Alright, guys! The Crewe chapters are over, please tell me what you think! Sorry they were in third person, I didn't even realize until it was fully written. Crazy, right? Well, We're back to Aris's POV now, enjoy!

-Kasimyr

I was angry. Very angry. Why had I trusted a demon? I had thought Azen was different than the stories, not a merciless, heartless bastard, but I was obviously wrong. Azen hadn't lied to me outright, but practically every action he'd taken had been a lie! He was just as sick and twisted as some other demons, he was just better at hiding it... and now I was bonded to him. It wasn't like I liked Crewe; I hated the bastard. It just bothered me when a demon seemed helpless and weak, mostly because I used to believe they were invincible, strong, creatures. I knew better now, but it still bothered me to see a demon laying unconscious or hurt, while humans I knew were usually weak and disgusting, only a few being fit to even talk to.

If I had been angry before Azen grabbed me and punched Crewe back down, I was furious now. "Get off of me!" I spat, struggling. Azen wasn't listening, he was too busy glaring furiously at Crewe's unmoving body. "Damn him!" I heard him mutter. I saw his muscles twitch, about to kick Crewe, but he was stopped; and not by me. A frowning demon with golden hair had stepped in front of Crewe, his dark-gray eyes worried. "I'll take him up!" He said softly, authority in his eyes. "I'll even make sure Lord Kaern doesn't hear about this, alright?" The corner of the golden-haired demon's mouth twitched as he said 'lord', but I was too angry to bother wondering why at the time. Azen narrowed his eyes at the lanky demon, nodding. "Fine." He replied shortly, dragging me upstairs to our room.

I kicked and struggled the whole way, but was no match for his strength. He eventually dragged me to our room, pushing me in and stepping through after me, closing the door behind him. I glared at him warily, unbidden fear coursing through me as I realized I was alone, alone with the Azen, who'd tortured a helpless, weakened demon. If he enjoyed torturing the weak, he'd certainly have no problem with a weak kerilin; Aris was only strong in his slenderman form.

I suddenly felt stone hit my back, and I realized I had backed up into a the stone wall. Azen looked at me for a moment, eyes sad, and then sighed, running a hand through his already-tangled hair. "Listen, Aris..." He began softly, stepping towards me and causing me to shrink back. "I'm sorry, alright? You were never meant to see that-" I stood up, anger flaring through me. "I wasn't supposed to see that?" I spat vehemently, "Of course not! Not when you're trying to hide your true personality from me! It would have been nice to know what I was getting into before you dragged me into this fucked-up world!"

Azen flinched, slouching. "I never meant..." I scowled at him. "Never meant what?! To lie to me for months? I heard you! You said that 'You can't act this way with Aris around". What the hell was that all about?! What kind of partner am I, if you can't even act yourself around me?! You might as well just get rid of me now, because I'm obviously holding you back!" Azen's eyes filled with horror, and he stared speechlessly at me. "W..what?" He stammered, looking sick. "Get rid of you?!" My eyes narrowed. "You might as well!"

Azen stalked up to me, suddenly angry. He grabbed me by my collar, pulling me off the ground a few inches. "I chose you for a reason, Aris! You think I'd kill you?! Why the hell would I kill my partner?! I'm not Crewe, no matter what you think! Yes, I... hurt... Crewe, but that's demon instinct!" I sneered, but I knew fear was showing in my eyes. "You're blaming it on instinct? What are you? A simple-minded animal? Can you not control your instincts?!" He scowled at me, fury flashing through his eyes. Without coherent thought, he slammed me back into the wall, and I cried out in pain, the breath knocked out of me. I was being held up only by his hand gripping the collar of my shirt.

His eyes widened and he quickly let go of me, letting me slide, coughing, to the ground. He clenched his fists, looking incredibly guilty and sad. "I... Aris..." I ignored him, standing and walking to the door. I tried to open it, but it was locked. "Really?" I spat at him, "Locking me in? Are you-" I stopped short. Azen looked confused. "Locked?" I nodded. "Yes! Didn't you lock it?" He shook his head, horror reappearing in his eyes. He rushed over, trying the door with all of his strength, but failing. "Dammit!" He muttered, glaring at the door. "Somebody trapped us!" Azen walked to the window, picking up a metal coat-stand and slamming it as hard as he could into the glass.

There was no crash, no glass shards flying, no nothing; not even a hint of a crack. Azen turned to me, expression grim. He strode over back to me, pulling me into a short hug. "I'm sorry, alright?" he said, gripping my shoulders away at arm length. "I hurt Crewe when he was helpless; and while I'm not sorry for hurting him, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, and hurting you a minute ago. Most of all..." Azen sighed, eyes guilty. "I'm sorry for doing stuff like that behind my partner's back. Demons and their kerilin shouldn't be hiding things from each other, especially if one has... a mean streak. I'm sorry."

I tried to glare at him, but my expression softened without my consent. Azen looked so tired and sad, it was hard not to feel bad for him. "It's fine..." I muttered, looking at my feet. "I mean... I guess I wasn't completely honest with you, either." Azen looked at me, surprised. "Really? What...?" I grinned. "I lied the first time I tasted a soul. Those things are disgusting!" Azen broke into laughter, leaning against the bed. "I don't understand you sometimes, Aris!" He said, wiping away tears of laughter. "It wasn't really that funny..." I muttered, wondering why Azen was laughing so hard. He paused, looking at me. "I suppose I'm just glad you don't hate me!"

I smiled, rolling my eyes. "Whatever. Can we just figure a way out of here?" Azen nodded, walking to the door. "Let me try to break the lock again." He said, twisting the knob hard, which twisted easily; unlocked. "What?!" He said, glancing up and down the empty hall. "Who unlocked it?!" I shrugged. "Who knows? Whatever, I'm going to sleep." He looked back at me, smiling. "Alright." He walked to his bed, slipping into it and falling asleep. I was just about to get into bed myself when I heard a voice whispering my name from the hall.

I frowned, looking at the door. Who the hell could it be? It didn't sound like Crewe, and I felt like taking a risk, so I gripped my knife and cracked open the door, sliding out into the hall. The moonlight shone through the huge window, illuminating the small figure in front of me. "Who are you?" I asked softly. "Hello!" Said a soft, happy voice. "It's nice to finally meet you, I'm Ken!" I frowned. "Ken? I'm sorry, that doesn't ring a bell." Ken frowned. "There aren't any bells out here! It'd wake Azen, anyways." I sighed, "It's a metaphor." He smiled. "Oh!"

I forced a smile, "So what are you doing here?" He grinned happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I'm here on order of Lord Tyren! I was assigned to give a paper to him!" I raised an eyebrow, impressed. You snuck in here? In spite of all the demons on guard?" He grinned, nodding. "Yep! Can I see Azen?!" I gave a genuine grin; the exited demon was starting to grow on me. "Yeah, but he's sleeping." Ken peeked in, and then scoffed. "He's not sleeping! The little faker!" Ken walked in, leaping onto Azen and leaving me aghast.

Azen groaned, sitting up. "I wasn't faking, you stupid kid!" Ken grinned. "I'm not a kid anymore!" Azen's eyes opened faster than I could've thought possible. "Ken?!" He gasped. "What the everloving hell are you doing here?!" Ken grinned, handing Azen a note. "It's from Tyren!" Azen accepted it, setting it aside without a thought. "Aris!" he said excitedly. "Come meet Ken!" I sighed, "I already met him." I muttered, lighting a few candles.

In the dim light, I could now see Ken properly. He was short for a demon, shorter than me by a few inches. He had dark green hair combed neatly, his red eyes clashing horribly. He wore dark-gray trousers, a black shirt, and a black cloak with Azen's symbol on the back. Azen's symbol?! Why did he have Azen's symbol? Ken was grinning at Azen, chatting incessantly. I walked over to them, curious. "So, what's up with your cloak?" I asked Ken. He glanced at me, puzzled, and then his eyes brightened. "Oh! It was a gift from Tyren!"

Azen examined Ken's cloak, a frown growing on his face. He ripped open the letter from Tyren, examining it's contents quickly, before handing it to me with a smile. It read:

Dear Azen and Aris,

Has he killed you two yet? If you're reading this letter, than I suppose not. Write back and tell me anything you find out about the Veren that may be useful. I certainly know his person is doing the same with the Alactras. If you have a run-in with the Psychopath, Crewe, make sure to tell me; we need to find out his behavioral patterns, so we can capture him. He's too dangerous to let run rampant, protected by the Veren or not.

Surprised to see Ken? I certainly hope so, that was my intention. I was reading your file, and found that you had an unusually strong relationship with your four roommates in the school, Terhi, Brer, Orenec, and Kenlaes. They are all strong and capable, so I've done you the favor of making them your direct subordinates. Seran refused to have any, but I hope you will accept them. It was my strategist Adviser's idea in the first place, so if you want to blame anybody, blame him, alright? This letter is getting quite long, isn't it? I suppose I'm only writing because I'm bored, so I apologize for the length. Send Ken back to me with the reply, and have a good week with the Veren!

-Lord Tyren

I rolled my eyes; that child Lord was really something. I looked over to see Azen frowning, quickly scribbling a reply and handing it to Ken. Ken hugged Azen, and then ran straight into the wall, disappearing into it. Azen and I stared at the wall, speechless. "Did you know...?" I asked. Azen shook his head, still looking at the wall. "So, he was your roommate?" I asked curiously. Azen turned to me, a happy smile brightening his features. "Yeah! He was three when I left, the youngest. He was always a bit... odd." I grinned. "He's certainly odd!"

Azen smirked, laying back down on his bed. "I figured he would mature with age, but I suppose I was wrong. 'Night" And with that, Azen curled up under the covers, soon asleep. I smiled at down at him, blowing out out the candles and sliding into my bed, falling quickly into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning began with a polite knock on the door. "The Lord requests your presence in three hours! Your food is on a tray out here, whenever you'd like it!" I yawned, sitting up and stretching. I looked over to see Azen sprawled on the floor, his blanket tangled next to him. He was obviously sleeping, but his eyelids were twitching, as if he were dreaming. It made me worried slightly; Azen had obviously been kicking and turning around in his sleep.

I walked over and kneeled by him, shaking him awake. "Azen? Hey! Wake up!" His eyes fluttered awake, full of terror, and he lept up. His eyes scanned the room quickly, and he slumped. "Nightmare?" I asked. He nodded shortly, dressing for the day. I rolled my eyes, following his lead. He obviously didn't want to talk about it. We walked out, ignoring the tray, and down the hall.

We were nearly to the gardens when we ran into a familiar face; the golden-haired demon from the day before. Azen frowned, stepping in his path. The demon's eyes widened. "Hello!" He said nervously. "I really have to go-" He tried to sidestep Azen, who stepped back into his path. "What happened to Crewe? Did you report him like you said?" The demon glared at Azen. "So what if I did?" He snapped, once again trying to get around and failing. Azen sighed, slamming the demon into the wall, who winced, scowling.

"Did you?" Azen said in a low tone, his grip tightening. The demon frowned, opening his mouth, but being cut off by an angry voice down the hall. "What do you think you're doing?" Asked Crewe, who was walking down, limping slightly. "You should know that's it's rude to touch other people's things!" Azen looked at him, confused. "What?" Crewe sneered, ripping the sighing golden-haired demon out of Azen's grip and gripping him tightly, arm around his neck. "Don't touch my property!" Crewe snapped, stalking off, pulling the amused shorter demon along roughly.

Azen looked at him, surprised. "Wow." I smiled. "Do you think Crewe...?" Azen nodded, grinning, and began walking. I followed him down the hall and outside. The fresh air did us some good, and it was very interesting to see all of the activity in the backyard. Azen wandered off to watch the battle practice, and I walked over to a tree, pulling a small book out of my pocket and settling under the tree to read it.

I had twenty minutes of peace, before something happened. I should've expected it, an Alactras sitting alone in the middle of a Veren base, but at that time, I wasn't thinking properly. "Oh, what do we have here?" A voice sneered above me. I looked up to see a dark-eyed demon with midnight-blue hair standing above me, two demons with yellow eyes and black hair at his sides. I rolled my eyes and went back to my book.

"Oh? Not only a damned Alactras, but a Kerilin, too!" The demon kicked the book out of my hands, nearly breaking a few fingers. I glared up at them, and they grinned. "Oh! It's getting angry!" I scowled. "It's a him, morons. Do they teach you nothing here? You know, like maybe common courtesy? Asking a stranger's name? I'm Aris, Azen's Kerilin... and proud to be so." They laughed snidely, looking down at me as if I were inferior. There was nothing more in the world I wanted to do than change into my slenderman form and beat the hell out of them, but I didn't. It might start a war with the Veren.

The middle demon nudged me with his foot, making me wince at the force of it. Had he no self-control? I leaned over, picking my book up and dusting it off, noticing a bent page. "You hurt my book!" I said angrily, smoothing it out. The two raven-haired demons looked at each other, smirking. At a nod from the blue-haired one, they walked forward, grabbing my arms and forcing me up. "Hey!" I snapped as my book fell to the ground. "Watch it!" They snickered, procuring some rope and tying me to a tree. I didn't struggle; there was no point.

The middle one picked up my book, flipping through it. "A human reading demon writing? How disgusting." He ripped my book to shreds, smirking at me. I scowled viciously, furious and helpless. "I'm not human!" I snapped. "I'm a Kerilin!" The demon laughed. "Only humans have such disgusting green eyes!" He replied, grinning. I frowned. "Do you not see the red?" The demon snorted. "That's a very small amount, easily fixed by ripping out your eyes!" To my growing horror, he began digging in his satchel, pulling out small metal pliers with a grin.

I closed my eyes as he advanced with them, bracing for the inevitable pain, but surprised at a sudden burning pain in my back, and then a choking noise was heard. I opened my eyes to see a long black tendril of shadow, growing out of my short, human-form back and choking the demon, who had dropped the pliers, The two raven-haired demons backed away simultaneously, shocked, and ran away, leaving the blue-haired one behind.