Joseph clapped his hands together. "Alright, everyone!" the Hunter shouted. "Take showers, get some rest, eat some food! Do laundry and clean your weapons or whatever! In T-Minutes two hours, we'll be in the city of Krattor!"

Light laughter and chattering continued as the Hunters moved into the interior of the ship.

And at the same time, Alexander sat alone on the deck.

Morgana and Hjálmarr were safe, thankfully, and were inside with Anastasia and the other dozen and a half hunters.

"Well, you're in a good mood, huh?" Alexander said to Joseph.

Joseph smiled and nodded. "A successful mission will do that to ya. Besides, just a couple of kilometers from the edge of Krattor, there's an encampment of Hunters. They're with us. My girlfriend is there, too. So, of course, I'm happy."

Alexander smiled in return. "Well, that's nice. Hey, this time tomorrow, we'll probably be done with this whole thing. We'll get the God Crystal."

"Exactly," Joseph said, snapping his fingers. "But you... You fought well, Alexander," Joseph told him.

"Thanks," he responded.

They stared at each other in silence. 'Oh...' Alexander thought. 'I messed up.'

Alexander immediately clenched his fist and grit his teeth in preparation of what may come. Even so... Joseph simply wrapped his arm around Alexander's shoulder, his cigarette stench following him and drowning out the crisp smell of the salty river.

"So..." Joseph said. "Why'd you lie?" His voice was calm and stale, not showing any glimmer of anger or contempt for Alexander's lies.

Alexander let out a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm not gonna lie about this... I just didn't trust you. But you're just a regular group of Hunters. People I can trust." He spat out a sigh and extended his hand at Joseph. "I'm Alexander Lane. 15 years old. And not a Grade 2 magician."

"Grade 3?" Joseph asked.

"Nope. Not even certified. Just a 15-year-old kid."

"Hm," Joseph mumbled, shaking Alexander's hand. "But there is something else you should explain. How you break apart the earth. And how you expelled so much magic energy in seconds, only to spread it out and solidify it."

Joseph said all this without letting go of Alexander's hand, still smiling.

"Uh... Yeah, that's just... Just a trade secret," Alexander chuckled, retracting his hand from Joseph's grip. Even if he was going to rectify his previous lies, he still didn't want to make it known that he was a Demon-Born.

That fact wouldn't benefit anyone.

"Fair enough."

And with that, Alexander let out another sigh and stood up. "Well..." he said, looking at Joseph. "Thanks for your leadership earlier, I guess."

"Wait..." Joseph called. "If you're not with the Magecraft Association, then why are you on Vanaheim?"

"Same reason as everyone. We're after the God Crystal."

"How many of you are there?" Joseph asked as he stood up. "I'm sure you didn't show up on Vanaheim alone with 'Isabel Silva' and head after one of the most dangerous objects in the Nine Realms."

"Seven in total. But that's not counting Hjálmarr and Morgana."

He chuckled in response to that. "Don't forget that we're working together until we get the Crystal. I'll overlook the lies for now. But your group and mine... We'll get it before the Golden Dawn."

Alexander smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, before walking into the interior of the ship, where Hjálmarr stood, waiting for him.

"My liege..." he began, whispering to Alexander. "Earlier, during the battle... Anastasia called you by your real name. If any of the Hunters heard that, then..."

Alexander gestured at him to disregard it. "Joseph heard and asked for the truth. I explained and that's that."

Hjálmarr stared at him in confusion. "Wait, so..."

"Yep. Jig's up."

Hjálmarr spat out a heavy sigh of relief. "That's perfect. I knew he would understand, anyway. Joseph is a good man."

Alexander stared at Hjálmarr in confusion.

"I know that's a weird thing to say out of nowhere, but it's true. He is a good person. I have a keen sight for these kinds of things. It was just something I knew as soon I saw you, for example. That's the deeper reason as to why I chose to serve you, my liege."

Still, Alexander stared in silence.

"You see, my liege," Hjálmarr began. "I... I am a coward."

"...Huh?"

"I'm a coward. I steal. I lie. I cheat. And I don't like fighting. I'm always afraid." He swallowed his saliva. "That's why my first instinct was the break into Grisha's home. I stole his food and his things. And I've done many, many more wrongdoings in my short life. I disgraced my family through it. I came to Vanaheim because of it. I chose you because of it."

Hjálmarr continued. "But I still try, my liege. I want to be stronger. I want to be courageous. I want to be virtuous like you, my liege. You're always so quick to help others. That's what you did with me. That's what you did with Morgana. And I'm sure you've done the same to others, and you'll continue to do the same. You fight for others, and you don't regard any sense of fear. I envy you, my liege. You are who I wish I was. Not a coward. But a good person."

Alexander spat out a sigh. "You're not a coward, Hjálmarr. You're a normal person. It's alright to be afraid. It's nature to lie. Don't really condone stealing and stuff like that, though. But still... I'm not a person you should envy. I don't disregard fear. I'm always afraid. Besides, I'm not special." He paused. Alexander didn't know what to say at all. Still... "You said it yourself. You're trying. That's all that's needed. Just keep trying. You'll get to where you want to be."

Alexander wasn't even paying too much attention to his own words or at Hjálmarr. But when he turned to him, Alexander stared into Hjálmarr's eyes as they were already welled up with tears.

"My liege..." he mumbled.

"Dude, are you crying?"

Hjálmarr didn't answer Alexander at all and simply wrapped his arms around him. "Thank you," he continued to mumble, as gentle tears streamed down his face.

"Yeah. No problem," Alexander responded in confusion, patting Hjálmarr's back as he silently wept into his shoulder.

Nearly two hours passed on the ship before something finally went wrong.

The floor shook.

Was that an earthquake? Are there even earthquakes on Vanaheim? We're on a river, anyway. So what the hell was that?

Those were the collective thoughts of the Hunters.

Alexander dashed through the ship and onto the deck. It was then that he saw the rising plume of black smoke and gargantuan pillar of flames. Explosions burst around the forest, leaving more and more trembles and quivers in the ground and onto the ship.

"Oh, shit," Alexander mumbled, his still-wet hair swaying and curling as he gripped onto the railing.

"You seeing this?" Anastasia asked him.

Now, all the Hunters stood on the deck, staring outward the smoke and flames, just a couple dozen meters away.

"Yeah, this isn't good. We shouldn't get closer," Joseph mumbled. "Drop the anchor!" he shouted.

Still... Blasts of flames shot out from the forest and crashed into the ship.

"Oh... Oh, that's not good," Thiago mumbled as everyone took cover. And as soon as they got up, he noticed the patches of fire at the sides of the ship and all over the deck.

"...Damn," Joseph muttered.

Thiago scoffed to himself. "Fuck this. Abandon ship!" he cried.

Still, Joseph remained on the ship as the others jumped, standing still and in silence. He stared outward. "That's our camp," he muttered. For just a second, Joseph froze and thought. 'That's our camp,' he repeated in his head. 'Fire magic. Just like Anya's.'

"Oh, God."

Joseph lept over the railing and barely managed to hit the ground.

He sprinted over to the other Hunters. They were separated, blasted apart from the immense pressure and heat.

"Jonas!" Joseph called, carrying a sheathed blade in his hand as he dashed against the ground. "Situation report! Catch me up!"

A boy turned to Joseph, his face beaded with sweat. "This one fucker came out of nowhere and started grabbing people! Anya ended up like this! Two others ended up dead."

Joseph swallowed his saliva as he continued to stare at Jonas.

"You're caught up, boss," Jonas finally said.

'Damn,' Joseph thought to himself. He stared at the blood-orange glow of the flames. Within that gargantuan pillar of fire, he saw a slight silhouette. A person.

And as soon as the other Hunters reached the ground...

Explosions burst all around the field, launching people around and blowing apart the ground. Black smoke rose from craters and dry heat settled all over the now empty field of dirt.

Still, Alexander stood on his feet, his eyes wide as he stared at the burning glow of the flames. "There's a person inside the flames," he muttered.

"You can sense her?" Joseph asked, standing beside him.

Alexander nodded, gripping his golden blade and raising it up. Alexander flowed his energy from his body and onto his sword, coating it in a layer of magic energy.

Joseph stared at the energy-dense blade in Alexander's hand. Alexander stared back at him.

"Oh. No, no, no. Not gonna hurt her," Alexander said. "This is just energy, so it's not like it's sharp or anything. Pure magic energy is enough to counter her own spells. Fight magic with magic, y'know?"

Joseph swallowed his dry saliva. 'Damn, this kid is brilliant,' he thought. Still, that thought, just like all other thoughts were drowned out over concern for Anya.

"I gotta get her out of there!" he shouted, before breaking into a sprint.

Alexander grabbed Joseph by his shoulders and dragged him back, tossing him to the ground. "Hold it! Jeez!" Alexander said, already sweating and panting under the intense heat. "You'll die, idiot! Is that the kind of character you are?!"

Still, Joseph tried to get past Alexander, struggling to get to Anya.

"You..." Anya's voice rang out. "I'll kill you!"

Joseph's weary eyes stared at her. And for a second, even past the hellscape that stood between them, their eyes met.

Again, Alexander had to drag Jospeh away before he could run into the flames. "I don't know the details..." Alexander told him. "But are you sure that's her?! Because right now... She's trying to kill each and every one of us!"

"I know it's her!" Joseph cried. "I know. I could never mistake her. I love her. And I know that she's not doing this out of her own will."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Alexander clenched his jaw. He gripped Joseph's collar and slammed his forehead into Joseph's. "Then this isn't the time for you to be dying, now is it?" Alexander said. "Live. And save her," he said, letting go of him.

Once again, Joseph swallowed his dry saliva and nodded. Even the pain from Alexander's impact didn't concern him. His thoughts were still fixed on Anya.

With a deep breath, wind flowed down onto him and around him, circulating and keeping the heat and flames from his body.

"Wait, you had an affinity this whole time?" Alexander asked.

"Who do you think got the ship moving in time?" he said with a smirk. Even so, his eyes weren't smiling. They were gleaming with fury.

"Joseph." Alexander's face was already beaded with sweat. "As you said... She's being controlled. So all we have to do is break that control. Any ideas?"

He shook his head. "You don't have any, either?"

"I guess... We knock her out. Just unconscious. Nothing special. Right?"

Joseph nodded.

"Perfect. On the count of three, we split apart, and dash towards her."

Again, Jospeph nodded.

"One..."

Joseph immediately ran off to the side and sprinted towards Anya. 'The idiot!' Alexander thought, gripping his energy-dense blade. Still, Anya didn't look at Joseph. Instead, her glowing gaze shifted to Alexander.

"Damn."

He swallowed his saliva. And she snapped her fingers.

That was all. An explosion burst onto Alexander. The ear-splitting burst of energy roared through the forest. And all that was left was a crater and rising plumes of black smoke and dust.

"Alexander!" Anastasia shouted.

Anya snapped again.

All Anastasia could do was swallow her saliva in shock as she stared at the continuing explosions. 'Alexander has resistance to fire, right? But that was an explosion! That's pure force! What if he's-'

"He can't be dead, can he?" Hjálmarr asked, his breaths shaky, with droplets of sweat dripping down the side of his face. "My liege!" Hjálmarr cried in shock.

Even so...

The ground shook under the force of Alexander slamming his foot into the ground. It quaked and cracked as he took in and let out heavy breaths of hot air.

With another step, he emerged from the dark smoke. His face and clothes were charred with ash and dust. He slowly walked forward, almost stumbling with each step. "Jesus Christ," he muttered.

"Hands! Arms!" he shouted to himself, staring at his arms. "Fingers!" he said, before quickly counting to ten. "I still have all my fingers," he said, smiling. "And legs, I have both!" Alexander began to pat his chest, checking his ribs and organs.

"I'm okay!" he shouted out, a crooked smile strewn across his face.

Everyone, Anya included, stood frozen. Smoke was still rising from Alexander's very being. Even if he was fire-resistant... Even if he's a Demon-Born...

There's no reason why he should be perfectly fine.

He finally turned to Anastasia and Hjálmarr. "Hjálmarr!" he called. "Get Morgana out of here!"

Hjálmarr swallowed his saliva and grabbed hold of Morgana's hand. As soon as they ran into the forest, Alexander once again began to count to three.

Joseph immediately understood.

They shot forward in unison, ripping through bursts of flames and dense magic energy and the denser heat surrounding it.

Alexander slashing with pure magic, and Joseph with wind.

Joseph's magic would keep his body from burning up, and it would propel him forward, even through the maelstrom of flames.

Even so... Each of his steps only brought excruciating pain. So then why... Why does he continue to push on? Why doesn't he falter?

Alexander stared at Joseph. 'Damn, this guy's cool,' he thought, swallowing his saliva and pressing forward on his own.

Still, Joseph turned to Alexander and shouted at him. "Just go! I'll handle this!"

"I'll be fine!" Alexander shouted. He grit his teeth as he panted, still gripping his energy-coated blade.

"You'll-"

"Shut up!" Alexander shouted once again. "We're going to save her."

Joseph swallowed his saliva and turned to Alexander. 'This kid... I've never met anyone like him. I've fought plenty of magicians. And never have I met one as fervent as this guy. He's just a kid. But he tries so hard to help others. Harder than practically anyone I've met. Just a few hours ago... And even now... He's doing the same thing. In the truest sense of the word... Alexander Lane is a knight!'

"Let's do this, Alexander!" Joseph shouted, clenching his fist and reaffirming his will.

Even through the middle of the battle and the midst of the struggle, Alexander smiled at Joseph. 'He's completely different than he used to be,' Alexander noticed. 'This brilliant, polished power of his... Combined with his steadfast determination... The way he is now, Joseph Anderson is unstoppable.'

Of course, their thoughts were only thoughts. Expectations.

And expectations can be shattered in the blink of an eye. Or with a flurry of bursting flames.

Joseph crashed into the ground, just as Alexander's feet skidded across the ground. Anastasia stood just a few feet away. Still, Alexander collapsed to his knees. His sorcery, his fire resistance was enough to protect him across that field of hell.

Joseph slammed his fist into the ground. "Her body is under intense heat even she's not capable of withstanding. You can see her anguish for here," Joseph muttered. "Even if she's a fire-magic user, it's too much for her."

He stared at the ground. "If we don't stop this now... she's going to suffer brain damage in a matter of minutes. And minutes after that, she'll be dead."

'We just have to knock her out,' Alexander reminded himself.

"Anastasia. New plan..." he said. "All you have to do... is get me up there."

"But I can't," Anastasia told him. "That magic... It's so dense that I can't get through it. Making a Connection through there would-"

He turned to her and continued. "You've sensed it, too, haven't you? You've gotten better at sensing and recognizing energy so, of course, you have." He turned back to the raging flames. "Right before an explosion... Her own energy spikes. Not the flames. That's all you have to know," he said.

Just like always, a thin smile grew onto his lips, spreading across his cracked lips. "Just get me up there..." he repeated.

Right now, Alexander was putting his trust in Anastasia. And so, she extended her hands outward and slowly nodded her head. "Ready."

"I can help," Joseph finally said.

"No," Alexander said. "You can't handle the flames. Any more of that, and you'll end up dead."

That was the truth, after all. Alexander was a Demon-Born. He was one that had resistance to fire. He was probably the only one that could take those flames and survive.

"Joseph. Stay on guard," Alexander ordered. "You're gonna have to catch her."

"Wait, huh?"

With a deep exhale, Alexander dashed across the barren field. All he did was simply press his foot against the ground. And that was all.

All of the ground and earth that surrounded Anya and the storm of fire cracked and collapsed. And with it, flames and magic spread and seeped into the broken ground.

That split-second shift of energy was enough.

Alexander lept into the air.

It was then that Alexander saw her eyes. Her sclera was pitch-black, and her irises were glowing in blood-orange. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were pursed and twisted.

He knew she was in pain.

Anya's eyes turned to Alexander, growing with anguish and scorn. Her hand thrust down to Alexander as the flames grew once again, now focused onto Alexander.

And right before an explosion burst... Right before death would strike...

Alexander passed through a Connection. And he appeared right behind Anya.

Anya spun to Alexander. And with that momentary lapse of existence, among the silence and shock, Alexander pulled back all his magic energy. All he had to do was knock her out. 'Would be worse if I injure her too much,' he told himself.

And so...

He stared into her eyes. 'I know this isn't you,' he thought to himself.

Without magic energy, without added strength, Alexander Lane clenched his fist and cocked his arm back. "So just..." he began to mumble. "Stop this!" he shouted, driving his fist into her jaw.

With that rapid impact, her flames burst in a flash of light and disappeared into the air. And Anya's body crashed down to the side.

"Joseph!" Alexander screeched. "Catch her!"

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Anya's falling body.

Joseph sprinted across the field, his arms stretched out. He launched himself and grabbed onto Anya as she fell, immediately crashing back down into the ground.

But Anya was alright.

It was at the same time that Alexander crashed into the ground, his body being slammed into the charred dirt.

He immediately shot back up in a haze. "Everyone, stay back!" he cried out. He stumbled as he tried to dash across the charred ground, tripping onto his hands. Even so, he didn't stop. He only got up once again and shouted at Joseph, "Is she okay?!"

Joseph held Anya in his arms. For a moment, he turned to Alexander. Even after all that, he still prioritized Anya.

Her eyes were already opening. "Joseph..." she began to mumble.

"Anya..." he mumbled, staring into her eyes. He was already smiling at her as she raised her am and traced her hand across his cheek.

"Bring a healer!" Joseph ordered.

Alexander gripped his head. "Oh, God..." he began to mumble. If she needed healing, does that mean... 'Oh, God, did I hit her too hard?' Alexander asked himself.

"Huh?" Joseph asked Alexander as he stared at his distressed face. "No, no, she's fine. Thanks to you."

Alexander spat out a heavy sigh of relief, before coughing and spitting onto the ground. 'Damn, that was rough,' he thought to himself, wincing at the growing pain in his shoulder.

All the Hunters dashed across the plain towards Joseph and Anya, bringing water, magic potions, and tools. All of them were clamoring and shouting at each other as they huddled around the couple.

Still, Alexander saw with his own eyes. He saw that Anya was okay. Her eyes were human, plain and brown. Other than the soot on her skin and the fever she probably had, Anya was okay.

And that was enough for Alexander.

He turned to the side, where Anastasia was and walked over to her. As soon as he reached her, he sighed and dropped to the ground.

As he laid there, staring at the sky, he smiled. Just a few hours ago, the sky was a shade of pale purple. But now it was pure azure, just like the Midgard's sky. "Well, I think that went pretty well, all things considered."

"We almost died," Anastasia mumbled, her head pressed against the side of her hand. She sat on a short stone, staring outward at the still-burning trees. Two or three Hunters were putting out the flames with their magic.

"It happens," he mumbled nonchalantly.

"..." Anastasia chose not to respond to Alexander's remark. Still, he continued to speak to her.

"Back then..." he said, thinking back on the delay between her spells. "You hesitated. That was stupid."

Anastasia finally turned to him. "You were stupid, too."

"I'm allowed to be stupid. I'm good at it." Alexander finally sat up and faced Anastasia.

"Should you really be saying that with those injuries?" Anastasia asked, pointing to Alexander's cuts and wounds, along with his charred clothing and soot-drenched skin.

"I guess not," Alexander chuckled, looking at his own torn shirt. "Actually, that hurts. Maybe I shouldn't laugh."

"I still can't believe you're alright. You fell from pretty high," she said.

"Eh," Alexander responded. "I've fallen from higher," he said with a smile, thinking back to one of their missions from months prior.

She stared at him. "I... I apologized for that."

"Still was your fault, though."

"I said I was sorry," she laughed, punching Alexander in the shoulder.

Alexander winced at Anastasia's hit, saying, "I think I'm starting to realize how much pain I'm in right now. My whole body hurts. Other than that, I'm fine though."

"That's literally the opposite of being fine."

"Well... Who's to say?"

Anastasia turned and faced the hunters. "Still, though. That time... you broke a couple of ribs. And now you're fine. You don't make sense, Alexander Lane."

He smiled at that.

"Nothing makes sense anymore," he remarked. "It's best to just accept it as it goes along. But I'm not gonna lie, everything Hjálmarr taught me was useful."

"Maybe..." Anastasia began to mumble. "Maybe in all that's under the skies... there's something magnificent waiting for us."

"...What?" Alexander asked.

Anastasia was mumbling, so Alexander didn't hear her properly. Still, she simply spat out a sigh and smiled at him. "Nothing." She stood up and stared at Alexander.

Again, Alexander looked at her in confusion. Again, he spoke, "...What?"

"You're practically shirtless."

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he said, once again staring down at his shirt. Well, he looked at what was left of it. It had been torn from impacts and scorched by flames. Hell, Alexander's shirt was white beforehand. Now, the soot-covered cloth was dark grey.

"Yeah, this is a problem," he finally agreed.

"Here," Anastasia said. She took off her hoodie and handed it to Alexander.

He stared at the dark jacket she held. "...Wait, what?"

"Put it on."

"...Why, though?"

"So you're not shirtless?" she muttered, staring at him in confusion.

Alexander swallowed his dry saliva. "...Sure." He took the jacket and put it on. Not without a struggle, however, as he had to forced his arms through the sleeves.

Anastasia's hoodie always fit loose, just slightly too big to properly fit her. Still, when Alexander wore it...

"Damn, it's perfect," he mumbled. "Comfortable, too."

"I know, right?" Anastasia asked, chuckling. "I have like half a dozen of those."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You have half a dozen of the same hoodie?"

"...I just- I like the design."

Alexander looked down at the hoodie. It was plain black, except for a colorless rectangle that sat near the top. He looked back up at her in silence.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"Good."

He smiled and sat back down. It was then that the thought crossed his mind. Alexander- Well, none of the Virtues, for that matter, had seen Anastasia without her hoodie. It was practically her trademark feature.

Now, all she wore was a pale blue shirt that just barely covered her shoulders.

Alexander nervously swallowed his saliva. That simple sight was causing unnecessary thoughts to take root in his mind. And so, he silently shook his head and forced his mind to shut down as he fixated his eyes onto the ground.

"...What?" she asked.

"Nope," he mumbled.

Morgana scurried towards Alexander and Anastasia, her pale hair bouncing as she ran, a rolled-up piece of paper in her hands.

"You dropped your map," she said,

"Oh, thanks," Alexander with a smile, ruffling Morgana's stark white hair. Alexander didn't really know how to treat children, and so that was all he decided to do.

Still, Morgana smiled. And that was all Alexander cared for.

Hjálmarr finally caught up to Morgana and Alexander. He bent over and gripped his knees and he panted from the running. Alexander only stared at him in confusion. "You really got outran by a six-year-old?"

"My liege..." he muttered between his shaky breaths. "...She's fast."

"Uh-huh."

"Y'know..." Hjálmarr continued. "I said she should've given me the map, since I have your bag and all. But she refused and ran towards you."

"Yeah, that's reasonable," he responded, taking his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

Alexander soon turned to the map, tracing his fingers across the distance they had traveled and the distance yet to travel. He turned to Anastasia and Morgana.

"We're actually... Just a bit away from where we're supposed to be. Y'know, the town that leads to the river."

"The river that leads to the island?"

Alexander nodded with a smile. "The island that has the God Crystal."

"Perfect," they mumbled in unison as their eyes met.

"We should probably get going," Alexander muttered. "The soon the better."

Anastasia nodded in agreement. "Still, though. Might be best to wait for the Hunters."

"Got it," Alexander said, letting out a hearty sigh. It was then that he turned to the forest. Someone... People were there, in the distance of the woodland. He could sense the same exact energy he felt earlier. The same presence that watched from afar while Anya burned.

He glared outward into the forest.

And from dozens of yards away, Kafka stood on a treetop, his feet pressed against a branch as crouched over, perched onto the tree like a bird. He burrowed his head into his hands and grumbled to himself.

"Well, that didn't go as planned," his brother spoke as he stood on the branch behind him.

"Yeah, obviously. This is all your fault, idiot."

"My fault? How?"

"Shift their souls to change their magic, but not their physical form," he said, mocking Alonso's voice. "Dumbass. The soul is the physical form. I did what you wanted me to do but... That kind of shift was too flimsy. They undid it in seconds. All that kid had to do was knock her out, and the spell broke apart like that," Kafka muttered, snapping his fingers.

"Now the girl's back to normal. And the other two are dead," Alonso said, his smile still pressed against his face. "But more importantly... The boy. He has a wonderful level of strength.

Kafka turned and faced his brother. "Are we thinking the same thing?"

"He's a Demon-Born."

"Definitely Demon-Born."

Alonso's smile widened. "Exactly right." He gripped the binoculars that dangled around his neck and raised them to his eyes. It was then that he noticed the Demon-Born, Alexander Lane, was staring at them.

Even from the vast distance, he knew of their presence. And even if he didn't know their exact location, even if he couldn't see them... He was staring at them.

"Yep..." Alonso nervously mumbled. "The kid's frightening."