you,” Rolo told them as he knelt next to Franklin. “Get up, you aren’t through yet, I want intel on the resistance, inside and outside of the non-unified,” Rolo asked calmly.

Alexander heard a muffled voice come from his pocket. He reached for it and pulled out the stone, then put it to his ear.

“Sir... He’s here,” Lector confirmed.

“Where!” Alexander’s tone became serious, immediately dismissing the matter of a potential demon.

“In front of the house,” Lector responded.

“The Eldritch house?”

“Yeah... You’re not gonna believe this,” Lector added but Alexander had put the stone in his pocket and already made his way toward Jack’s house.

Alexander walked towards the southern part of the town, ‘Jack... Jack...’ Alexander repeated the name in his head, ‘Why is it always Jack... The dream... The son of the one responsible for the mines closing... And now even Murdok utters your name...’ Alexander pondered, ‘That dream was not some coincidence...’

* * *

Alexander reached the house. He was so focused on Jack that he was unaware of the large crashes and noises around Logos, or who caused them.

“There are a lot of things I don’t believe here,” Alexander whispered to himself with wide eyes as he arrived at the scene.

Lector was unconscious on the ground. A wooden supply wagon with children from one of the east outposts. A gust of wind from the west suddenly made Alexander focus. He watched from a distance as Jack and someone else ran frantically in and out of the Eldritch house. ‘The children from the outpost... Demons... Jack...’ Alexander reaffirmed his prior suspicions about the slave in front of him.

Alexander walked over slowly, his presence still unknown, his metal boots pressed into the dirt. The rotten smell of moldy wood lingered in the air. His cape whished and flapped from another sudden gust of strong wind from the west. The clanks and clicks of his armor gave away his presence as Jack turned his head. The slave’s expression immediately turned to shock.

“Unfortunately, that brat Arthur is busy, there’s no one to save you this time!” Alexander declared.

Jack shivered in fear, his arms and legs rattled as he tried to stand. ‘He’s nothing like his father or his mother...’ Alexander looked down at him, he hadn’t realized this was the first time he’d ever seen Jack clearly. ‘You may not look like the pale monster from my dream, but I know it was you...’ Jack crawled backward, he stood only to fall once again as his legs shook uncontrollably, panting heavily enough for Alexander to hear.

“Hey, Jack what’s- oh shit...” A different person Alexander didn’t recognize walked out of Jack’s house.

He was a young adult with brown hair past his eyes and white skin. The defining feature of his appearance was the clothing, he wore a similar uniform to resistance members. ‘But how did they defeat Lector? I know he doesn’t fight, but he isn’t defenseless...’ Similar to Arthur, Lector had a bruise on his face as he lay on the ground unconscious.

“So I wasn’t wrong to be paranoid, good,” Alexander reassured himself once again.

‘What is this... It’s not the same... It’s not like the other slaves...’ Alexander lifted his arm and the blade appeared once more. ‘I don’t feel joy in this...’ Alexander glared down at Jack while Jack sat on the ground frozen in fear. ‘All I know is you have to die right now!’ Jack got up and ran away from the wagon.

“I should’ve killed you then, but I’ll certainly kill you now Jack Eldritch!” he declared as he leaped at him and swung down.

Jack turned, his expression filled with horror as he ducked and rolled to the right. The edge of Alexander’s blade buried itself in the ground as the force of the strike knocked dirt in all directions. Jack’s body lifted off the ground and his body spun directly into a house on the left of the street. His back hit the wall and he fell to the ground on his front.

“Jack run!” the other yelled as he charged forward at Alexander.

“Oh? This should be good,” Alexander let his guard down on purpose as the man braced for a punch.

“Take this!” he punched Alexander’s chest plate, and to his surprise, he felt himself get pushed back slightly.

“What the...” Alexander looked at his chest and saw an imprint of the man’s fist, ‘What was that... It felt different from a regular punch...’ Alexander stepped back in and raised his foot, he tried to kick but the man dodged to the left to avoid it.

“You... What was that...” Alexander asked in confusion. ‘A non-unified shouldn’t have a gift?’

The resistance member charged forward once more and braced for another punch. He swung, but Alexander saw it coming and caught his fist. His arm was a twig compared to Alexanders. ‘Where did that power come from?’

“What’d you do? Answer me!” Alexander demanded as he grabbed the young resistance member’s throat.

Alexander suddenly heard steps in the dirt approach from the right. Jack charged forward and braced his fist as well. ‘Don’t tell me-’ Jack’s fist pressed into Alexander’s face.

‘Ah!’ Alexander let go of the man’s neck as he stumbled to the left. Alexander’s cheek felt numb, it rattled slightly from the impact. Jack tried to get the coughing man to his feet.

“John we have to go! We can’t beat him without Ajal!” Jack warned as they ran in the opposite direction.

Alexander touched his cheek, the skin felt warm, but it stung slightly. ‘What the hell?’ Alexander pondered in confusion. He stood up and crouched down, putting all his strength into his leg, before jumping into the sky.

“You won’t get away!” Alexander roared.

They turned to see Alexander soar towards them with a blade in hand, John pushed Jack out of the way. Alexander slammed his blade into the ground between them, the two were forced off their feet like before. John flew into a wooden pillar, and Jack tumbled against the dirt.

“What was that... What did you do? That couldn’t have been a gift... Answer me! Where did you acquire that power!” Alexander demanded as he approached Jack, blade in hand.

“You killed Carol!” Jack shouted as he ran forward, Alexander hesitated as the slave planted his fist into Alexander’s armor. “You bastard! Why aren’t you dead!” Jack readied for another punch and pressed his fist into Alexander’s armor again making another dent.

Alexander watched the slave pathetically swing a bloodied fist into his silver breastplate once more. His hand bounced off and they both heard an audible crack. ‘He isn’t afraid of me?’ Alexander watched Jack drop to the ground on his knees as he gripped his hand.

“Ah!” Jack winced in pain as he grasped his bloodied fist. “Dammit!”

“You have to die… Just disappear once and for all, right now!” Alexander swung the blade down, and Jack covered his head out of fear.

To Alexander’s increasing surprise, something flew between him and Jack. The object struck his side, making Alexander stumble and knocking the blade out of his hand. ‘What the hell?’ Alexander stumbled to the left, as something fell behind him. He turned and looked down to see the white haired angel from earlier. But he was unconscious.

“You, why are-” Alexander uttered.

His sword was a short distance away, and the sound of footsteps approached from the right. Alexander turned his head to see a tall man with black hair approach. He wore similar clothes to the rest of the rotten slaves, but something was different. ‘Are his clothes too small... No... I don’t recall seeing a slave as tall as me before...’

“Ajal! This guy is Alexander Rael! He’s bad news!” John screamed.

“Ajal?” Alexander repeated.

At that moment Alexander remembered an important fact. ‘The trail ended in Logos...’

“I was right, I was always right all along! I am chosen by the Celestial!” Alexander yelled as he raised his foot to stomp on Jack’s head. He didn’t expect to see a hand press against his chest plate and push him back. The black-haired man was suddenly in front of him, crouched with his right hand clenched into a fist. ‘Huh? When did...’

“So this is Alexander Rael,” Ajal said as he swung his fist.

* * *

The warm light hovered over Alexander’s eyes. He opened his eyes and squinted. He felt his nose crackle slightly. He blinked repeatedly, his neck ached, and his head was pounding.

“Ah...” Alexander whimpered in pain.

He tried to reach for his face but his arms were under something. ‘What happened?’ He struggled to open his eyes, every time he tried his eyelids would quiver from the pain. Alexander gasped as he grit his teeth. With some effort, Alexander pulled his hand from the rubble and reached for his face. ‘Light?’ Alexander noticed a large hole in front of him, made from the broken planks and the wood of a house, Alexander touched his face and felt a warm liquid slide down the tips of his fingers. ‘Blood?’ he noticed a red liquid drip down his palm. There was dust everywhere, and Alexander’s back ached in pain. Alexander recalled what had happened. ‘That guy... Did he punch me? Did I get knocked out by a single punch?’

“Rgh!” Alexander writhed in pain.

It felt like something was moving under his skin, he felt his nose crack back into place, and his strength slowly began to return. Green flames soothed his wounds. Alexander put his hand against the ground and felt pricks from shards of glass and chips of wood. ‘This is a filthy slave house... He sent me flying? Me?’ Alexander huffed in and out as he felt his blood boil.

“I thought you weren’t trying to kill people? Not that I’m complaining though!” Alexander heard John’s voice outside.

Alexander pushed himself upright and pulled his legs out from the rubble. He looked out of the hole and saw Jack behind the man named Ajal.

“Jack, John, take those kids and run... Get as far as you can!” Ajal ordered with a serious tone.

Alexander reached out to call forth his blade. ‘You dare punch me!’ Alexander gritted his teeth and stopped summoning his blade.

“Huh? Why? You just wasted Alexander Rael?” John babbled.

“That guy’s strong so I didn’t hold back... But he isn’t down- Go... Now!” Ajal ordered.

‘Bastard!’ Alexander sprinted out of the ruined house and straight at him. Ajal looked forward and raised his arms, but wasn’t expecting Alexander to tackle him. To Alexander’s surprise, he didn’t budge, in fact, he seemed to him back without much effort. Ajal shoved him off, and spun, raising his leg.

‘Block!’ Ajal’s leg slammed into Alexander’s gauntlet, just barely blocking another strike to the head. ‘What... Is this guy!’ Alexander grunted as his foot dragged against the dirt, before leaving it all together. ‘Where is this force coming from!’ His armor cracked as his entire body flew off the ground once more. Alexander soared straight up toward the roof of another house, crashing straight through it.

‘Where is this force coming from?! It can’t be raw strength, can it?’ Alexander winced as he felt the bones in his forearm rattle in pain as his arms shook. He descended into a field of crops and collided with the plants. The impact launched chunks of dirt and corn in all directions.

The movement under his skin returned, and Alexander looked at his arm. Something shifted within his arm. ‘Ah, and this?! What is-’ Alexander had no time to think as he looked up and saw Ajal on the roof with a purple light on his forehead. ‘What is that?!’ Alexander got to his feet and conjured his greatsword into his hand and held it ready. The light seemed to focus on Ajal’s, focusing for several second. The purple light condensed into a single point on his forehead, then released a massive purple beam of light.

‘What-’ Alexander put his blade in front of him to block the beam. It crashed into the surface of the greatsword, ricocheting in multiple directions. Several rows of crops were vaporized by Ajal’s blast. He held the green blade up as the beam pushed him back, Alexander felt the dirt pile up behind his dragging feet as he was forced backward through the crops. ‘This guy’s crazy! What kind of gift-’ Alexander pushed against the blade with his hand and held it back. The heat burned his hand. Sweat dripped down his head. A vicious heat came off the beam. Alexander stumbled forward as the beam dissipated, his blade steaming from the dangerous attack.

Alexander panted on the ground, he squinted to try and see what was on Ajal’s forehead. ‘An.. Eye... A third eye?’ Suddenly, a black staff appeared in Ajal’s hand. ‘Huh...’ It looked as if a black shadow seemed to grow outwards, forming a sickle shaped blade on the end. ‘Is that... That’s a scythe... Where did that come from... Did he conjure that?’ Alexander lowered his blade and shook his hand, it still burned from the heat. ‘There’s no debate here, this guy has a gift... But what is it?’

“Who the hell are you!” the noble roared.

Alexander charged forward with both hands on his blade. From his hands, green flames spewed out wildly and engulfed his great sword. Ajal jumped off the house, landed on the ground, and charged at Alexander with his scythe in hand.

“Burn!” Alexander roared, as a huge ball of flame enveloped his sword.

Alexander swung his sword down early. Ajal stopped and jumped back to evade. As the ball of green flames hit the ground it exploded outwards. Alexander didn’t feel any pain from the flames, hurt him. A massive explosion bursted out, launching smoke and debris in all directions. Alexander cracked his neck as he looked through the crops burning before him.

A wave spread out from where Ajal was, the world was suddenly sapped of all color. ‘What the!’ Alexander’s greatsword and armor disappeared, revealing his black pants and a white shirt. The green flames burning the plants were all extinguished.

“What’d you-” Alexander tried to ask before color was restored to everything.

Ajal’s arms were burned from the blast. Alexander looked at his own arms, they were still numb from the kick earlier. ‘He extinguished my flames? No, its like he erased my entire gift. But... I did damage him...’

“Damn demon... The scouts reported that they’ve been stopped each time they tried to reach the continent of Pandora... Where is the demon king?! Why are you helping Jack!” Alexander demanded an answer.

Ajal stared at him, all three of his eyes wide with confusion.

“What the hell are you rambling about... My name is Ajal. The divine being of the planet Imperion. You punks trashed my ship... Now I can’t go home until I find someone who can fix it... And on top of that, I hear you’re the piece of crap responsible for the shit hole we’re standing on right now,” Ajal mocked.

“What’d you say... The planet Imperion? The divine being? Shit hole...” Alexander felt a sudden rush of anger at that last comment. “You off-world scourge... Who are you to insult my work here in Logos? I’m essential to the economy of the entire hybrid alliance. And you call it a shit hole? This is a masterpiece! A perfect factory of profit! You don’t even belong here... Why are you here anyway? Did you get kicked off your planet for not grooming yourself you three-eyed freak!”

Ajal reared his head back, surprised as he put his thumb on his chin.

“Damn Jack’s right, you are an asshole... Speaking of Jack... I’ve been wondering, ever since I got here... Who is he?” Ajal asked nonchalantly.

“What?” Alexander was confused, the sudden shift from a fight to a conversation was strange. “What do you mean whose Jack?”

“I’m not sure myself, I just thought he was some kid, he found me when I crashed here and kept me hidden,” Ajal said as he walked to the left

Alexander squinted as he walked to the right. He wanted to hear more, after all, this had been the truth no one believed but him.

“One of the first things he asked me was whether or not I could kill all of the angels,” said Ajal.

“Heh... As if you could,” Alexander replied.

“I thought it was odd to ask someone he just met. Then I met some of those... Resistance members. They go wild when they find out it’s Jack, claiming he defeated the infamous Alexander Rael and sparked a new passion in the resistance.”

“He did not defeat me. I’ll make you wish you were dead if you say that again.”

“Whatever…” Ajal sighed. “You said you were right all along. Right about what?”

“Jack will bring about the end of the Celestial, I’ve been warned.”

“Warned by who?”

“Fate.”

Ajal stopped, his back pointed away from Logos as he stood in front of Alexander.

“You know judging from the fact you think this place is a masterpiece, and what you just said, you’re a psychotic idiot,” Ajal pointed at him.

“You know nothing of this world! I don’t expect you to understand the measures we take against the demons!” Alexander shouted angrily.

“Condemning a race of people to slavery is a measure?”

“It’s all their pathetic lives could amount to, they weren’t chosen by the Celestial. They lack the faith to inherit its power.”

“Lack the faith? I don’t think that’s how that works...”

“Their faith must only belong to the Celestial. To us. The ones who keep the continents of Hiria and Kamino safe from the demon king!”

“Yeah, no. I’m not following, you’re full of crap and bat shit insane, do you even hear yourself right now?” Ajal asked earnestly.

“They are a wretched race! Without faith in the Celestial, they will never have the strength to rise above and will forever live the life of pawns!”

Ajal raised his leg and slammed it down against the ground with his foot, the dirt and crops flew upwards high into the air. ‘What?! If he could generate that much force, is he... Holding back?’ Alexander panicked as chunks of dirt fell all around him. Ajal’s third eye suddenly flashed and a black-and-white aura surrounded his body.

“Damn-” Alexander grunted, unaware of what Ajal was doing.

He tried to cover his face as chunks of dirt hit him, he squinted slightly as he kept his eye on Ajal. Ajal ran forward before he suddenly vanished into thin air. ‘What?! Where did he go!’ Alexander felt a strike to the side of his body, the crackle of his bone was audible as he flew back through one of the houses and tumbled through the street. Alexander dragged his feet against the ground to stop himself but crashed through another building.

“Agh!” Alexander groaned as he landed on his back.

Ajal’s hits before slowly became easier to handle, however, this one was much worse. ‘He was holding back earlier!’ Alexander grasped his side as it felt like his bones cracked back into place, and suddenly the pain left as he gasped for air.

“Alexander? Where were you-” Alexander heard Arthur but he was cut off by a red-haired man who shouted as he charged him. Arthur blocked the punch of the large red-haired man with his spear.

Alexander turned to see patches of grass torn up and ruined. Parts of the houses had been damaged. ‘What happened?’ Logos appeared to be in utter chaos now.

“Get off!” Arthur kicked a red-haired man in the chest before he spun his staff around and slammed it into his jaw.

“Alexander... Where were you!” Arthur shouted.

Alexander stared at Arthur with a confused look on his face.

“We were attacked by more resistance members and you suddenly disappeared! What the hell were you-” Arthur stopped talking as his eyes went wide.

Alexander noticed Arthur stare past him and not at him, several thuds in the dirt approached. He turned to see Ajal charge out of the broken building with two scythes in hand. While he sprinted, he threw the scythe forward with a flick of the wrist.

The scythe spun along the ground like a wheel towards Alexander. He raised his greatsword and deflected it, knocking it straight upwards into the air. He turned back at Ajal only to see him run forward quickly as another scythe came at him. ‘When-’

Alexander jumped backward and the scythe landed where he once stood. Ajal ran forward and jumped directly into him, pressing his knee into the nobles stomach. Ajal pushed off him with his other foot. Alexander stepped backward as he felt the wind knocked out of him. Ajal grabbed the scythe and threw it up, flicking it off his fingers with a spin.

Ajal used the moment of distraction, dropping to all fours. He pushed off the ground and pressed his heel into the bottom of Alexander’s chin, knocking him into the air. Ajal spun and landed another kick on Alexander, sending him even higher.

“Damn it-” Alexander grunted in pain, he conjured his greatsword in hand while airborne.

Ajal jumped up to Alexander, and kicked off him, reaching the scythe in the air and grasping it. Alexander tumbled against the ground, but quickly recovered and raised his greatsword overhead. Ajal reached the peak of his jump and flipped in mid-air, then kicked off the air itself. Ajal flew straight down with both hands on his scythe.

Alexander shut his eyes and shielded his face. Ajal passed right by him like a blur, the weight of Alexander’s sword became lighter, almost like it had disappeared entirely. Alexander’s knees hit the ground as Ajal landed. He spun the scythe and whipped it once, splattering the residual blood onto the green grass. ‘Huh…’ Alexander’s sword pierced straight into the grass. A severed hand held the handle. The other hand fell a second later, hitting the ground with a thud. Alexander started to breathe heavily, a look of terror on his face the whole time. He tried to consciously move his fingers but there was nothing to move. A river of blood spewed out of his arms.

“My- my hands!” Alexander panicked as he raised his arms.

Ajal walked forward, looking down with a cold stare, walking right past Alexander like he was nothing. He slammed the black staff into Alexander’s head. The painful strike to his head caused his consciousness to fade. The last thing he could feel as he watched Ajal walk away, was the shifting in his severed arms, humiliation, and rage.

‘Damn... It...’