"Is that all?" King Domine asked, his massive arms folded across his chest as his towering frame loomed over the remnants of the forces before him. His gaze moved slowly between the two armies—if they could still be called that—that Kharveth and Armada had managed to bring back.
Both of them gave a restrained nod. Nearby, Arkanis turned his head away, his expression tightening.
"Just two hundred and forty remain," Domine continued, his voice heavy with displeasure. "Thousands marched into this city. Now we stand at a mere two hundred and forty, with only three named and horned demons left." His attention shifted, one eye at a time, toward Nilus, Slakerm, and Drinus, lingering on each of them in turn before he looked back to the Demon Lords and the Knight Commander. "And you Arkanis, you didn't manage to bring back anyone?"
The Demon Lord turned back toward the Demon King and inclined his head. "Yes, Insidious and all the demons that were with him died while I was fighting the Demon of Hatred," he replied evenly.
King Domine exhaled sharply, frustration rumbling through the sound. "First the undead demons, now the Demon of Hatred, that dead freak somehow came back, but from what you said, is it safe to assume you killed him?" All three of his eyes fixed on Arkanis, unblinking.
"I cannot be certain," Arkanis replied evenly. "But yes, it should be safe to assume that."
Domine nodded once, then swept his gaze across the remaining survivors. "We will have to work with what remains. I can feel it—despite so many Demon Lords dying, and Demon Knights falling, some of them have succeeded in what they set out to do. Or at the very least, they are still alive."
He raised a clawed hand and extended it toward the distant coliseum, visible even from where they stood. Slowly, deliberately, his fingers curled inward as though crushing it in his grasp. "We need to attack it. Bring it down. That is where everyone has gathered. Your rift in the sky stunt stirred fear, Arkanis, but it was not enough. We need more fear to strengthen the portal and allow more demons to pour through." He turned his head toward the portal itself, its unnatural hue washing across his features.
"Prepare yourselves. You are going to bring down that coliseum."
---
Meanwhile, inside the coliseum, tension spiked the instant The Fiend became fully visible. People stiffened, hands drifting toward weapons, some already half-drawn, bodies coiled and ready to react the moment he made a wrong move.
"Okay, okay, everyone calm down!" Xain said quickly, raising both hands in a placating gesture. He had expected shock, but even so the hostility hit hard. "Before you all try to kill him or hurt him in any way—I get it. I really do. It is not every day that one of the most wanted criminals in Aetheria walks into a meeting room during a demon invasion." He let out a short, awkward chuckle, trying and failing to ease the mood. "But he helped me. Let me get on his bike, rode me all the way here, and killed demons to save me. So, whether you like it or not, he is on our side."
"I know he helped us before, Xain," Larkin said, a bead of sweat running down his face as he kept his eyes locked on The Fiend, "but ain't it a little insane to just bring him here anyway?"
"H-he helped before?" Clara asked, voice trembling as she glanced between Xain and The Fiend. "And he he-helped now?" She swallowed, then nodded faintly, a trace of gratitude in her eyes as she looked at him. "Then… isn't it fine to have him here? He saved Xain."
"If you trust him, Xain," Quincy said carefully, closing her eyes as she took a slow breath, "and what you said is true, then… I suppose there is no reason not to let him help us." She lifted a hand, motioning for the others to stand down, and little by little the tension eased—never fully disappearing, but lowering just enough to breathe.
Throughout it all, The Fiend did not move. He stood there in silence, watching them watch him, thoughts churning behind his mask. *They treat me like this just from seeing me.* His gaze drifted briefly to Xain. *If he knew who I really was… how would he react?* He pushed the thought aside before it could root itself. Distractions like that would only get someone killed now.
Xain let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Alright, then… uh, I guess you all want to know about the demon thing now, right?" He did not need an answer; every stare in the room told him enough. "I just… I do not know how. But this has happened once before. Another demon invasion. When I was about to die, a demon came out, took my place, and I was stuck inside my own mind." He shook his head slightly. "I do not know why it happens. It has only happened twice. I do not know how or why."
"So you just… do not know?" Prince Mark asked.
Xain nodded and shrugged helplessly. "That is the honest truth."
"…Alright," Gurion muttered with a tired sigh. "I guess that is something we just have to move on from."
The Fiend listened in quiet confusion. He had no idea what they were talking about, and it showed in the way his eyes shifted between speakers, trying to piece together meaning that simply was not there for him.
Before anyone could press further, footsteps echoed from outside the room. Xain, The Fiend, and Clara instinctively stepped aside, clearing the doorway as they all turned toward the sound. Rounding the corner came Zee, Mae, and Drack, and a wave of relief passed through the room at the sight of them still standing.
"You all made it back," Quincy said, stepping forward. "And you look okay. How many people did you bring back?"
Zee opened her mouth to answer, then paused, eyes flicking to The Fiend. She blinked, clearly not expecting to see Nori here in here as The Fiend, before shaking her head and letting out a short sigh. "A few dozen," she said, then lowered her voice. "But, uh… we also brought someone else. Just… be ready, Xain. Larkin."
The figure who followed them into the room made Xain, Larkin, and even The Fiend instinctively step back.
Amara stepped in with a smirk, eyes gleaming as she looked around at their stunned faces. "Come on, come on," she said lightly. "Do not freeze up. It is not like this is my first time helping you all."