When I opened my eyes after being dragged by those shadowed hands, I saw darkness. It was endless. Not so much as a glimmer of light. Yet, I was still able to see. I could easily distinguish my body. I could see my black glove in front of my face. I could see my boots, my shirt, and my cloak. I could see. The darkness itself was so... pleasant. It was the type of darkness one sees when they close their eyes to rest. The darkness that allows a peaceful sleep to take them. It was cool, calm, and comforting. I could feel absolutely no evil from the darkness. I felt... nothing. No other presence other than my own.

I started to walk. Each step echoed through the empty plain. I just kept walking. Then, emerging from the shadows, came the form of a little girl. She looked no older than twelve in terms of height. Her face was covered by her long hair. She wasn't wearing any shoes, and she just wore a simple white dress. Her skin looked pale, deathly so.

"My Lord?" Her voice echoed. It had a ghostly tone to it, but it was undoubtedly the voice of a child. "Are you My Lord?"

I just stood there, contemplating on what to say next. I had no idea who this being was, but I knew why she would believe I was... the Dark Lord. I had his armor. I had his power. I wouldn't be surprised if I had his aura, or even his scent. Still, I would not lie. "No."

The spirit was still. She started to shake a bit. I thought she was going to attack me, but instead, I heard her... cry. Soft, short sniffles; as if she was willing herself to not break down into tears. "My Lord..." It was then that she revealed her face. So young. It truly was a child. He skin was as pale as the rest of her body, even her lips looked colorless. However, the most distinguishing feature were her eyes... Or rather lack there of.

In place of her eyes was darkness. Absolute black. It was like staring into a bottomless pit. Anyone with a weak spirit would have either fainted or ran away with absolute fear plaguing their soul. I felt no such fear. I saw nothing to fear. Though they were empty, I could still feel her emotions. They were so sad. As if she were abandoned, or even rejected. "Do you reject us? Do we repulse you?" So much sadness. So much fear and desperation. She wanted me to accept her so badly. "Child, I do not reject you, nor do I feel repulsion toward you. However, I cannot accept you." Her eyes widened with pain. "How can I? I have no right to rule over you, for I am not a lord. I will not rule over anyone." I walked over to her before I spoke again. "Nor shall anyone ever rule over me. However, I'll never allow anyone to dominate you." I placed my left hand onto her right cheek. She seemed to have taken comfort in this. She closed her eyes and gave a content smile as she rubbed her cheek against the palm of my hand. She looked so happy.

"Child, please, reveal your full form." She opened her eyes slightly. She looked hesitant at first. She then complied, and allowed her wings to sprout from her back. They were completely black and greatly resembled the wings of a bat. She looked afraid, as if she was preparing herself for my disgust of her wings. I felt no such thing. To me, she was still a beautiful creature. A creature that needed protection. "This I promise you, I will never allow harm to come to you, or to any of you."

When I said that, many other beings surrounded me and the child. They were of different heights, but they all shared the same features as the child. They all had deathly pale skin, black hair that covered their faces, and those beautiful black wings.

"You would protect us?"

"But why?"

"You refuse to be our Lord, so why should you protect us?"

"Why would a being of the light want to protect the creatures of the dark?"

Each question seemed to come from all around me. They were full of so much confusion. "Why shouldn't the light want to protect the darkness?" They did not stir, but I could still feel their confusion. "Darkness itself... is not evil. There can be no light without darkness, such as there can be no darkness without light. One will always need the other. Still, there are fools who wish to destroy the darkness. They do it not for peace and happiness of all, but for their own peace. They fear the darkness, because they do not understand it. When you cannot see something, when you cannot touch it, when you cannot understand it, you tend to fear it. Villainize it. True, many evil beings have used the power of darkness for selfish reasons, but the actions of one should not symbolize the many. WHAT EVIL HAVE ANY OF YOU COMMITTED?!" Many of the beings seemed shocked at my statement. I could sense from their hearts, from their souls, that they have never committed any crimes against the forces of good. "All any of you have ever wished for is peace. You have no control over those who would abuse the power of darkness for their own evil agendas, so why should you suffer for their actions?! What gives you, the children of darkness, any less right to enjoy the same peace as the children of the light?!"

So many were speaking to one another. I looked at the child. Her eyes were completely wide. She looked so surprised at what I was saying. They looked so stupefied. They also seemed so... hopeful. "Will you protect us?" She was looking so hopeful. She wanted me to help them. "Will you ensure our peace?"

"Will you ensure our happiness?"

"Will you be our protector?"

They all sounded hopeful. It sounded like the haven't known peace in years. No, in centuries. It was if they hadn't known true peace, even in the reign of the Dark Lord. Even when the first spirit asked if I was her lord, I was still able to catch the sound of fear in her voice. It was so complex, as if she didn't know whether to be happy or afraid of the return of the Dark Lord. "This I promise to all of you, it matters not if your assailants are warriors of the light or soldiers of the darkness, I shall not allow any tyranny to befall you. I will challenge all who try to destroy your dark peace. I would even challenge THE LIGHT OF GOD HIMSELF!"

None have moved at all. Not a single sound was heard. Then, the spirits behind the child parted ways, and then, I heard something rise from behind the girl. "We can sense the resolve in your soul. Your words ring truly. You truly do care for the children of the night. You may reject your title, but we shall accept you as our lord. Because of this, we shall return what is rightfully yours, my liege."

The child stepped to the side to reveal what was at her back. There it was. The final piece to the set. The Diabolo Anathema. It was a work of art. It was a black, double-edged sword. At the center of the hilt was the carved image of a horned demon. Down both sides of the blade was the design of lightning. The protruding sides of the weapon's hilt looked as sharp as claws, much like the shoulders of my armor. The weapon was glowing an ethereal, purple aura. It was dark, but strangely, I sensed no malice or blood-lust. All I could sense from it was... content. Was it pleased to see me? Did it know that it would leave it's temporary home? I was still admiring the blade as I walked toward it. Gingerly, I grasped the hilt of the mighty blade. Once I liberated it from it's former sheath, I marveled at it's grace. As with the other artifacts, this mighty sword was large. It was easily as tall as I was. However, like the rest, it adjusted to my physique. The sword was now as long as my arm, but fit perfectly in my hand. It was so comfortable and light. I barely needed any strength to swing the sword at all. Then came the part I was waiting for. The sword's memories.

I saw the blade being pointed toward the sky as it's wielder lead his army in a charge against their enemies. I saw the sword slashing through blades, armor, and even magic as if they were paper. I saw the shadowed blade clash with a sword of light. Then, something strange happened. Something that didn't happen with the other artifacts. I saw locations. I knew exactly how to get there. There were two. One of the locations was a lake being bathed by the moon light. It felt so... holy. There was a sword placed inside of a stone. I couldn't see the blade completely, but I could feel it. It's like it was calling. Calling for... me? Then, another sight was shown to me. A book. A large one at that. It was radiating power, but there was something else. The book was surrounded... by women. They were powerful. I could feel the magic power flooding from them. They were witches. It didn't stop. I was given a name. I knew the name of the witches. What they called themselves. I couldn't believe it.

The visions were gone. I wasn't tired at all, but I was pleased. I was afraid I might hit a dead end once I had gotten the sword, but a new path had been opened to me. As much as I wanted to meet the witches, I felt compelled to find that sword. Speaking of swords, I gazed upon the Diabolo Anathema. Such a magnificent blade had accepted me as it's new wielder. It may take me a while to completely master it's power, but I'll have plenty of opportunities and more than enough time to do just that.

With a swing of the sword, I opened a portal of darkness. Before I walked through, I looked back towards the Shadow Demons, or rather, the Fallen Angels. The child from before was there at the front, her hands clasped together at her chest, a look of sadness on her face. While looking at them, I raised my new sword towards the sky of darkness. "I swear on my honor, no child of man, no demon of Satan, or even an angel of God shall bring you despair! I shall be... your protector! Your guardian! I shall be... YOUR KNIGHT!" The Fallen Angels all looked at me, studying me, seeing if I spoke truly. Then, I could see tears in their eyes. The child was actually allowing her tears to fall freely. Then, they all fell on bended knees, bowed their heads, and clasped their hands to their chests. "THANK YOU, YOUR MAJESTY!" I didn't rebut them this time. The child said it first. Even if I reject the title, they'll still see me as their lord. With that in mind, I walked through the portal, promising myself to never break my promise to them.

The first thing I experienced after I closed the portal was a pressure around my waist and the sound of loud crying. I looked down to see Frokz hugging me while crying. "RAMMY! YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF US! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE A GONER!"

"He's right, Adelram!" I looked up to see a very annoyed Sharn. "How could you allow yourself to get captured like that?! Here we are, worrying about you after seeing you being dragged into some strange darkness! What were you thinking?!" She was about to continue lecturing me, until she saw what I was holding in my left hand. "Is that?" Frokz was able to calm down enough to look at what was able to stop Sharn from yelling at me. His eyes widened in shock before he practically flew backwards screaming, hands flying into the air. It brought the sword up to examine, and even lifted it up toward the moon. It looked even more beautiful with the light of the moon illuminating it. "Yes. It's the Diabolo Anathema. The Dark Lord's sword."

Both Sharn and Frokz were mesmerized by the sword. Sharn was able to break out of her daze first. "So, are you closer to learning about the Dark Lord?" I turned my gaze toward her. I gave a sigh before I spoke. "Not exactly. When I got the sword, I was shown it's memories, but something strange happened. I was shown two different locations. One was holding a sword, while the other was holding a grimoire." Frokz looked the most confused, so he was the one who naturally spoke next. "But you already have the Diabolo Anathema. Why would you be shown another sword?"

"I don't know. But that's exactly why Sharn and I am going to that location first." Sharn looked excited. I guess she was happy to know our journey wasn't going to end anytime soon. When I said that, I raised the sword towards the moon again. It really did look beautiful in the full moon light. Then, something strange happened. The moon's pale white light started to turn a dark shade of purple. The area was now covered in a purple color. Something was coming.

I told Frokz to run towards the pub as fast as he can and to make sure no one got out. He complied with no argument. Sharn already had her daggers out. We were both prepared for any form of attack. I sensed a killing attack from... above?! With a swift movement, I turned my sword up towards the sky, just in time to block a flurry of attacks from... scythes? There was something strange about the scythes. They were transparent. When I looked at the assailants, I was surprised by what I saw. They were as transparent as their weapons! I could literally see right through them. When I looked at them, all I saw were tall figures wearing cloaks. They didn't have any faces at all! It was just a void! I was able to repel them, and with a slash of the sword, I had slain them. The cries of agony was more than enough proof of that. Plus, the fact that they completely disappeared was another sign of their demise. More of the same creatures appeared. Sharn tried to attack them, but her daggers just went straight through them. She couldn't touch them. She was pretty much defenseless. I was worried about her, but then, an idea had come to me. It was a gamble, but it was better than nothing.

"Sharn! Turn towards me, and place your daggers over your chest!"

"What?! Why?!"

"No time to explain! Just trust me, partner!"

After I said that, Sharn did as I said. Concentrating a small flame into my right fist, I threw the flame at the blades of Sharn's daggers. My gamble payed off. Her daggers were set ablaze with the black flames. Just the blades. The hilts and her body were completely untouched by the black fire. Before she could marvel at her new, temporary weapons, she had to block an attack from the creature. It was successful. I even heard the clash of the weapons. Taking the monster's stunned shriek as a chance, Sharn slashed through the ghostly creature. It shrieked before it disappeared.

As I thought, the fire from my gauntlets can harm these creatures. I bet the rest of my armor can harm these creatures as well. To test that theory, I completely activated my full armor set. When I did that, I tried to kick one of the ghosts. It was sent flying before it disappeared. I could actually feel the impacts from my punches and kicks. Something interesting also happened. I must have let down my guard enough for one of the creatures to attack me from behind, or at least try to. It's strike would have slashed right through my left shoulder, had it not been for my new Shadow Guard Breastplate. The blade bounced off of my shoulder like a pebble bouncing off of a mighty stone wall. The last thing I heard from the creature was it's cry of surprise, before I killed it.

The battle went on like this for some time. Sharn and I had slain countless numbers of these creatures. Though it was a battle of life or death, I couldn't help but enjoy it. Neither could Sharn. I, with my new sword, and her with her flaming daggers. The adrenaline was rushing through both of us. We were both having a hell of a time, sending these creatures back to Hell.

Finally, they stopped appearing. We were left panting, exhausted from all the fighting, with giant smiles plastered onto our faces. When no other creatures appeared, Sharn gave a quick flick of her wrists to put out the flames before she sheathed her daggers. I was about to place my sword into it's own storage dimension, until I heard a demonic voice.

"Quite impressive. So this is the power of the heretic who defeated that fool Carmilla."

The voice caused me to go into full alert. I haven't felt this type of fear in a long time. Looking up toward the sky, I saw... something unholy. It was a cloaked figure, much like those ghosts from before, only with a much more powerful aura. It had no face. Only a skull. It had a scythe in it's left hand. I could feel the power radiating from it. All I could feel from the creature was one thing. Death.

"So, you are the blasphemer who dares to claim the Lord's power for himself."

Lord? No. No way. "Are you... the dark god? Are you truly Death himself?!"

"Indeed, I am, thief. I am here to take back what belongs to the Master. And as punishment for taking what you could not possible hope to understand, you shall be punished. Though, you should see it as an honor. Through your death... through your body, the Dark Lord..." Death brought his arms together, and started to concentrate. "SHALL RISE ONCE AGAIN!" With that said, he released a darkness that enveloped me. When I opened my eyes, I was in a hellish realm. Sharn was nowhere to be seen, but he was there; scythe in hand. So, it's me versus Death. Sounds fair to me.

With a swing of his hands, a platoon of those same spirits appeared before me. I slaughtered them all. Thinking he saw an opening, Death tried to slash me with his scythe. I was able to parry the attack, and slash him in return. That seemed to infuriate him.

"HOW DARE YOU?! A MERE MORTAL, HARM ME?! I DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES, BOY! YOU CANNOT HOPE TO WIN!"

He started to attack me with more ferocity. He sent all manner of attacks at me. Countless flying scythes. Exploding skulls that would home in on me. His own strikes imbued with his power. If it wasn't for my armor and sword, I would have died countless times. However, with my powers, I was able to more than hold my own against the god. I did far more damage to him than he did to me. Still, I was running low on stamina. The battle with those spirits had really drained me of energy. Eventually, I had fallen on bended knee.

"What's wrong, human? Feeling a bit weak, are we?" He actually chuckled. He was enjoying seeing me suffer. "Pathetic. You are no Lord of Darkness. He would be able to fight far longer than this. His stamina is endless. Even if he didn't have the Crimson Stone, I would still follow him out of sheer respect for his power."

The Crimson Stone? That thing was supposed to be a myth. Even more legendary than the Dark Lord himself. It's said that the stone can absorb the souls of anything. It is also said that the owner... would be able to have Death as an ally. So that's how he did it. He found the Crimson Stone. That's how he was able to have Death as an ally. Still, Death said that he'd follow him even without the Stone's influence. Just what kind of man was the Dark Lord?

"Now, I shall complete my duties. Rejoice, human. It is through you that my Master shall return. Through you, the true power of the Darkness shall be unleashed on this pathetic world, and the Night shall rule again!"

He raised his scythe above his head, getting ready to swing it down to end my life. Still, that didn't bother me. He said something else that pissed me off. Before his scythe could reach it's intended target, I blocked it with my sword. I could practically feel the surprised shock from Death.

"I'm no Dark Lord? You're damned right I'm not!" With a burst of strength, I sent Death flying away from me. He looked so shocked. "Dark Lord this, and Dark Lord that. You have no right to use his power? His power is not for a mere boy to trifle with? You refuse to resurrect the Dark Lord? You're body will bring him back to life? I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ANY OF THAT! I didn't start this journey to bring some bastard back from the dead! I didn't start this quest to replace him! And I sure as hell didn't start this adventure to BECOME the prick! I started it to learn about him! To unlock a piece of history that no one knows about! If I had to accept his power to learn more about him, then so be it! If I have to fight monsters, demons, humans, and even gods to achieve that goal, then I'll gladly do it! If I have to become a guardian to get that much closer to him, then I'll gladly do it! However, I'll do it on my own accord! I won't let anyone decide my fate! I won't be forced to do anything! I decide how my journey goes! Not Carmilla! Not the Six Paladins! Not even Angelica! And sure as hell not you!"

Death looked so shocked. He didn't react at all, until I lifted the blade across my chest in front of me. Placing my right hand onto the hilt of the blade, I started to concentrate until the fires of the gauntlet appeared. "Diabolo Anathema." I traced my hand across the sword, covering the blade with the black flames until it was completely covered with the dark fire. "Tenebris Ignis Gladio!"

The orbs of light that were Death's eyes seemed to brighten in absolute rage. "A MERE HUMAN HAS THE GALL TO USE THE MASTER'S TECHNIQUE?! DOES YOUR BLASPHEMY KNOW NO BOUNDERIES?! I SHALL FEAST ON YOUR SOUL FOR YOUR HERESY, YOU INSIGNIFICANT MAGGET!"

The two of us raised our respective weapons, concentrating. Death's scythe started to glow with the same purple light that enveloped the moon. With his eyes now completely red, he charged at me. "SOUL REAPER!" As he charged at me, I closed my eyes. Time seemed to slow down around me. I could feel the power coursing through me. "Black Skill:" Death seemed to have be showing another emotion besides rage. "Light..." I slowly opened my eyes to look into his. He was now showing fear. "SLASHER!" With all of my strength, I slashed down at the god. A wave of darkness shot from my sword. It completely shattered Death's dimension. Not only that, it completely destroyed the purple light that surrounded us. It was like the light was completely shattered, as if it were made of glass. The blast didn't stop. It kept on traveling, until it was completely out of sight, leaving nothing but darkness and destruction in it's path. Death took the full brunt of the attack. He was slowly disappearing, along with the darkness I had created. "Curse you, Adelram Umbra. This will not be our last meeting." That was the last thing he said before disappearing.

The light of the full moon returned, illuminating the entire goblin village. I saw Sharn, staring at me with awestruck eyes. Before she could speak, we heard cheers all around us.

"That was amazing!"

"Did you see that?!"

"They took on ghosts!"

"Forget that! That human just took on Death himself! And won!"

That's right. I had taken on an actual god. Not just any god, but one who rules over death. The one who decides who lives and who dies. I had... beaten Death.

I saw Frokz running towards me, yelling something. Yet, I couldn't hear him. Everything was getting fuzzy. Distorted. I felt like I was falling, but Sharn caught me before I could hit the ground. Before she could ask me what was wrong, there was a growl so loud, that the entire village must have heard it. It was my stomach. "So damn hungry."

Frokz would have bought me a feast, but the village beat him to it. They wanted to reward me on my new powers and my victory over the current strongest Dark General. Their food was delicious. I couldn't stop eating at all. I stuffed pretty much everything in range into my mouth, only stopping when I started to choke, just to use a mug of beer to wash it down. Sharn was also eating ferociously, but she might as well have been an aristocrat in comparison to my eating. The entire village was enjoying themselves. Even the king joined in. At the end, most of the goblins either went home or just decided to use the ground as a bed. Sharn, Frokz, and I were the only ones still fully awake. The two of us were preparing to leave with Frokz seeing us off.

"So, Rammy, where are you off to now?"

"I'm off to find that sword. See why it was so important that it was included in the memories of the Diabolo Anathema."

Frokz didn't say anything at first, though he did have a look of worry. "Kid, you better stay safe. I heard what Death said to you. There's no way he's just gonna leave you alone."

"I know, but I am prepared." I showed him the Diabolo Anathema to emphasize my point. "Besides, I have Sharn to make sure I don't get into too much trouble. When I said that, she swung her left arm around my neck. "Damn right you do. Don't worry, Frokz. I'll be sure to keep our human nice and safe."

Frokz seemed to have taken comfort in that. "Good luck you crazy kids. And give your old Uncle Frokz a visit from time to time!"

"Will do, old friend. Well, let's get going, Sharn." With that, I picked her up, bridal-style. "Oh no. Not again." She wrapped her arms around my neck. A look of dread on her face. Frokz looked confused. "Good-bye, Frokz." With that, I used the power of my boots to practically vanish, leaving behind only the sounds of Sharn's cute, fearful scream.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

We all jumped out of a the path of wave of darkness. As it disappeared, there was nothing left of where it crossed. The trees and foliage that were once there was nonexistent. It was if the darkness completely erased it. Master Hammer was the first to speak. "What in the name of the Holy Father was that?!" None of us had an answer. That was way to powerful. What could have possible. . . . . . Adelram. He must have gotten another artifact. Master Grant brought me out of my musings. "Well, whatever is was, it left a conveniently smooth path. Anyone wanna bet that it'll lead us to Adelram?"

Master Grant was right. The path was smooth and large enough for Master Hammer's motorcycle, with more than enough room for Master Grant to run. There were no trees to impede my and Sypha's flight. It was the perfect path. Adelram had pretty much given us a golden path that lead right to him. I used an echolocation spell to locate him. "Found him. He's not that far. We should be able to reach him in ten mi-" N-no way.

"Trevor? Dear, what's wrong?"

"S-such speed." Sypha's confused look was practically begging me for answers. "He has just left. He's reached another location in less than a minute. It will take us thirty minutes at the least to reach him now." All but Master Grant were shocked to hear this. Master David voiced his opinion. "He went that far that quickly?"

"Told ya the kid got faster."

Master Grant did praise his newfound speed, but this was beyond even his description. Victory is becoming ever slimmer. We must hurry. Master Hammer had already summoned his motorcycle, with Master Shanoa and Master David getting into their respective seats. Master Grant had prepared himself for the run, while Sypha and I cast the flight spell upon us. When ready, we traveled as quickly as we collectively could. We needed to reach our target as quickly as possible, before it becomes too powerful for us to handle.

Death returned to his realm severely wounded, using his scythe as a crutch, only to be greeted with the sight of Carmilla leaning against the darkness with her arms crossed under her breasts. "As I expected. I knew you'd return with your tail between your legs."

"Be silent, Carmilla. I have no need of hearing your criticisms."

"So I see. I warned you of his power, yet you refused to heed my warnings. At least I did something more productive while you were out being humiliated by that human."

Death was curious about what she meant. When he turned his gaze toward her, he saw her reach into the darkness, and threw something toward him. At his feet lay, "Cornell? And what use would this mutt be to me? He can no longer be an adequate vessel for His Majesty."

"Look at his claws, you bone-headed fool."

Ignoring the insult, Death looked towards Cornell's hands. It was covered in blood, but not just anyone's blood. "The blood of Adelram Umbra."

"Yes, and I'm quite certain you still have IT."

"Hm, the boy's body would been far more convenient, though his blood shall still accomplish the task at hand." Cornell was beginning to stir. He hated those two as much as he hated the Dark Lord, so hearing them talk about accomplishing any form of "task" could spell any number of problems for him and his clan. "What are you two abominations talking about?" Death looked down at Cornell, eyes glowing brightly. "Why, we are talking about the resurrection of our Lord and Master. The return of the Dark Lord."

Cornell's blood ran cold. That'd be absolutely horrible. His clan would be tormented by the Devil once more. His wife, his children, his brother, his sister, the youths and the elders of the clan. They'd all be forced to serve the ultimate evil. "DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I'LL LET YOU BASTARDS DO THAT?!"

Cornell tried to jump toward Death, just to try and slash off his skull from his spine, only to have his head slammed into the ground by Carmilla. "Do you honestly think you can stop us?" She was grinning sadistically, reveling in the pain and despair Cornell was showing.

Death walked over toward the restrained wolfman. "You should be overjoyed, Cornell. Our Lord shall finally return to us." Cornell looked up from the ground, looking at Death with nothing but pure hatred. "THAT MONSTER IS NOT MY LORD!" Death just stared at Cornell, eyes completely devoid of anything. "Hmph, no matter. Though you reject him, he shall still reward you. After all, it will be thanks to you that he shall return."

"WHAT?!"

With that said, Death raised his hand. Out from the darkness rose a coffin. The door fell to the ground, revealing a skeleton in noble garb. The skeleton's elegant clothing was adorned with a stone in the center of the collar. It was as red as blood. Though it was nothing but bones, one could still sense it. The near unlimited power of darkness surrounding it. Even in death, his body still held so much power. "The corpse of the Dark Lord."

"Yes, Cornell. I would never allow those pathetic mortals to desecrate his body. Oh, my Lord, my Prince; even in this state, you still radiate your awesome power. Do not fret, my Master. You will return to this world, for Cornell has brought the key to your revival."

Cornell was confused. What was Death talking about? Then, he felt his hands being raised against his will. Death was forcing Cornell to walk towards the skeletal body of the Dark Lord, and had him jab his claws into the corpse's abdomen. Then, he saw it. The blood on his claws... was being absorbed. . . . . . His blood. The blood of that boy. That's what they meant.

Carmilla began to speak, telling Cornell his worth. "You did something that neither Death nor I were able to do Cornell. You made Adelram bleed. That was the catalyst. That is what we can use to bring our Lord back. The boy's body would have been preferable, since a few drops of blood will only slowly resurrect him. Still, it's better than nothing at all. And to think, we never would have gotten this... had you not fought the boy. Had you avoided him, had you ran from him, had you never have even so much as sensed him, we would have never gotten the blood infused with the Dark Lord's power. It's all thanks to you."

The words cut Cornell deeply. Deeper than any blade would ever hope to cut. It's his fault. He brought back the Dark Lord. He would bring suffering to his people. He could sense it now. Life returning to the one being he hated more than anything. His people would suffer by this devil's hands, and it's his fault. Now knowing his failure, he released a cry. A cry filled to the brim with anguish and defeat. It was like music for Carmilla. To Death, it was a sign. The signal of the return of his Master.

"Oh, my Prince! I wait anxiously for your return! When you are brought back to your former glory, God's light will be destroyed! And with his return, your DEATH... WILL BE ASSURED, ADELRAM UMBRA!"

A/N: Damn. I am evil. I just won't give Cornell a break. All he wanted was the peace and safety of his clan, but now comes the being that'll end the century long peace he enjoyed with his family. Not even his immortality bothered him, as long as he could watch their clan have happy lives. To add insult to injury, he's technically the one who ended that peace. Sure, it's Adelram's blood that started the resurrection, but Carmilla was barely able to scratch him, and most of Death's attacks involved magic that wouldn't draw blood. It was Cornell's claws that caused Adelram to bleed, and of course, gave Death and Carmilla the one element they needed to bring back the most dangerous and powerful Dark Force in the world. That's the exact thing the Paladins were hoping to prevent. Now, Adelram has one hell of an enemy, but he's none the wiser. No one even knows that he's going to come back, even thought it'll take a hell of a long time for him to completely resurrect. Still, Adelram's gonna have one hell of a fight on his hands in the near future, but it's not exactly all sunshine and rainbows right now for him anyway. What did the Diabolo Anathema show him? Who were those witches? Most importantly, will Adelram be strong enough to fight the Dark Lord when he's fully revived? He may have his powers, but Adelram himself admitted that he hasn't fully mastered them. Good luck, kid. Oh, and I'm not exactly the most philosophical guy, so if Adelram's speech to the Fallen Angels (or Dark Angels, whatever you want to call them) seems forced, boring, stupid, lame, lazy, or any other negative thing you can think of; sorry. I just think it's a dumb trope for everything involving darkness to be evil. Besides, there's a lot of beauty in the dark. Look at the full moon. Google Image nocturnal animals, and those things are adorable. Have you ever seen a fox-faced bat? Unbearably cute! Looks like a damned puppy with wings! Well, let's end my mad rambling. See you guys next chapter!