Welcome to the second chapter in the story! Thanks to all of you who reviewed, I have been able to edit my story to suit the tastes of my readers! Not that that's a lot, but I hope the readership grows. Nothing makes me happier then to write an enjoyable tale and get feedback for it, even if I get flamed. Anyway, a few more characters are introduced in this chapter, so I'll shut up so you can read...Oh! One more thing! About the time when this story starts, I said it was after Bierrez met Kharl but before he tried to take Cesia for the second time. I meant for the third time, 'cause I forgot about the first time he came in the third book. The bottom line is, the current time period in this story is after Bierrez comes for Cesia for the second time, gets his ass kicked by Rath, and meets Master Kharl. Now, he was on his way back to Draqueen to complete his task, but questioned the meaning of it and Kharl's integrity, so he turned back to confront the alchemist and get some answers. That's where I left it. OK, got the explanation out of the way, sorry for that!

-Laitoste

A dark shadow swept over cracked, crumbling steps as it made its way to the topmost tower of the castle. It moved purposefully, and with a cool kind of confidence that comes from many years of practice, practice that becomes experience, and eventually that experience becoming habit. So it was no surprise that the mysterious figure moved in almost complete silence, the only sound being the faint clicking of feet on stone as it carefully climbed the winding staircase, and the occasional burble from the large, rather ragged looking bird on its right shoulder. There were no pictures adorning the gray walls of the corridor, no tapestries depicting heroes or fair maidens, no windows even to let in the light of the outside world. There was only the harsh rock caked with thin layers of ancient grime, the chipped blocks of stone lending a sense of foreboding and iniquity.

However, despite this cold atmosphere, the cloaked shadow paid no heed to the dust, dirt, the squeak of rats or the overall disheartened aura of the passage in which it trod. Instead, it simply kept on climbing, up and up, past a seemingly endless array of bricks of rock and stairs of stone, until it reached a point where the air was not so thick with shallow apathy. It stood on a small balcony, positioned so one who looked from it could see in all four cardinal directions at once, without interference from the rest of the castle's many spires that lanced into the clouded heavens. A perfectly constructed watchtower. The shadow squinted into the light, for though it was weak, it was still much brighter than the hole it had ascended from. Reaching back, the dark figure pulled back it's hood to reveal the face of a young man, though one look at him would be enough to determine that this creature was not human. Sharply pointed ears adorned with exotic earrings, unruly white hair, and the slitted eyes of a cat; no, this was no human, nor an elf. This was a demon. A yokai. The author of the demon bible, the infamous alchemist Master Kharl.

"Do you feel it? Right Bird, do you feel him coming?" Kharl turned to the feathered mass on his shoulder, inquiring. The bird only squawked and preened its black and deep red plumage, peaceably ignoring the question. Its master merely smiled, his fangs barely showing between his lips. "Bierrez, you fool." Kharl stroked the matted head of his pet, "He didn't even bother to mask his presence as he made his way here."

A sudden gust of icy wind struck the tower, blowing blood red feathers from Right Bird and whipping the pale hair of the yokai back and forth across his calm features. It sang and howled like a lone wolf as it rushed through the turrets and gaps and spires of Kharl's castle, and swirled with the speed and ferocity of a dragon's wingbeat. The alchemist narrowed his already lean eyes, their yellow hue reflecting his tainted soul and his malicious intent.

"Let us wait for him, Right Bird. Yes, that would be best." Kharl flexed his long, slender fingers in anticipation, "Well shall let our prey come to us, that we will."

Without another word, he pulled his hood back on and disappeared down the staircase as subtly as he had emerged. His bird let loose a wail that echoed from the depths of the tower and out into the open air, sounding with shattering clarity all the way to the edge of the thick forest that surrounded the castle. It rang and reverberated throughout the majestic trunks of the immense trees, their russet leaves shaken from their precarious perches on the topmost branches. Just as the remnants of the wretched screech began to subside, a figure stepped out from the ring of trees and into the realm of the stone citadel, cautiously removing his clawed hands from his ears.

"Damn it," Bierrez hissed, "He knows I'm here." The demon made his way slowly to the entrance, giving the rest of the castle only a brief glance, refusing to look any closer at his enemy's dwelling. He would not let himself be intimidated by the alchemist. However, in his effort to keep his eyes fixed on the thick stone door in front of him, Bierrez failed to detect the faint flicker of a swiftly moving silhouette that played across the scrubby grass at his feet. Before he could draw another breath, it had vanished behind the wide base of the closest tower, leaving not a trace of its secret presence.

Bierrez reached the door, and without a second thought, reached down to the rust encrusted handle that was shaped like the head of a giant bird. As he gripped the cold metal and started to push the door open, the yokai felt a spark of pain pierce his skin and found that he could not move his hand.

"What the hell? What is that alchemist trying to pull?" Bierrez yelled in frustration. He leaned back and used his free hand to claw at the bird- faced handle that held him captive in its small, yet surprisingly sharp beak. It did not yield to his anger, or to his pathetic struggling. Cursing under his breath, Bierrez was about to attempt to kick the rusty handle clear off when, without warning, the stone door flung itself open, sending the demon sprawling into Master Kharl's less than comforting abode.

Bierrez rolled through the fractured rock of the archway, for the bird's beak had released his bleeding hand when the door had suddenly opened, and continued to roll in the thick carpet of dust and grunge until he hit the base of a grand sweeping staircase. Well, it had been great at one time. In its current state, it didn't look much better then the cracked floor Bierrez had tumbled on. The many marble steps were all chipped and broken, the railing was torn off in places, and it was thick with the scent of demon and one other, a stranger smell that did not seem to be from one with a friendly heart. Disoriented, Bierrez simply lay where he had fallen and stared blankly up at nothing in particular, ignoring his hand with its deep cut, though it throbbed with pain. It was not long until the yokai regained his senses, and he staggered to his feet, brushing himself off rather indignantly.

"I'll get him for that," Bierrez threatened, "I'll make him pay dearly for getting me involved in this game of his." He examined his wound, licking the blood that dripped from his long fingers, and cursed.

"You even fight dirty, you damn alchemist! That stupid handle of yours bit my right hand, on purpose no doubt!" He licked his cut again, just to be sure, and hissed to suppress his fury. "It's poison alright. Even if it is only paralysis, I can't fight Kharl if I need to, unless I get myself a weapon. He's such a coward, incapacitating me when I first enter, afraid to face my full strength." Bierrez was shaking with rage at the injustice and cowardice of his enemy, but would not let Kharl see him this way. It would merely please the alchemist further.

Carrying his limp right hand in his left, Bierrez started on up the decaying staircase, taking care not to slip or fall and thus increase his anger and Kharl's amusement. His pride would not let him. Even so, it was a slow process, picking a path up the debris littered flight of desecrated steps, but finally, Bierrez saw a small corridor in the dim light of the castle. With renewed motivation, the demon leapt over the last few stone blocks and landed neatly in the center of the hall, smirking in triumph.

"That was easy," he said proudly.

"A little too easy, wouldn't you say, Bierrez?" yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness of the far end of the hall, seeming to almost smile, "You didn't really think you could get in here without me letting you in like a dog? I was sure your mind had matured beyond that point of idiocy, although you may prove me wrong, my little pet."

Bierrez whirled around to face his foe, "Kharl! You spineless little toad! How could you do this to me? How could you betray one of your own kind? How could you...?"

"Now, now, one question at a time," Kharl said as he emerged from the shroud of shadow and dust that had hidden him so well, "And I will not be addressed that way, Bierrez. You will call me by my proper title, or you will suffer in ways that even you, someone with much experience in the ways of torture, can even begin to fathom."

Bierrez crossed his arms in defiant response, then said the insult that went with the gesture, "I'm terribly sorry for not addressing you by your true name...bast...er, I mean, Master Kharl." He shot an emerald glare at the alchemist, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"That was uncalled for," Kharl said silkily, "It only proves your childishness." Brushing his white hair from his eyes, the alchemist murmured the words of a spell to bind and twist, to wrench and tear, to extract the haughtiness that Bierrez possessed and transform it to a more manageable state. Pain, for example.

As Kharl became absorbed in weaving his curse, Bierrez noticed the lack of commentary from him and considered striking the alchemist while he was in the middle of his spell. His only hesitation was his honor, which screamed at him that what he intended to do was just as low and cowardly as the trick Kharl had used on him earlier, the one that rendered his main weapon useless.

Well, anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for, Bierrez thought with relish. He told his pride to go and stuff it somewhere and prepared to slash at Kharl's catlike yellow eyes, which were so intensely focused and blazing with a power greater than Bierrez had seen in a long time. The arrogant yokai merely dismissed this show of strength as a bluff and yet another facet of Kharl's deception, and prepared to leap with claws extended and tear out the eyes which had looked at him with more contempt then he cared to remember.

"Kharl! Your time has come! Die!" Bierrez screamed, his voice echoing off the thick stone walls. He ran a few paces and, gathering his strength, jumped straight at Kharl. The demon alchemist stood with stunning calm, and as Bierrez sped closer, he thought he could make out the faintest trace of a sinister smile drawn across his enemy's lips.

At just the right moment, before Bierrez could carry out his vengeance, Kharl's hand flashed from the folds of his black robes and snatched the demon right out of the stale air, holding him a good three feet off the ground and tightening his deathlike grip around Bierrez's delicate neck. As the captive yokai choked and writhed, Kharl brought his face near and whispered words that made Bierrez's blood run cold.

"My time came an eternity ago,"

Bierrez's green eyes widened in astonishment and disbelief, and he clutched at Kharl's icy hands like a frightened animal, trying to remove them from his throat. He was losing air at an alarming rate; if he could not free himself soon, all his efforts to achieve revenge were in vain. Just like his attempts to release the alchemist's hold on him.

Damn it.Bierrez thought. His mind was fading quickly, and his claws fell limp at his sides, which had stopped heaving. An inauspicious stillness had overcome the once spirited yokai, rendering his body weak and helpless and his mind clouded with dull, throbbing pain.

...I couldn't even touch him...

...pathetic...

...I'm such a weakling...

...I don't deserve life anymore...

Bierrez thought and cursed himself over and over again, hoping to fill the ever widening void growing within his soul, but he knew his time was up. The defeated demon closed his emerald eyes, shutting out the triumph that flooded over Kharl's pale face, letting his head fall back and his formerly lithe body relax until it was cold and static. His lungs drew no breath; the only movement was a light breeze that found its way into the desolate hall of the castle and ruffled the orange strands of the yokai's elegant hair.

The Kharl smiled slyly, and loosened his grip around Bierrez's neck. He fell to the ground with a soft thud, stirring up small clouds of dust and dirt. Turning away, Kharl called to his bird, stretching out an arm for it to land on, and stroked its unkempt head like the previous event had never occurred.

"He was a fool, Right Bird," the alchemist said, "but a brave one, I'll give him that. To try to confront me in my own domain, well, it seems as though Bierrez didn't think much of my power, no, that he did not." The demon shut his eyes, making a sound like a stifled laugh.

"He is dead to me now."

Right Bird burbled plaintively, and began to preen itself. Kharl made no further comments on the crumpled from of the yokai behind him, and proceeded to the front entrance that had accepted a brash and vengeful Bierrez only minutes before. He opened the door without difficulty, the drying blood of its latest victim still clinging to the rusted handle, and slammed it shut without so much as a backward glance. The sole traces of Kharl's presence were a few black and red feathers drifting in the diminishing zephyr and light footprints in the dust on the floor of the citadel.

The beings of the living world would experience never again a demon with such a taste for blood and revenge as that of Bierrez; not when his cold body lay flaccid like a rag doll in the heart of his enemy's stronghold; not when his tainted lifeblood ran more and more sluggish with each passage of time; not when his once bright features rested motionless in the stagnant air that caressed his face. But perhaps when an inexplicable phantom withdrew from a large shadow in the stone wall, scarlet eyes radiating curiosity and anger as it knelt beside Bierrez, running graceful fingers through his limp hair, conceivably the coming of this creature could restore the soul of the lost yokai. Perhaps Bierrez could live again...

...perhaps...