Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I do not own the characters, just the plot~
Arthur walked along the cobblestone path, taking in the fresh air and enjoying the beautiful day. The sun was shining, and all was well. Well deserved, too, anyways, he thought. After what he and his friends had been through, they deserved a break. Alfred walked side by side with him, talking energetically about who knows what. Mundane students walked past them, completely and blissfully unaware of the tragedies that had struck only last week. But they didn't need to know about how the fate of humanity had almost tipped the wrong way, in favor of the demons. They didn't need to know that their fellow demon hunting students had virtually saved this entire region from falling under demonic rule and chaos. No, it was best they did not know who the real heroes were. Because as long as Arthur knew, and his friends knew, it was enough.
"Hey, Arthur..." Alfred said, his tone softening. The sudden shift in his mood caught Arthur's attention, and he glanced over at his friend to see the sad smile pass over his face. To be honest, Arthur was surprised to see such an expression come over him.
"What is it?"
"I never got the chance to say thank you to Roderich."
Arthur was so taken aback, he couldn't even speak. This was the last thing he expected him to say.
"I heard his voice," Alfred went on, "I'm sure it was his voice. Right before the harmony link snapped and disappeared." Arthur knew what he was talking about. In the middle of battle, during the invasion, Arthur had felt a strange jolt inside of him, and all telepathic communication was cut off. "Roderich told me where to find Gilbert. Without him, I wouldn't have made it in time. I wish I could have said thanks."
There was a moment of silence, then Arthur gave a small smile back, "It's not like it's too late, you know. He can still hear you, I'm sure of it."
"You know what, you're right!" Alfred grinned, his mood picking back up in a heartbeat. The two continued walking a few more steps before he asked, "Where are we going, anyways?"
"Kim and the others are back from the village. We're going to meet them at the subway station right now," Arthur rolled his eyes. He had explained this to Alfred five minutes ago. "They already know about the invasion, just not the details. Kim and I have to be on the same page by the time demon hunting classes start up again."
"Oh right," Alfred chuckled lightheartedly, "You class reps always have to know everything about everybody."
There was another pause, and both of them were soon thinking the same thing. Laura would need to find another Class B representative soon. There were many candidates from Class B, of course, including Lovino, Lars, Matthew, and a few others, but the cold fact remained unspoken. Without Roderich, that position would always feel as if something was missing.
Finally, Alfred spoke up again, "I just realized. I'm going to be seventeen soon. In a couple of weeks."
Arthur knew what he was implying of course. "And your reaper compromise will come to a final decision," he finished for his friend. "Are you worried?"
"Not really," he shrugged back, then grinned at him, "As long as I don't mess with any more soul anchors, I should be fine! Although, I wonder if they're angry about me splitting Gilbert's soul. If they are...well, I guess that's too bad!"
Arthur was about to reply, but then the two reached the subway station, and walked right into a tense atmosphere. He could not only feel it as soon as they entered, but Arthur could also easily see the shocked and confused expressions on everyone's face. They weren't even looking at them as they walked in. Instead, all their attention was on a boy, standing in the center of the room, with wild eyes and heavy breaths, as if he had just been yelling.
A tidal wave of horror struck Arthur abruptly, almost to the point that the wind was knocked out of him. That boy...! No, no, it can't be! How is it possible?! After all these years...! Was it all for nothing?! No, wait, the boy hadn't seen him yet. Perhaps if he was quiet enough he could sneak out of the station before anyone noticed...
"Hey guys! What's going on here?" Alfred waved cheerfully. Everyone was snapped from their confused states and turned to look at him and Arthur. Even the boy.
Bloody hell.
Peter's jaw dropped. His eyes grew even wider with incomprehension and astonishment. "Y-you...!" he pointed a shaky finger at Arthur, his gaze taking in all of his familiar lineaments. "That's...impossible... You're dead..." His mouth ran dry, and it struggled to form the rest of his jumbled thoughts into spoken words, struggled to form the name he had just screamed only moments ago.
"How does that kid know you're supposed to be dead?" Alfred frowned, raising an eyebrow at Arthur.
"Shut up, you wanker!" Arthur hissed under his breath. This was bad. Really bad. He needed to get out of here. An excuse to haul ass right out of the station. His eyes searched the room as his brain scrambled for something to say. Then he saw Gilbert, standing a few feet to his left, staring at the quandary unfolding in front of him. "G-Gilbert! There you are!" he said suddenly, recomposing himself, "I've been looking for you! I really need to talk to you right away! It can't wait!"
With that, he grabbed the perplexed albino's wrist, and practically dragged him out of the station in such a hurry, Gilbert almost fell flat on his face. Once they were out of everyone's sight, Arthur tugged on his wrist even harder, until they were both running, or more like sprinting, away. Arthur led him through the campus, making random turns, until finally ducking behind the guys' dorms building. Catching his breath, Arthur leaned his back against the wall, then slowly slid down until he was sitting on the grassy ground, his legs stretched out before him. Gilbert watched him for a moment, still caught in disbelief, before positioning himself the same way, sitting with his back against the wall. They were silent for another brief moment.
"What the hell is going on?" Gilbert exasperated, looking expectantly at Arthur.
"It's a long story," he mumbled back, staring down at his trembling hands.
"Well it's a good thing I've got time," Gilbert replied without missing a beat. "I know you don't have to talk to me. You just needed an excuse."
"Actually," Arthur looked at him now, "I really do need to talk to you, but just not that urgently. I'm glad you're awake."
"Then our talk can wait until after you tell me why Peter thinks you're dead."
"I don't even know where to start..."
"Then start with the beginning."
Arthur sighed, and glanced up at the blue sky. For a few moments, he didn't say anything, but Gilbert didn't pressure him. Finally, he started, "The demon hunting lineage in my family is different from most others. Demon hunters in my family tree are rare, but when there are hunters, they're powerful. They always have soul skills that are meant for destroying demon essences, like mine. Neither of my parents were demon hunters, but from the moment I was born, they knew what I was because my hands were already starting to give off a greenish glow. My grandfather was also a hunter, and he was proud to see that there was already another hunter in the Kirkland family, since there usually isn't two hunters within four generations. He promised my parents he'd teach me everything he knew and keep me safe."
He paused, and glanced over at Gilbert, who was listening intently. "My grandfather actually graduated from the Academy. But afterwards, he spent his years demon hunting on his own until he married a mundane, my grandmother. Even still, he always remained part of the demon hunting community, secretly, anyway. As soon as I learned how to walk, I was using my soul skill, though I didn't know how to control it. I spent a lot of time growing up with my grandfather after that. He taught me how to control it, and when he thought I was old enough to understand, he taught me what it meant to be a demon hunter. When I was four, my parents gave me a younger brother. We all waited for years to see if he would become like me, but he wouldn't. Peter was mundane, like my parents, but it shouldn't have been a surprise. Seven-year-old me was disappointed, since I thought we could learn to be hunters together."
Arthur stopped talking for another long moment, and Gilbert patiently watched as Arthur closed his eyes and collected his thoughts, before continuing, "That's when bad things started happening. I still hadn't mastered soul projection, but demons were beginning to find me. The first time I met a demon, I froze up. My grandfather saved me, but he was bitten in the process. A few days later he died of demon poison. Before he died, he told me that more demons would come. He told me where I could find one of his demon hunter friends in the city, and after he died, I found him. By that point...I realized that I wasn't strong enough to protect my family. Maybe...maybe if it was just me, then I wouldn't have done it, but my parents had Peter. I didn't want him to get hurt because of me."
Gilbert could already see where this story was going. "So you ran away..."
He nodded. "But I didn't want them looking for me. And the only way to do that was to make them think I died."
"You staged your death at seven years old?" Gilbert shook his head incredulously.
"No, I didn't actually do it until I was eight," Arthur took a deep breath sadly, "The hunter that my grandfather told me to find had a special soul skill that can create false memories inside a person's soul. He helped me, because he was indebted to my grandfather, and made my parents and Peter think that I had died of a disease. He even gave them a memory of a private cremation."
"No wonder Peter can't believe it. He thinks he saw your body...burn..." Gilbert murmured, shuddering involuntarily. "So you've pretty much died twice then?"
"I didn't actually die! I just staged it. And afterwards, I decided to come to the Academy my grandfather came from. I should have changed my name, to be honest, but I couldn't let it go. It was the one thing I had left that my parents gave me. I told everyone I was an orphan. And...I guess since Peter's here, now I really am one." Arthur looked away, blinking past tears, but Gilbert heard his voice crack ever so slightly.
"Arthur..." Gilbert didn't know what to say. He could only recall the crushing devastation he went through when he found out his parents had died all those years ago.
"So it was all for nothing, wasn't it? Even after all that bloody lying...my parents were still killed by demons," he whispered, his lower lip trembling.
"But Peter's still alive," Gilbert maintained, placing a firm hand on his friend's shoulder. "Look, I know how hard it is to lie in order to protect those you care about. But sooner or later, the truth forces itself out. You still have a brother who needs you now more than ever!"
"...How can I face him? You saw him back there. He'll think he's gone mad when he sees me!"
"He's already seen you," Gilbert sighed. "You might as well tell him the whole story now. And everyone else, while you're at it. They are so confused right now!"
Arthur was quiet for a moment, before he too sighed and gave a small smile. "I guess you're right. God, I can't believe how much he's grown since then. I don't even know what my little brother is like..." Gilbert was glad to see him calm down, slowly returning to his normal self. "I really do have something to tell you," Arthur added thoughtfully, "It's a message from the information brokers that came during invasion."
Gilbert blinked, surprised. "What happened to them?" He remembered seeing Neeraja, Carlos, and Maria kicking ass that night, but by the time he awoke, they were gone.
"Well, after the battle was over, Mr. Vargas gave them a warm welcome. He apologized about their current situation with the Council. And since the headmaster's already breaking rules left and right by promoting Antonio and keeping you as a student, he decided to offer them a place at the Academy. They were shocked for a moment, but then they declined. They said they still had a business to run, but they were grateful for the offer," he explained. "They wanted to wait until you woke up, but they had to return to their city."
"So what's the message?"
"Neeraja wanted me to tell you that he's been working on getting more information on the 'Garden' or whatever. He said that Maria's found a new lead and Carlos is going through old legends about it. He said that when he has substantial information he'll contact you again somehow." Arthur recounted. "So what's this Garden he was talking about?"
"The Garden of Lost Souls," Gilbert recalled, still processing the message. "Last time I saw them, I asked if they knew where a missing soul would be, you know, for Tao. Carlos said something about the Garden, but it was just a myth. Maria said it could be a real place, though."
"Oh..." Arthur trailed off, his expression darkening. "You haven't heard yet what happened to Tao at the invasion, have you?" Gilbert furrowed his brow, and shook his head. Then Arthur proceeded to tell him about Nihilum possessing Yao's brother, forcing Yao and Mei to fight him, almost killing them both until Kiku drove the demon out of Tao's body. All the while, Gilbert felt a new seedling of hatred for demons bud within him. "Now Tao's back in the infirmary with his life support equipment. Nihilum's power actually increased his health considerably, like he had never been in a coma until recently. But...Yao's not taking it well. He looks fine on the outside, but I know better. He's feeling the guilt and shame all over again. Laura told me yesterday that Mei cries herself to sleep every night now."
"Damnit," Gilbert cursed softly. "I hope Neeraja gets that information soon, because as soon as he does, I'm going to find his soul, I swear!"
"Tao used to be Class B," Arthur said poignantly, "Laura still feels like she failed him, you know, even though there was nothing she could have done. There's no way she could find his soul if Kiku couldn't. Roderich never showed it, but I know he never got over it either."
"Even more reason to find him," Gilbert affirmed. He stilled owed Roderich everything, and though it could never be enough, at least Gilbert could finish this job for him.
"I...I think I'm going to find Peter now," Arthur said slowly as he picked himself up. Gilbert did the same.
"Wait, before you go, where did you guys hold the memorials?"
Arthur turned to face toward the back of the school's campus. The academy was in the center of a small valley, so there were hills in the distance from all sides, but on the southern side, there was one hill that was taller than the rest. Its top was flat ground, from what Gilbert could tell from so far away, and that's where Arthur pointed. "It's a four hour walk to the top from here," he said.
"Are...are they all buried up there?"
"No, we sent them to their families if they had one. But they all have a stone overlooking the home they died protecting."
Arthur had made it sound like four hours was a long time, but for Gilbert, it almost wasn't long enough. By the time he had reached the top of the hill, it was already evening, the sun hanging low in the sky, but Gilbert felt as if he wasn't ready even then. Perhaps he would never be ready for this. As soon as he saw it, his heart sank, or more like plummeted.
There were so many headstones. He was tempted to count them, but he knew it was pointless. No matter the number, it was too much. Now that he was here, Gilbert didn't know what to do. His insides twisted, and he could feel jumbled emotions tugging at his mind. They were part of his family, every single one of them, and they were all dead because he was a traitor. His mistakes had cost them their lives.
Gilbert thought back to his nightmare, when the voices had shouted at him to die, that he was the one who deserved to be dead, not them. He wondered if that's what these hunters wanted of him. Did they hate him? He wouldn't have blamed them, if that was the case, but somehow, he knew that they didn't. His friends, his demon hunter family...they weren't capable of truly hating each other. That's how amazing they were.
As these thoughts made their way through his mind, Gilbert wandered mindlessly along the stones, standing tall on the hilltop. Arthur was right; their view was spectacular, overlooking the small valley with the beautiful school campus in the center of it all. They deserved nothing less. Then he came across Roderich's headstone.
It was just a stone, with his name elegantly engraved, no grave below it. The body must have been sent back to the family then. He had a family. And Gilbert had taken their son away from them. Was Roderich a brother as well? Did he have little siblings that looked up to him? Gilbert didn't know. He never got the chance to ask.
Suddenly, tears sprang into his eyes, and his knees buckled. Gilbert collapsed and caught himself with his hands before Roderich's headstone, tears streaking down his face. His breath hitched, and he couldn't hold it back any longer.
"I'm sorry, Roderich!" he cried, his voice broken and coarse as he wept, "I'm so sorry. That should be my headstone. This wasn't supposed to happen. Y-you weren't supposed to die!"
His tears fell onto the grass just in front of the stone. Roderich had stood up for him in the Gym when everyone else had lost faith in him. Roderich had the strength and courage to stand against Illedris, the leader of the demon army, to defend Gilbert, moments before he was about to be sucked into the Underworld. And Gilbert couldn't even summon the strength to help him when he was killed.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered again, though he knew that would never be enough.
A tender hand touched Gilbert's shoulder. He turned, startled, to see Elizaveta standing behind him, a sorrowful smile on her lips. She had known where he was going the moment she saw him leave campus. In her hand, she held a bouquet of beautiful blue flowers, and she knelt down beside Gilbert, placing the flowers before the stone. "They're forget-me-not flowers," she murmured softly. "That's my promise to him. I'll never forget him."
Gilbert wanted to speak, if only to say sorry once more, but he couldn't find his voice through his tears. But Elizaveta didn't care. Instead, she drew him into a warm embrace, murmuring, "He hears you, you know. He's not gone. They're never truly gone."
The rise and fall of Gilbert's chest finally began to slow, and he could fell her steady heartbeat inside her chest. "I know," he whispered. "I won't forget him either, I promise."
They stayed like that before the headstone for a long while, under the orange and pink sky, knowing that Roderich could see them, and he was smiling.
That night, Yao did not return to his dorm. Instead, he stayed in the infirmary, by Tao's bedside. For a while, he just watched his younger brother's steady breathing, his eyes closed peacefully. But Yao was anything but peaceful. It was hard, it really was, to conceal the pent-up anxiety that was only growing larger and larger with each passing day.
His encounter with Nihilum had really jarred him. His slumber was fitful, and Tao would never cease to leave his thoughts. Yao knew that Mei was the same way. Seeing Tao walking and fighting had reopened a deep wound in both their hearts, and Yao also knew that this time, the wound would never begin to heal.
Before Arsian had left the day after the invasion was defeated, he warned Yao not to let these intense emotions get the better of him and make him rash, but that was easier said than done. In fact, Yao knew that he could not bear this too much longer; pretending that everything was all right, that Tao's soul would just come back of its own accord.
No. Seeing Nihilum take his body so easily had forced Yao's eyes open again, so to speak. It made him realize that unless Yao actively searched for his soul, Tao would be lost forever. As much as Yao wanted to stay here with his friends, he could not sit around idly while his younger brother was trapped in a coma.
Sooner or later, Yao would have to leave. And as soon as he had a plan, he would.
"Just hold on a little longer, Tao," he whispered, as his eyelids grew heavy. Just before he fell asleep, he murmured, "Your big brother's going to come for you. Just wait a little longer..."
******** End The Soul Deal Part 1********
**Preview- The Soul Deal Part 2: The Prince of Darkness**
A Little More than Seven Years Ago
In a region far north stood a poor village. Poverty plagued its streets, crime its partner, disease its best friend. Snow lined the roads and covered the roofs of houses, the cold only adding to the despair of the place, making it all the more difficult to survive during the harsh winters. The windows were boarded shut, at least when the inhabitants of the houses had any common sense.
Towards the outskirts of this village, there was a boys' home, a tall building in comparison to those around it, but it definitely wasn't large enough for the number of young boys who resided there. All the boys there were underprivileged, orphaned, and caked with dirt, but it came as no surprise. The overseer could hardly care about any of them, so long as he got paid for housing them. If a boy disappeared or died somehow, no matter, since there were many more, and space was needed anyway.
The place was musty and dilapidated, the air was always stale and rotten, the floors were often damp, and the bedrooms were beyond crowded. The sewage system wasn't even close to sufficient, and rats lived in the walls, feeding off any scraps that could be found. The floorboards creaked and moaned, as if any moment now the building could come crashing down on all of them, but then again, if it did, no one else in the village would care. The boys were there for a reason, were they not? They were unwanted. Nothing but extra mouths to feed in a village that was already starving.
Perhaps if Tino had lived anywhere else, he would have been more aware of the unsanitary conditions, or the callousness of most of the villagers, but Tino had been here since he could remember. Besides, he had more important things to worry about, such as getting enough to eat for himself, and the one friend he had at the home.
As quietly as he could manage, he slipped through the door and entered the building, taking careful steps so the boards wouldn't give him away. He kept his dirty hat on, trying to conceal his eyes, and hugged his own body tightly, pretending to shiver like he was freezing. He wasn't that cold, however. He was well used to the temperatures around here by now. No, he pretended to be uncomfortably hugging himself because he was hiding half a loaf of bread under his worn down jacket. There were a few boys lingering in the disgusting excuse for a lobby, but they didn't question his act.
So far so good. Tino continued into the hallway, heading towards the stairs. His room was on the second floor, but the closet was on the third floor. He couldn't risk taking out food in the crowded bedroom, or it would be taken from him in less than a second. Being only eight years old, he was a lot smaller than the other boys, and a lot weaker. So instead, he would usually sit by himself in the closet, and wait for his one friend. It was warmer in the closet anyway.
However, trouble showed itself in the hallway, just in front of the stairway. Four boys, all of them at least ten years old, stood in his way, glaring at him angrily. All of them were at least a head taller than him.
"Hey, whatcha got there, stupid?" one of them called.
"N-nothing," Tino shook his head, his shoulders quivering. He hugged his sides tighter.
"You're lying, you little bastard," another growled, taking a step toward him. Tino took two back.
"Yeah! I bet you've got bread again," the third accused crossly. "And you just don't wanna share!"
The first boy started towards him. Tino tried to turn and run, but he wasn't fast enough. The boy caught him by collar of his shirt and slammed his back against the wall roughly. The half eaten loaf fell to the ground at the boy's feet. "See? You are a no-good, dirty liar!"
"Where'd you steal this?" the second boy asked as he bent down to pick it up. The first boy still held Tino's collar menacingly.
"I-I didn't steal it! I swear. The bakery lady gave it to me," Tino explained, scared.
"That's what you always say," The fourth boy spat. "But that lady never gives any of us any bread. Why does she give it to you?"
"I-I don't know..." Tino stuttered, his eyes reflecting the naked fear he felt.
"Maybe it's 'cause he kisses her ass," the second boy snorted.
"Doesn't matter," the first boy sneered. "Now look here, stupid," he said threateningly to Tino, pushing him into the wall even harder, making Tino whimper involuntarily. "It isn't fair that you get bread and none of the rest of us do. Next time, you get bread for all of us, okay? Instead of sneaking upstairs to eat it by yourself."
"I wasn't going to eat-" Tino started, but the boy cut him off.
"Stop lying! Tomorrow, you get the lady to give you more bread, got it?"
"N-no, I can't!" Tino shook his head. And he really couldn't. The lady always gave Tino a loaf because she thought he was sweet, or at least that's what she said every time she gave it to him. But she could barely afford to spare that one loaf every few days. Even the bakers suffered from poverty. There was no way Tino could ask for even more.
"You stupid bastard," the third boy scowled, "You're so greedy, aren't you?! You won't give us bread, and you were going to eat the rest of this yourself!"
"No, that's not-"
But Tino never got the chance to finish. "We ought to teach you to be fair," the first boy spat.
"Yeah!" the second boy agreed, cracking his knuckles.
"We'll teach him," the fourth boy nodded, smirking.
The first boy grinned, then cocked his fist back. Here it comes, thought Tino, who looked away and braced himself.
"HEY!" a stern voice called from down the corridor. All four of the boys jumped, recognizing the voice.
"Shit, it's him!" the third boy squealed.
The second boy, the one clutching the bread, whimpered, "Let's get out of here!" He took off.
"You got lucky, this time, stupid," the first boy added before scrambling up the stairs with his buddies.
The owner of the voice was just three paces too slow. "You better run!" he called after them crossly. Then he sighed and turned to Tino, who, at the sight of him, began to cry.
"B-Berwald!" he wailed softly.
"Are you hurt?" Berwald asked with a frown, checking Tino for any injuries.
"N-no, it's not that...they took your bread!" Tino murmured, sniffling.
"What?"
"The bread...I was saving it for you, but they ran off with it," Tino said again, taking deep breaths.
"Tino...Don't get beaten up for my sake," Berwald said quietly. "This is the third time you've been ganged up on in the same month."
"I-I don't mean to," Tino hiccupped, as if he believed it was his fault, "I just..."
Berwald was silent for a moment, thinking seriously. "We need to get out of here," he muttered finally.
"Just the two of us, out there, alone? Where would we go?" Tino asked, the tears beginning to stop.
"Anywhere, anywhere but here. They don't treat us right here anyway. I'm almost thirteen, you know. And I'm tall enough to pass for fifteen. Other villages will hire fifteen year olds for work, I'm sure. We can live on our own," Berwald suggested, "All we need to do is steal a map from somewhere, then we can get out of this place."
"A-are you sure?"
"I don't want to stay here another minute," Berwald nodded. "We could make it out there. When spring comes around and it isn't so cold outside, you and I can run away. What do you think?"
The response was immediate. There was no thinking it over. "I'll follow you. Wherever you go."
And so the decision was made. Come spring, the two boys would leave the home for good, in search of a better life, one where they could maybe earn enough money to buy a small apartment and make their own living.
Little did they know that destiny had other plans in mind for them. And what they could not even imagine, fate was already setting things in motion many, many miles away.
They did not know that in another region of the continent, a little blonde boy was warning his red-eyed brother not to go inside the cave, unaware of the secret sealed within his own soul. And that the red-eyed boy was about to make a mistake that would drastically change his life.
They did not know that there was another strange child out there, one who was not even entirely human, also harboring a seal that concealed his true heritage, the only half-reaper boy in existence.
They did not know about the boy with green eyes and glowing hands, forced to leave his family thinking that he was dead.
They did not know about the pair of brothers who were doomed to come face to face with tragedy, in which the younger would be lost, and the older would be cursed in more ways than one, burdened by shame and guilt.
They did not know about the boy with the soul shell, who watched helplessly as his family was murdered before him.
And they did not know, for how could they, about a new kind of creature lurking in the shadows, listening to the wicked whispers in the night, "The blood of the innocent shall be yours to drink. You will be able to control, no, command fear in the hearts of mortals! With you by my side, no one, demon or mortal, will dare stand against us, our supreme powers combined! All of their weaknesses will be yours to exploit. Just as I was destined to become king, you are destined for greatness, my son, the Prince of Darkness!"
At the crossroads, all of their paths would meet. And for better or for worse, they would all have to suffer the consequences.
From the Author: First, I must apologize for my lack of response to feedback. I've been busy and I dedicated any spare time to whipping up this chapter.
Peter is Sealand, Michelle is Seychelles, Neeraja is India, Maria is Philippines, Carlos is Mexico, Laura is Monaco, Arsian is Mongolia, Tao is Hong Kong.
Wintercandyapple humbly presents the final chapter of The Soul Deal Part 1. I hope you have enjoyed the crazy ride with Gilbert thus far, and I cannot thank you enough for the support and the amazing feedback. You have all been a wonderful audience! It is indescribably incredible what a few words of encouragement can do to a writer's conviction~ A story is just a story unless the audience finds it in themselves to give it meaning and explore the words even further :)
That being said, I invite you all to join Gilbert and the rest of our hunters for another journey, one unlike the previous quests in Part 1. The preview installment at the end of this chapter was just a little taste of the new characters to come, and a small piece of the tales that will all fall together in time. Thank you again for your precious time, and the world of demon hunters awaits you all, until next chapter, The Soul Deal Part 2, The Prince of Darkness.
