The morning arrived with thick fog clogging the landscape. The whole city of Eldebourg was blanketed by the grey veil, which made all sounds softer.

Liano had taken them, as promised, an hour after sunrise, back through the tunnel. The house it connected to was partly damaged. A few of the bolted on boards covering the windows were torn off, and the door looked like it had been broken open with a massive hammer. Luckily, whoever had done the damaged hadn’t done worse or stayed. On the street in front of the house, Liano had explained which way they needed to go and had left them after wishing good luck.

The street towards the castle went up in serpentines on the barren hill the massive structures resided on. The castle itself was hidden by a thick bank of fog, Lodwin suspected to be a creation of his former friend and not some whim of nature. But ultimately, he didn’t care. The only thing on his mind was Rosomil’s death.

Halfway up the hill, he had to pause. The fatigue of the blood loss he still suffered from was making every step more difficult than the last. Yet, despite Veduca’s concerned gaze and Azazel’s noticeable but invisible presence, he moved on. After all, he didn’t need his full strength if he could manage to get close enough for a surprise attack.

As they arrived at the main gate of the castle, the fog became lighter, but didn’t vanish. To his surprise, there were no guards, neither human nor monster, positioned or someone waiting for him to arrive. Despite his plan and determination, this unsettled Lodwin in a way he didn’t like or wanted to admit.

“This isn’t right”, breathed Veduca, tense.

Lodwin remained stoic and stared ahead — he could feel something waiting for him there.

With a deep breath, he drew his sword and entered the courtyard. It was entirely too calm for his liking. Even Veduca followed him meeker than usual while clutching her staff. Halfway into the courtyard, Lodwin saw a movement in the fog and stopped.

A rather large fountain suddenly emerged from the grey mist, at which sat a woman in an altered novice’s habit. Although she wasn’t facing him, he immediately recognised her.

It was Sunila.

He couldn’t believe it.

Was it really her? Or was this some trick to lure him in?

“Excuse me, young lady?”, asked Veduca with a relieved smile and approached the girl, while Lodwin decided to remain in the back for now. “We’re quite lost, would you mind helping us?”

At this, Sunila turned around. She was about to answer Veduca’s question when she noticed Lodwin. Immediately, she jumped to her feet, her blue eyes wide with surprise and happiness.

“Lodwin! Could it be?”, she asked excited, but there was something off about her voice. “Is this really you?”

He couldn’t react, instead Veduca did.

“You know Lodwin?”, she asked, surprised.

“Yes, but who are you?”, Sunila asked, taken aback and stopped mid-motion as she had been about to hug him like she usually did.

“My name’s Veduca, I’m travelling with him for some time now. And you are?”

“Sunila. I thought Rus died while the Order tried to kill him, and Milith for planning to take it apart for its crimes.”

Sunila turned towards him with an uncertain expression. There was something off about the way she moved, but Lodwin didn’t care. Years had pasted. People change. And he couldn’t help himself. For the first time since his resurrection, he felt relief. He put his sword away and walked with open arms towards her.

After a moment of hesitation, Sunila jumped into his arms with child-like laughter. Lodwin lifted her up in silent laughter, like he used to before Rosomil betrayed them. He twirled her around and around. For a few precious moments, he felt like nothing had happened.

“I can’t believe it’s really you!”, Sunila said as he placed her back down. “I can’t wait to tell Milith about you!”

“Lodwin!”, Veduca shouted and cast a spell of protection around them.

He reacted immediately and pulled Sunila behind himself while drawing his sword. Rosomil stood right beside the fountain, as if he had formed out of the stale water within it. He had his sword at the ready and looked just as stern as he used to be before he betrayed everyone. Still, there was something, which took Lodwin off guard: Rosomil’s expression was clearly tinted by shame.

“Hello brother”, Rosomil addressed him and stepped forward. “I guess this is my punishment for what I did to you and the others.”

Lodwin just glared at him and moved into a stance he could easily defend Sunila with. For a moment, Rosomil seemed to expect something. Suddenly, he started to laugh, but this wasn’t the laugh Lodwin knew from him or what he expected. This laughter was sad. Profoundly sad.

“I just want to talk”, said Rosomil. “There’s no need for a fight.”

As reply, Lodwin tightened the grip around his sword and attacked. Rosomil parried his blade with easy and made a sidestep, but didn’t retaliate. He just looked at him with a strained expression.

“Please, just hear me out”, the Divine Lord continued, almost pleading. “I know what I did was abhorrent. But you don’t need to continue to suffer! I can free you from the burden of the demon! We can work together!”

Lodwin again replied by using his sword. Once more, Rosomil just blocked and sidestepped.

“I truly am a fool”, he murmured, his voice slightly breaking. “I wondered what you would tell me… The insults you would throw at me… The questions… But I guess you’re right. I’m not deserving of any words. Let’s get this over with.”

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Without further ado, he stepped towards him and swung his sword with the speed of a snake. Lodwin parried the blow like he had done so many times during their past sparring. But this time neither of them held back.

Yet, after some time, Lodwin couldn’t shake the odd feeling off. Something felt wrong about this fight. He still wanted to kill him, but the way his former comrade acted didn’t fit. Rosomil seemed like he forced himself to be as distant as possible. As if his emotions weren’t just simmering but boiling inside him. While his swordplay was as precise and strong as usual, he held back. His swings were slightly softer then he was able to do. His stabs slightly too slow despite him being clearly faster than before.

Lodwin was confused. Rosomil hadn’t hesitated to kill him or the others. He had butchered them in cold blood for the demon of the Tome. Lodwin still remembered the insane look in his former friend's eyes as he had forced him at sword-point and covered in blood towards the chapel of the Order.

The memory of his death felt like he had been hit with a war hammer. Swaying away from Rosomil, Lodwin forced himself to keep clear of the pain and insanity creeping out of the darkest recesses of his mind. Seeing his distress, Rosomil let him retreat and remained standing where he was, his sword at the ready but with no killing-intent.

“I know that you pledged your soul to one of the fallen angels”, Rosomil said, sounding bitter. “For revenge nonetheless. I never would’ve guessed as much. But, I do understand you. I can help you. I want to help you. I need to help you.”

“Don’t you talk as if you’re above everything!”, Veduca shouted and stepped forward.

Lodwin tried to sign to her that she should stay back, but she didn’t even look at him.

“You killed your friends for a bargain with something worse than a fallen angel!”, she shouted and pulled herself free as Lodwin tried to get her to back down. “You’re a vile traitor! Defiler! Murderer!”

“I indeed am all those things”, he admitted dispassionately. “I never had the habit to lie, and I won’t start now.”

Suddenly, Veduca was thrown away by an invisible force. Shocked, Lodwin tried to run after her, but a moment later he was thrown to the ground. A sharp pain blossomed in his side while a black iron-like feather brushed over his face, leaving deep cuts.

“Cease!”, Rosomil shouted angry. “I haven’t ordered you to attack!”

“This is taking too long!”, a woman shouted atop Lodwin, while more claws dug into his chest. “Your sentimen—”

Rosomil recited some utterly alien sounding words, and a heartbeat later the thing on Lodwin went stiff and groaned in pain. Another second later, the thing let go of him and limped away.

He immediately looked after it and saw what amounted to a mangled chimera of a monster wearing Sunila’s face like a mask.

“Keep the witch from interfering!”, shouted Rosomil, furious.

“As if she interferes!”, the demon snarled.

Lodwin didn’t waste any time and attacked the distracted Rosomil. Using his full strength, which, thanks to Azazel, was more any human could hope to achieve, he swung his sword towards Rosomil’s neck. But in the last second, the self-appointed Divine Lord dodged the attack with inhuman speed and rammed his free hand against Lodwin’s chest. He not only hit the bleeding wound his demon had left, but also bellowed a nasty sounding word.

A heartbeat later, Lodwin was thrown away from him.

The pain was immeasurable and forced him to his knees.

“Lodwin”, Rosomil addressed him melancholic. “I know that this question will appear loaded to you, and I’ll understand your hatred towards me… By God… I killed you but… Lodwin, I can break your contract! I promise to you, I’ll make things right again! The only thing I want to know: will you join me?”

“As if he’ll join you of all people!”, Veduca shouted and went to Lodwin’s side to heal him.

“It’s his decision to make”, he replied stern. “I don’t even know who you are or why you constantly speak for him—”

“I speak for him because he can’t!”, she shouted with tears in her eyes. “You tortured him so much his voice gave in!”

At this, Rosomil’s forced stoicism broke for a second. He looked shocked and openly ashamed of himself. Lodwin didn’t know what to think of that. Still, this was the first time he truly missed his voice as he wished to ask him one single question. A question he had never really considered. The question of Why?

Grinding his teeth, Lodwin got up again and pushed Veduca aside. She let out a small sound of protest but accepted his wordless decision for now. For a moment, Rosomil looked hopeful. An expression he had rarely shown, even before he had betrayed everyone.

For a second, Lodwin hesitated.

Noticing it, Rosomil let his guard down.

This was his chance.

Pushing all hesitation or doubts aside, Lodwin used the opening and attacked. But before he could impale Rosomil’s chest with his blade, he was struck down again by the Demon of the Tome. But instead of mauling him once more, it took Rosomil like a whirlwind of pitch-black feathers and jumped with a few feet away. Once it let go of him, it jumped again towards Lodwin with outstretched talons reminiscent of a bird of prey. Yet, it was still wearing Sunila’s face and distorting it into an expression unlike the real one, Lodwin instinctively put his sword through the demon's chest. However, it didn’t stop or showed any signs of pain.

Razor-sharp claws pierced his chest through armour and padding. Feathers dug like knives into his arms and legs. Teeth like a wolf’s buried into his throat.

Before the demon could render him fully immobile, Rosomil forced it off with one of his garbled spells. But this time the demon ignored whatever he had thrown at it and continued, albeit slower. At the same time, the out-of-place sound of hooves came rapidly closer. Rosomil shouted again his order, but this time the demon was suddenly torn off Lodwin.

“I told you, you’re not ready!”, shouted someone all too familiar to him.

Groaning, Lodwin forced himself up. Upon focusing his eyes, he saw what he almost hated as much as Rosomil’s arrogance. Azazel had taken once more the shape of a huge golden goat, its head adorned by a bright flame.

This isn’t your fight!, he shouted into the demon’s head.

“It might as well be!”, the goat replied, and reared up to headbutt Rosomil’s demon as it attacked him. “Remember what we agreed up, you moron!”

Pulling all his strength together, Lodwin pushed himself further up, but before he could get back on his feet, his strength left him to be replaced by anaemia. His whole world started to spin. At the same time, he thought to saw a strange light floating above the courtyard.

“Lodwin!”, shouted Veduca and hastily kneeled at his side.

Her spellwork felt like a pleasant hug as she healed his countless wounds and forced sinew, flesh, and bone to mend. With a sigh of relief, Veduca nearly slumped over him. Worried, he reached out for her.

“I’m fine”, she said and pushed herself up. “Don’t worry about me, take care of—”

A shrill scream interrupted her words. Both Lodwin and her looked at Azazel, who was forced down by Rosomil’s demon. It had altered its shape. Now looked like a giant multi-winged bird with the body of a panther and the feet of a dragon as well as the face of a sickly pale woman framed by ink-like almost alive looking hair. But all this did was bringing Lodwin’s anger beyond the boiling point.

Rosomil had dared to order this vile creature to take Sunila’s form of all people. To lure him in. To make his guard drop. And now this thing was causing Veduca distress.

“Father!”, she screamed and ran towards him, which allowed Lodwin to keep his mind in control.

He grabbed her despite the blood loss, but she pulled herself free and hasted towards him. Rosomil’s demon let out a feral sound and did something with one of its wings. Lodwin acted even before he saw some of the demon’s feathers shooting towards her. With all his remaining strength left, he threw himself over Veduca and pulled her down. Not a second too late as one of the blade-like feathers graced his temple, leaving a gash and cutting a few strands of his coppery hear off.

But the relief Lodwin felt was short-lived, as Azazel let out another cry of pain, while flaying around wildly. With an annoyed expression, Rosomil’s demon slammed Azazel’s head on the ground, causing him to immediately black out. Lodwin, unable to do anything substantial for now, decided to wait. He was certain that there soon would be another chance for him to strike once more.