"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster."

Every sound of the outside world was blocked out by that voice.

Alexander’s head was drooping over as he regained his sight. He drew in a breath as he struggled to raise his heavy head. His brain felt as if it were turned to mush, his skull swaying with the murky fluid that kept him down.

But just as he brought up his head and faced the ongoing battle before him... The distorted voice returned.

Cackling, it said: "It's one of my personal beliefs that... the same goes for demons."

Alexander found himself already standing on his feet. Facing forward, facing the others who fought with their all.

He took a staggered step forward. But even as he moved, his mind began slipping once again. Even as he lumbered towards the battle, even as the Virtues fought with their fading hope...

Alexander was losing himself.

Expectedly so, Mammon was far stronger than all of the other demons they had faced before. With only the four Virtues fighting... their loss would be inevitable.

But as for Alexander... His senses were heightened, even as he couldn't process a single thought. His head was murky and dense. And yet, he was fine.

His arms and their singeing pain were fine. The injuries he sustained had slipped away, his fractures healed.

And the sword he held... was surrounded by a pitch-black darkness. Just a minute ago, it was shattered, but now, it was put together. What used to be Excalibur was now a blackened blade, being enveloped with a strange darkness. The same darkness he found inside of him.

His confusion began to slip away, just as everything else did. All sounds and feelings, all thoughts and pain... It all became nonexistent to him. The only thing he could see was Mammon. The only thing he could feel was himself.

And the only thing he had to do was fight.

Anger welled inside of him. One of his teeth twisted and shifted, growing into a fang that brushed against his lower lip.

And with another staggered step, his feet pushed into the ground and crushed the stone.

It was at the same time that Mammon slammed his foot into the ground. It quickly cracked into split stones and the Virtues each rushed back. What spurred the demon's reaction... was the chilling magic coming from the meters behind him. From the area he left that bleeding boy.

He suddenly froze himself, slowly turning his head to face Alexander. He couldn't deny the feeling of fear.

"Hey..." he muttered. He raised a single finger at Alexander. "What... do you think you're doing?"

A deep growl began to emanate from the pits of Alexander's energy. It covered him like a veil. One unlike he had felt before. It wasn't warm. It was cold, a numbing and wintry energy that chilled his bones and steeled his nerves.

It was black. Dark and empty, glowing in the absence of light.

Lumiel raised her head and spun to the side. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead from just mere minutes of the devastating battle.

'Is that... Alexander?' she asked herself.

Just as the Virtues asked themselves the same question, Leonard gulped down his dry saliva and shook his head. His sensory of magic energy was the most advanced of the Virtues. So he knew better than anyone.

Whatever that was... Whatever Alexander had become... It wasn't him anymore. It could hardly even be considered 'human'.

But before anyone could speak, move, or even react...

A black blur split the air.

It changed the very winds, whirling the air to the side. Leonard's hair blew back, just as it was for each of the Virtues. But before either of them could even blink...

"You damned brat!" Mammon cried out. "What are you?!"

The Virtues each spun to their sides in search of the demon.

He stood in the air, just an instant before gravity began to pull them down. And the trees behind Gabriel, the entire area behind them... was all reduced to torn wood and crushed stone. Pitch-black energy was all that arose from that.

That demonic feeling spiked once again as soon as a hollow clatter rang out against the stone.

And the same black blur flung into the air.

Gabriel's eyes twitched. He didn't understand what he was looking at.

It had to be Alexander. It even looked like him, but... It didn't feel like him. Alexander had a massive amount of magic energy. It was distinct; a stark and pure energy that cannot be rivaled or imitated. But this...

This rising plume of sinister energy and black magic... The magic was expanding, rising, never ceasing. This was not human. And if that was Alexander, then... He had changed. His body changed.

Well... Half of it had, it seemed. His right eye was glowing white, almost like a pure and shining star, and a single straight horn had pierced through his head and through his tousled hair.

This was a demon.

Alexander's clothes were tattered and torn. His sleeves had been blown apart, and one of his pant legs was torn, just as his shoe was practically nonexistent. This was the only way Gabriel could be sure. From the side of his neck, tracing down his arm to his fingers, and his torso to his foot... All of Alexander's right side was blackened.

His skin was turned to scales, dark and coarse. Thin, vein-like lines crawled up his neck, barely reaching his eye. Those same waves of darkness traced down his arm and down his leg until they reached the ends of his toes and fingertips. Because with that new body, his fingers and nails were shifted. He had inch-long claws and an armor-like layer of scales over the back of his hand and each of the bones in his fingers.

Alexander's black hoodie burst open from the back with a single hole. A wing sprouted out and forced its way through the cloth. It was colorless, textureless. It had no form and it had no feathers. It was flesh and bone, twisting and shifting with black magic. The black wing fidgeted and twitched, almost as if it had a mind of its own, as it expanded and grew into the air.

With each second more that Gabriel stared, he began to understand more.

That was Alexander. The Demon-Born he always feared.

His Uncle Charles had mentioned it, too, he remembered. Adam Lane was capable of it... so it was no surprise Alexander could do it. It was no surprise that Alexander could become just like the demon he was descended from.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

That was all this was.

Only Alexander diverting from his humanity, and transforming into a being of the UnderWorld. Transforming into the demon he always was.

The next sound to be heard was a crashing impact as Alexander struck Mammon. His black hand was outstretched and wide open, his claws for nails wrapping around the demon's face.

Mammon's vision grew dark, to the point where all he could see was the black palm of the Demon-Born. It was dense in energy, wrapped and fortified with magic. The Demon-Born moved faster than Mammon could react.

'What the...' Mammon thought to himself as took in an irked breath. But that wasn't enough to prepare for what came next.

The Demon-Born grabbed Mammon by his head and pushed down, slamming Mammon towards the ground. His singular wing once twitched, before sending them down.

At blinding speeds, the two demons crashed and split apart the ground. But that wasn't it.

His wing once again twitched, and propelled them through the ground, splitting apart rocks and stones with Mammon's helmeted head. They finally stopped after creating a dozen-meter-long trench of stone.

And just as they did, the Demon-Born gripped a nearby rock and raised it above his head. His nails dug into the rock, right before he brought it down and crashed it into Mammon's face, crushing the stone to dust on impact.

There was no time to waste. The Demon-Born threw his fists down, clawing at the demon and pummeling the Prince with a barrage of punches. With each fist, with each strike, the demons fell deeper and deeper into the stone ground.

Within that imprint, within that haze of pain that Mammon found himself in... was fear. Each of Alexander's hits were only getting stronger.

But in between one of his attacks, within that interval... Alexander froze. He forced in a deep breath, but... He could hardly keep going.

Mammon grinned. Now was his chance.

He grabbed Alexander by the side of his head and jumped up, bringing him back to the ground level. He clenched his fists with all the force in his bones and with Alexander's numb head in his hands, the Prince slammed him into the stone, face-first. He repeated the motion, sending Alexander's face into the dull ground again and again, until his nose burst with blood.

And now that he was free, Mammon got back up and steeled his nerves once again. Alexander was dulled for just a moment, almost as if he was stunned and unable to keep going.

But as the Demon-Born's white eye turned and met Mammon, he proved he was more than capable of going further.

The Prince couldn't help but swallow his dry saliva. He tore off his helmet and stared back, furrowing his eyebrows in his confusion. "You're not human!" Mammon cried out as he took a handful of steps back.

The Demon-Born brought himself to stand and step forward. His black leg was weighty, unwieldy. And so, he staggered with each step, almost limping and dragging his foot with his. But with another staggered step...

The black blur reappeared behind Mammon.

All that stood on the field of battle grasped it as quickly as possible.

The Demon-Born couldn't control his speed. He turned around to face the demon, but he was met with only a fist to the face.

The impact split apart the air itself, sending shockwaves of wind throughout the area and breaking apart branches from nearby trees. But... The Demon-Born didn't budge. He didn't flinch, at that.

He took the full force of the strike. His response...

The Demon-Born unleashed an uppercut right to the Prince's jaw. And with it, came the reverberating force that rang into his skull. The next strike was a sudden kick to the side, launching the demon away into the forest.

He remained focused on the Prince, extending his arm to the side and calling forth his blade. The second his sword connected with his hands, its magic began to flare up.

Mammon pushed himself up and stamped his foot onto the ground. He grabbed the tree at his side to support him up as he began to tread forward. His thoughts echoed in his head. 'This boy... He's a monster,' he thought in between his heavy breaths and pants.

'No, that's not it.' He wiped his sweat with the back of his hand. 'He's like me. He's a devil!'

The demon looked up. Behind the couple of trees that stood in the array before him stood Alexander Lane. Mammon was faced with a choice. Fight now... or escape now.

Mammon was a demon. A Prince of Hell, at that. One that stood with pride and strength on the field of battle. There was only one clear choice for him. With a deep breath...

He turned, and ran away into the forest, disappearing with a blur.

Alexander once again spun back. He clenched his jaw, his eyes gleaming with fervor. Like a rabid animal, his breaths grew shaky and ragged. He scanned the area and ran forth, bursting into the forest and the city past it.

"Oh..." Leonard muttered. "Now... Now, they're heading for the city."

"We have to stop them!" Lumiel shouted out.

"Not them," Giovanna told her. "That's still Alexander. He's still on our side. I know it."

Gabriel tightened the scabbard on his belt, Avalon. With a sharp breath, he began to move. "We can't afford to waste time. If Alexander's a threat, we'll have to extinguish that threat. But our mission hasn't changed, has it? We have to slay demons. That's all."

And without another second, he ran into the forest and followed the demons.

It was only minutes later that the ensuing battle had already demonstrated its clear conclusion. Demon against demon, they slammed each other trees and buildings, fighting with all they had to gain the upper hand, to survive.

Two entire buildings had been toppled over. Sirens already wailed. The fires were small, just patches of flames scattered throughout the collapsed area. Trees were destroyed and pavement was cracked. But what spurred those sirens... was the Association.

The Magecraft Association could sense Mammon. And not just him, but the Demon-Born.

The two demonic presences that alerted each sensor and alarm in the city.

Magicians, Hunters, even a few Knights were already alerted. And they were already on their way.

Like a cornered animal, like bleeding prey, Mammon scurried through the dense clouds of smoke, hoping for a chance to escape. Any chance of survival.

'It wasn't supposed to be like this,' he thought to himself, clawing his way through the rubble. 'How did he turn out to be so strong?!'

Alexander's glowing eye pierced through the thick smoke.

A gasp left his lips. "He's still..."

The Demon-Born's clawed fist flung out at Mammon. He rolled over to the ground, evading what he could. More beads of sweat and droplets of blood dripped from his forehead and down his chin.

He grit his teeth.

But Alexander still clenched his fist. And his black blade slid into Mammon's ankle. The cold, demonic blade flew through his armored leg and pierced his calf. It split it apart and dug unto the cracked ground below him, only the hilt peering through his punctured limb.

Mammon couldn't run anymore. He grabbed the handle of the blade and tried to pull it out to free himself, but... He wasn't strong enough. That sword could not be lifted.

He stared up, his face still twisted with fear. And he was met was Alexander's foot.

The Demon-Born's swift strike of a kick crushed Mammon's already crooked nose and cracked apart his teeth. It launched him away into another brick wall.

His back was flat against the wall. His breaths were labored and ragged as he struggled to lift his head. Blood dripped through his mouth and from the sides of his head.

Alexander called his blade to him once again.

The demonic sword sliced past the rest of Mammon's impaled foot, cutting it apart before it flew into Alexander's palm.

All Mammon could do was swallow his bloodied spit and saliva as he met Alexander's white eye. The only thing to behold within that shining light was malice. He pushed himself further into the wall, crawling and sliding up to his feet.

"Wait..." his fearful voice uttered, extending his empty hand at Alexander. "Just wait..."

With a black flash, his hand dropped to the ground. And the demon's black blood gushed from his severed limb. His foot was sliced apart. And while he stared at his writhing hand and bloodied stump of an arm, the demon fumed.

"Stop this madness!" he cried. Mammon raised his other hand and clenched his fist.

But in the same second...

Alexander's white eyes glistened in the sunlight just as he thrust his black blade through the center of Mammon's chest.

Black blood exploded from Mammon as he stared down at the blade that pierced his armor like a piece of paper. His bloodied mouth dripped as he finally raised his head, gazing at the darkness that stood behind Alexander.

Mammon was at a loss for words. His life in the World was ending, fading like ash carried through the winds. He opened his mouth but... No words could get past the blood that clogged his throat.

With fluid motions, Alexander removed the blade he had dug deep into Mammon's chest. And with a single slash, he cut through the demon's head.

The putrid scent of a decaying demon was released into the air, just as its body began to revert to dust.

Alexander took in a sharp breath and spun away to the side. But he froze, with the light in his eyes disappearing. The horn in his head began to wither, fading away into the air, just as his wing did.

He dropped his sword, letting it clatter onto the ground of rubble. And as soon as it fell from his grasp, it was no longer a blade of darkness, but the holy sword he originally held.

With a step back, he turned around. His demonic being was decaying and his body reverting itself in the same second.

The Virtues were rushing into the city, looking onto the havoc brought by the demons. "Dear God..." Gabriel muttered.

From just dozens of meters away, the Virtues found Alexander.

He stood on his knees, staring at the settling dust and the rising sun.

His body was under stress, under attack by its own self. Alexander's right eye once again began to glow. It lit up with pale starlight. But even as his breaths grew shaky... He didn't move.

Alexander collapsed to his knees and cried out in agony, screeching as his body began to burn with immense pain.

He grabbed his heart with one hand, the anguish crushing his very insides. More of his screeches rang out. And those sounds... were truly demonic.