Elton fell silent after the portal closed.
The barrier surrounding the forest disappeared.
Purge officers were scattered across the area, unconscious.
Zarin lay on the cold forest ground.
The wound on his chest...
Non-existent.
"Xavier..." he muttered.
"I wish I fought you in your prime."
He slowly sat up, looking around.
The forest was barely visible in the darkness.
Above him, the sky had begun to brighten.
Proof of an incoming dawn.
A branch snapped beneath the foot of someone approaching.
Zarin's eyes slowly moved from the sky to the man standing before him.
"Zarin."
The man's voice carried a hint of fear.
Zarin stared at him.
"What an unsightly reunion..."
His lips curled slightly.
"Wouldn't you agree, Rhaen?"
Eric stared down at him coldly.
"I go by Eric now."
"I see."
Zarin stood, casually adjusting his clothing.
"Now then..."
He turned toward him.
"It's time to return home, Rhaen."
Eric's face twisted with annoyance.
"All this for nothing. Why are you even here?!"
A punch struck Eric across the face before he could react.
"Zarin!"
Eric swung his hand in retaliation.
He missed.
Zarin ducked beneath the attack and drove his knee into Eric's abdomen before striking him again.
Eric staggered backward.
Another blow sent him crashing toward the ground.
He knelt, coughing.
"Bastard..."
Zarin crouched before him and grabbed him by the collar.
Eric's eyes widened.
In an instant, Zarin's hand pierced through his chest.
He pulled it back.
His heart rested in his grasp.
"W-Wait..."
Eric's breathing became ragged.
"Where do you get off making a fool of me?"
Zarin's face carried no emotion, but his voice held the weight of his anger.
"Did you think you could suddenly pick up a new identity and regain your humanity?"
He looked at the heart in his hand.
"Think again."
His fingers tightened slightly.
"The only reason this organ is still beating..."
He looked directly into Eric's eyes.
"...is because I allow it to."
Zarin tossed him aside.
He calmly wiped the blood from his hand.
Eric's heart returned to its original position.
The wound slowly began to close.
He lay flat on the ground, staring at the sky through bloodshot eyes.
Maybe back then...
If he hadn't met Zarin...
He would've been a normal citizen of Elton.
Or dead.
He still had no idea why he ran away from the Demon Realm.
Redemption?
No.
Fear?
Freedom?
He had no answer.
Even after all this time.
He had been spared because he probably still had some use.
Eric slowly sat up and watched Zarin's back.
He hadn't changed.
Not since the first time he saw him.
"Were you able to get the Vyre Stones?"
At least that was what the Guardians had speculated he was here for.
Zarin didn't turn around.
"I don't owe you any answers."
He continued walking.
"Open a gate."
Eric sighed.
"We're returning this instance."
Eric's chest still had a small portion of exposed skin.
He stood and looked toward the unconscious officers scattered around the forest.
His eyes stopped on Emma.
He had a feeling she would be furious about him not reporting to work the following day.
She would probably suspect him of being involved in the entire situation.
Not that she would be wrong.
His chest tightened.
Knowing she would be left behind with the consequences of what happened...
Knowing he'd have to leave behind the life he'd built...
He looked away.
"Anytime now..."
Zarin stopped.
"Rhaen."
Eric clenched his teeth.
He didn't need a god to tell him that Zarin was responsible for what had happened to Emma.
But nothing could be done.
Eric raised his left hand.
Materializing a small blade, he made a shallow cut across his palm.
Blood dripped from his hand.
But instead of falling to the ground...
The droplets stopped in midair.
Eric watched silently.
One by one, the drops began forming a circle.
He closed his hand.
CRACK!
The earth beneath them split open.
Dark fog erupted from the ground.
A massive gate slowly ascended from beneath the forest floor.
Its frame twisted into the shape of intertwined skulls.
A thick black mist surrounded it.
Eric lowered his hand.
The gate opened.
Beyond it was an endless trail of darkness and fog.
Zarin walked toward it first.
His coat fluttered against the cold wind pouring from the gate.
Eric glanced back one last time.
At Elton.
At the forest.
At the world he'd spent years pretending he belonged to.
Then he followed.
The gate closed with a heavy locking sound.
It slowly descended into the earth.
And the forest became silent once more.
---
Zarin and Eric emerged at the outer gates of the Demon Realm.
The cloudy sky immediately reminded Eric of home.
Or what he used to call home.
The Demon Realm existed within the Onyx Dimension alongside three other independent realms.
Or so it used to be.
Eric lowered his gaze.
The Demon Realm had always been different.
The way of life here was simple.
Hierarchy.
There were two recognized phases of demons.
Lower Phase.
And Upper Phase.
The Blood Moon determined a demon's phase.
Most demons were Lower Phase.
But a demon could transition into the Upper Phase by inheriting a position of leadership.
The stronger the position...
The greater their authority.
Upper Phase demons could consume the blood of their subordinates.
Because of this, territories were created.
Rules were established.
Laws governed the streets.
Of course...
None of those laws applied to Zarin.
And that wasn't the only reason everyone despised him.
Eric and Zarin walked through the streets of Kharrow.
The town was infamous throughout the Demon Realm.
Delinquents.
Outcasts.
Criminals.
Demons who had nowhere else to go.
Yet as Zarin walked through the streets, the once-troublesome town fell completely silent.
Heads lowered.
Doors closed.
Whispers disappeared.
Everyone knew better than to draw his attention.
Eric glanced around.
"I can see you still haven't won everyone's heart."
He smirked.
Gambling with his own life.
Zarin ignored him.
Or perhaps he simply considered him an unnecessary extra.
They continued toward the castle.
The enormous structure slowly appeared beyond the town.
Eric's smile disappeared.
Now this...
This was one place he never wanted to return to.
The Demon Realm was resistant to change.
Some things remained exactly as he remembered them.
As they approached the castle gates, the enormous doors slowly opened.
Not because someone commanded them to.
They opened in response to Zarin's overwhelming presence.
Eric stared beyond them.
The castle.
The halls.
The throne.
The place where everything had begun.
Just beyond those gates was the life he'd spent years trying to escape.
And now...
He was walking back into it.