"Angel, what do you actually know about Kegan?" asked Wesley.
Angel rolled his eyes and frowned at Wesley.
"How many times do I have to tell you Wesley? I trust her. Perhaps not with my life, but I trust her enough to remain friends with her. Please let it go."
"Yes but Angel, don't you think you're a little biased? You ran with her for twenty years!"
"Thank you, Wesley, for the reminder, but I do actually know what I did with whom during my time," said Angel pointedly.
"Angel, have you actually heard some of the legends?"
"Wesley, all legends are just rumors that have been written down," Angel snapped. "Don't worry about Kegan. She's not about to kill us."
"I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
Angel and Wesley both blinked and looked at the office door.
"You wanna revise that statement?" asked Wesley.
Angel hurried out of his office to find Cordelia and Kegan standing ten feet away from each other, screaming bloody murder.
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU BURNT YOUR SHIRT WITH YOUR IRON!" Kegan yelled.
Angel gave an inaudible sigh of relief. It was Cordelia that intended to do the killing, not Kegan.
"Whoa," he said, holding up his hands as he cut in. "What's going on?"
"She's blaming me for some burn mark she found on her shirt!" Kegan snapped, glaring at Cordelia. "As if I care about burning her bloody shirt! FYI Barbie, if I was gonna burn your clothes, I'd burn them to ash!"
"I snapped at her for bugging me and so she went and burned my new shirt!" Cordelia objected to Angel.
"Would you have preferred if I'd just killed you?" asked Kegan coldly.
"See? She all but admitted it!"
"Cordelia...I seriously doubt you'd still have a shirt if Kegan had burned it," said Angel.
"Exactly!" Kegan said. "But do you think she'd listen? No."
"Well how did the burn get there?" Cordelia asked pointedly.
"Well...I've seen you with an iron before..." Angel muttered under his breath and Kegan smirked.
"ANGEL! MAKE HER PAY!" Cordelia wailed.
Angel sighed.
"This is what you get for employing more than one attractive female," Wesley whispered in his ear.
Angel raised an eyebrow at him.
"Really?" he asked. "Alright. Kegan, come in here. Cordelia...just...relax. There will be more shirts."
Kegan opened her mouth in objection but Angel dragged her into his office and closed the door in Wesley's face before he could join them.
"Do you have nothing better to do?" he asked wearily.
"Believe it or not, I actually didn't do this one," said Kegan, flopping into the chair opposite Angel's desk. "I wish I had now, but I didn't."
"Well, I don't not believe you," Angel muttered. "You okay?"
Kegan sighed.
"Guess I've just been having weird dreams," she mumbled. "It's nothing important."
"And yet here you sit," Angel pointed out.
"Here I sit," Kegan agreed. "It's just...I won't believe it. I can't believe it. I-I saw it happen. I saw it with my own eyes. It can't be true. Except I've seen this with my own eyes as well, or I think I have. I...it can't be possible. It-it just can't be. I won't-"
"Kegan slow down," Angel interrupted, stopping the demon half way through her somewhat desperate rant. "What happened?"
Kegan seemed to be struggling to find the right words to use.
"I uh...I guess I...okay," she muttered, taking a breath. "So, I was...out the other night, just...doing my thing, and I saw something."
Angel had seen Kegan nervous, he'd seen her scared. He'd never seen her like this though. She was wringing her hands, jigging and twitching uncontrollably, her eyes shifty, darting around the room, as if looking for some sort of escape. Or maybe some sort of danger.
"Kegan," he said, getting to his feet and squatting in front of her, "what did you see?"
Kegan swallowed and looked up at Angel, pure terror in her eyes.
"My father."
...
"Her father's dead! He died centuries ago!" Wesley snapped. "How does someone just come back from the dead without repercussions?"
"To be fair, we don't know that there weren't repercussions," Angel pointed out, "and she had probably had a few to drink, not that it really makes a difference given her metabolic rate. And yes, maybe she just saw someone that closely resembled him. All the same, Kegan isn't one to forget a face, or mix up a face. We have to consider the possibility that he is back..."
He glanced through the window into his office behind him, where Kegan still sat, only now with a bottle in her hands.
"...and if he is...what does he want?" he finished.
"Probably to start where he left off," Wesley muttered darkly. "Taking over the world, continent by continent."
"No," said Angel at once. "No, if he really wanted that, he wouldn't have hesitated. He'd already have taken over the US, not stopped by to haunt his daughter."
"Why is she shaken by it anyway?" asked Cordelia. "From how she usually talks about him, I would have thought she'd be happy to see him."
"There are plenty of things in Kegan's childhood that remain a mystery to me, but I can assure you, none of them are good," said Angel. "Based off the things I would have preferred remain a mystery to me, he wasn't winning the 'Father of the Year' award any time soon."
"How bad?" Wesley inquired.
"Very," said Angel fervently.
"But I don't get it. If he was such a bully, why does Kegan worship him?"
"Why do people worship God?" asked Wesley pointedly. "As far as the Bible's concerned, he wasn't exactly squeaky clean. She has probably come to believe that whatever he did was for the greater good, to help her in some form."
"Then why's she too scared to even talk about it?" asked Cordelia.
"Just because you think what someone is doing might be a good thing, doesn't mean you have to like it," Angel spat. "He tortured her. He did all sorts of things to her and she has had no choice but to think they were for her own good. How cruel does a person have to be before people will stop looking up to them?"
"Angel, are we really going to do this?" asked Wesley. "This guy is dark, and he's dangerous."
"I don't wanna find him, I definitely don't want to go anywhere near him, I just want to know if he exists," said Angel. "And if we can find out why without talking to him, even better. Start with Wolfram and Hart. If anyone had a hand in this, it's them."
"How exactly are we supposed to get that sort of information from them?" asked Cordelia pointedly. "Call up and ask 'hi, sorry to bother you, just wondering if you'd resurrected any power-crazy demon maniacs lately'? Somehow I don't think we'll get a response."
"Okay, I'll do Wolfram and Hart, you guys hit up the rats we know," said Angel. "If anything big is going down, somebody will have heard something."
"What are you going to do with her?" asked Wesley, gesturing at Kegan through the window.
Angel frowned.
"Take her somewhere safe," he said simply. "Or at least, somewhere she'll feel safe."
He headed back into his office and leaned on his desk in front of Kegan.
"We're gonna figure this out Kegan," he said. "It'll be okay."
"Angel, I saw him die with my own eyes! Seeing him back again...that will never be okay."
"Yeah well, we're gonna find out who's done this, and why."
"Three words to help you with that one," Kegan spat. "Wolfram and Hart."
"Probably," Angel agreed, "but we can't rule out all the other people that hate you who might have the power to do this, and unfortunately, you have a few enemies."
"Most of which I've acquired during pub brawls," Kegan pointed out. "People react drastically sometimes but not this fucking drastically."
Thin lines of fire appeared in her hair and ran down her arms.
"Hey, just...stay calm, okay?" Angel suggested. "Getting worked up about it is exactly what they want you to do. Look, if your father is back, which we're not a hundred percent about yet anyway, and he hasn't already taken over the world, then he's probably here for a different reason. One that probably involves you, and probably not in a good way. I wanna get you out of here. I wanna get you somewhere safe."
"Somewhere safe?" Kegan asked incredulously. "I saw him a block away from my apartment! He knows where I live! That's the safest place I know and he knows it!"
She had resumed her jigging and nervous twitching.
"Hey, come on," said Angel, taking hold of her hands. "Kegan, you're stronger than this, and you're a hell of a lot stronger than you were the last time you saw him. It'll be okay. Come on. If he knows about you, then the first place he'll look for you is here. I'm gonna take you somewhere safe, then I'm gonna lean on Wolfram and Hart."
"Angel please. I can't be alone. Please!"
Tears were running down Kegan's face, and she looked truly desperate as her grip on his hands tightened.
"Whoa, okay, okay, it's alright. You won't be alone. I promise."
Angel pulled her into his arms and held her tightly to him as she trembled.
"It's okay. It'll be okay."
...
"Angel, while I enjoy your visits, I hardly think now is a good time to- Something must be very wrong for you to have brought her here."
The mansion Angel had driven up to was...well, it was more of a castle than a mansion, and the man standing in the doorway could only be one person as far as Kegan was concerned.
"I have no choice Mark," said Angel urgently. "She's in danger."
Mark Hunter sighed and stood aside.
"I suppose you better come in then," he said, watching Kegan closely as she passed.
"Mark I wouldn't come to you if I had any other options," said Angel honestly, "and I know that the rest of the family is away so...it's not the worst time in the world to bring her."
Mark smiled as he closed and locked the door behind him.
"It's alright Angel. I can deal with one fire demon. The question I want answered is why I'm dealing with one fire demon?"
"Wouldn't we all like to know that?" Kegan muttered under her breath, staring around the mansion. The worlds were adorned with weapons and art work, a combination that somehow seemed to work. "Where did you get all this stuff?"
"I'm a collector, and you..."
Mark batted Kegan's hand away from one of the painting.
"...are not to touch."
Kegan scowled as Angel pulled her into a lounge room area.
"So, why am I babysitting?" asked Mark, smirking as he started to pour drinks."
"We have reason to believe Ku'Rorn is back."
The glass Mark was holding almost slipped out of his fingers.
"W-what?" he asked. "Ku'Rorn?"
He glanced over at Kegan.
"No wonder you look like you're about faint."
"Wow, I feel so much better now," Kegan muttered sarcastically.
"Behave," said Angel and she huffed as she fell silent. "This is the safest place I can leave her. I hope you don't mind."
"I've had worse people in my vicinity," said Mark, handing each of them a scotch and sitting down opposite Kegan. "Tell me, what do we know about his death?"
"Wait...what?" Kegan snapped. "You just heard he's alive and you want to know about his death?"
"It's a touchy subject," Angel winced.
"Kegan, I want you listen to me," said Mark gently. "I understand how you're feeling. You were subjected to terrible, inhumane things when you were a child, and you don't want that to happen again. I understand. But the best way to help you, is to arm ourselves with as much knowledge as we can. I will only ask these things of you once, you have my word."
Kegan hung her head, her shoulders quivering.
"I was fifteen years old, and one night, I heard someone shifting around the house..."
...
Kegan was broken from her meditation by the sounds of someone moving outside in the hallway. She rose quietly to her feet and carefully opened the door, peering around it. Her father was moving about, donning weapons. If he noticed her watching, he didn't acknowledge it. That in itself was strange. Normally she would get a hiding for being awake at this time. But then, she'd never seen her father awake at this time either.
Seemingly content with his selection of swords and knives, Ku'Rorn made his way out of the house. Kegan took up her bow and quiver, then followed after him swiftly. He was already mounting his horse when she found him, and after a few adjustments was galloping off towards the valley. The valley? But he had always warned her how dangerous it was to be down there. What with all the water and the possibility of being seen by those that were more than happy to persecute anyone and everyone of witchcraft. She wasted no time in finding her own horse and swinging herself onto it, taking off after her father.
There was no way in hell that he didn't know she was following him now, yet still he made no attempt to acknowledge her presence. What was going on? She followed him right to the edge of the valley, then dismounted as he went over the hill. Sliding up to the peak on her stomach, she peered into the valley below. Her father was standing in the middle, looking around carefully. His eyes went right over her, and she thought for a moment that he didn't even register where she was, but as he continued to turn, she noticed the subtle gesture she'd come to relate to 'silence'. And a moment later she understood why.
"I've been waiting. How foolish of you to come alone."
A girl stepped out from behind a tree, tying her horse to the trunk. She was barely older than Kegan, and decked out in weapons. Slayer.
"I think after I've killed you I'll head over to your house and kill your daughter."
"Is that so?" asked her father calmly. "Well then, do your worst."
The girl drew a long, somewhat glowing sword, and Kegan's trepidation increased. Whatever magic was on that blade, it wouldn't be pleasant. She wanted to look away as the Slayer swung at her father. Wanted to run as he started shooting fire. But she couldn't.
Luck clearly wasn't on her father's side tonight. It was perfectly clear the Slayer had chosen the meeting place. Her father couldn't move the way he normally would for chance of slipping and finding himself waist deep in the river. He sent a fireball at the Slayer, who narrowly avoided it and feinted before slamming the sword right through to the hilt into her father's chest.
"FATHER!"
Kegan didn't even pause. She was on her feet, running towards her father, bow in hand, and arrow already flying towards the Slayer. She was fast, but she wasn't that fast. As she crumpled to the ground, Kegan skidded to a halt beside the fallen daemon and fell beside him.
"Father no. No please. Please!"
Ku'Rorn looked up at her, sadness in his eyes.
"Hush Kegan. It's alright. Everyone has a time."
"This is isn't yours. It won't be yours!"
She held a blazing hand to his wounds, but the damage had been done. She stared in horror when the flames did nothing.
"Father," she whispered. "You can't leave. What will I do?"
His hand found hers and he held it so tightly she thought he would break it.
"You will be great," he choked. "You are destined for great things Kegan. You will have the power to control...control everything. Everyone. Keep training. Survive."
"Father no. Please."
"Survive," he said shakily, his grip loosening. "Survive, my daughter."
...
"He turned to ash in my hands," Kegan grunted.
"And you're sure you saw him turn to ash?"
"Yes," said Kegan quietly, staring at her hands. "There was nothing left of him. Nothing. One second he was there...next he was gone."
Mark sighed.
"Thank you Kegan."
Mark got to his feet and gestured Angel out of the room, closing the door behind them both.
"That has to be one hell of a resurrection spell if there truly was nothing left of him. There's not many people I know of who would have that sort of power."
"But you know of some?" asked Angel.
"Go and lean on Wolfram and Hart Angel. If anyone could do it...I'll make sure she stays safe."
"Thank you."
"Angel?"
Angel paused as he turned back down the corridor.
"Be careful."
...
"Kegan?"
The half-demon looked up at the Watcher as he sat down beside her.
"Are you alright?"
"Why would you care?" she asked gruffly. "You're a Watcher. I bet you're quite happy to see me suffer."
Mark smiled slightly.
"Allow me the privilege of being judged by my actions as opposed to my title," he said. "I have no wish to see you harmed if there is no reason for it."
"Oh, there's probably a reason," Kegan muttered. "Be nice to know what it was."
"All the same, you're innocent in this situation," said Mark. "You're the victim here, and I would like to help you if you'll let me."
"I'm no victim!" Kegan growled, glaring at him. "I'm not some weak, scared little girl who's been hurt by a big, scary demon!"
"Of course, I apologize. You know, I have a daughter who's not much younger than you."
"I doubt that," said Kegan pointedly. "Not unless you're a hell of a lot older than you look."
"Kegan, you might have lived many more years than me, but you're still only nineteen."
"Look, I appreciate that you're trying to help, and I'm grateful that you're letting me stay here, but I don't need your advice, and I don't need your sympathy."
"It's a shame then that you're going to get both," said Mark calmly.
Kegan hissed and got angrily to her feet.
"I'm not your daughter Hunter, and I have no intention of being treated as such!" she snarled.
The Watcher looked far too calm, faced with the angry demon.
"I know you're not going to hurt me Kegan, so why don't you sit down, and rest? You look like you need it."
The fire place flared behind Kegan and she retreated down beside it, scooping a handful of flames out of it and starting to shape them into small animals.
"Kegan, you needn't be ashamed of your fear," said Mark.
"Oh thank you. I'm so glad I've got your permission," Kegan spat.
Mark sighed.
"If you don't want me here Kegan, I'll leave," he said.
Kegan's head shot up.
"What? No, I-"
She swallowed and took a her shaky breaths.
"I'm sorry," she muttered. "Don't...don't leave."
Mark joined her down beside the fireplace.
"It must have been very difficult, living with a man like that."
"You don't know the half of it."
"Believe it or not Kegan, I do," said Mark.
"Is that so?" asked Kegan, hostility in her tone. "Tell me, did your father starve you for days? Did he threaten to drown you every time you stepped out of line. Did he torture you then claim it on survival?"
She was shaking again.
"It was always to help me survive," she said, glaring into the fire. "Always to help me get stronger. And think, I was his favourite child. So when I wasn't being tortured by him, I was being tortured by them...for not being tortured enough."
Her story was visibly sickening Mark, so she didn't continue.
"You don't know the half of it," she repeated, "and you don't want to. And now he's back. I can't even...begin to imagine what he'll do to me now."
"Kegan, I swear to you that he will not lay a finger on you as long as you are here."
"How do you know?" she asked timidly. "Have you dictator-proofed your house?"
Mark chuckled slightly as he carefully wiped tears out of her eyes.
"No. But if I don't want a demon to get in, I can assure you, it won't."
...
"I would be very, very careful about the next thing that comes out of your mouth McDonald," Angel growled in Lindsay's face. "Trust me when I say your life depends on it."
"I don't know!" Lindsay said forcefully. "That information is a little beyond my pay grade."
"Oh, because no one in this building talks to each other," said Angel sarcastically.
"Look, all I can tell you is that I have been asked to commission certain items in the past that would probably be necessary for a spell of that sort of calibre," said Lindsay carefully. "That is all I can tell you."
"Who asked you to do that?" Angel demanded.
Lindsay scowled, and Angel slammed him up against the wall.
"I am not going to sit here and play your games," he spat. "Tell me."
"Lilah Morgan."
Angel let go of Lindsay abruptly and straightened the lawyer's tie.
"Wasn't so hard now, was it?"
He yanked on the tie as he turned away, causing Lindsay to choke and claw at the piece of fabric as it closed around his throat.
"You should be more careful. Those things are dangerous," said Angel over his shoulder.
...
"You know, I was wondering when I'd next see you again," said Lilah calmly. "How have you been Angel?"
"When did you change your name?" asked Angel.
"When I was no longer welcome to own it," said Lilah darkly. "Tell me, to what do I owe this...well, let's call it a pleasure, shall we?"
"Ku'Rorn."
"Bless you?" Lilah guessed. "I'm not familiar with the name."
"You should be. You cast the spell to bring him back."
"Why would I do that?"
"You know, I can understand that," said Angel. "I mean, Ku'Rorn was the most powerful demon of his time. He'd be a great asset to Wolfram and Hart. Powerful, power hungry, power crazed...perfect really, not to mention he can put a lid on Kegan, and coming from someone who's tried, that's no easy feat. I can understand why you'd want him. But you know what I can't understand? I can't understand why your first job for him would to be to just...appear. The most powerful demon you could get your hands on, and all you make him do is walk down a street? That confuses me."
Lilah shrugged.
"Hypothetically, if I had brought him back, don't you think I wouldn't have just had him kill Kegan? Seems like a lot less trouble than just haunting her."
"Hmm, I have a theory about that too," said Angel. "See, I know that you and Lindsay are kind of partners in crime here. Now, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to say that you told Lindsay to inform Kegan's brother as to her whereabouts. A test if you will, to see if she'd be prepared, and to see what sort of back up she'd have. Now, Ku'Rorn was killed by a fifteen-year-old Slayer. Yeah, maybe he can take Kegan, but can he take Kegan and me?"
Lilah smirked.
"You're a lot smarter than you look," she said.
"Well I try."
"Angel, if I wanted you to know why Ku'Rorn is back and what he's doing, you'd have been informed," said Lilah in a dangerously sweet voice. "And yet here you are, not informed. Now I suggest you run back to the little girl. It would be tragic if something awful were to happen to her and you weren't there to stop it."
Angel's jaw locked as he rose to his feet.
"Your compassion is noted," he growled.
"Good luck Angel. You'll need it."
...
"How is she?" asked Angel.
"She's scared, but I managed to get her to sleep," said Mark, opening the door and showing Angel the demon, who was curled up beside the fire place, twitching.
"That's hardly a peaceful sleep," he commented.
"What do you expect from me Angel? Miracles?"
"Can't say it hasn't happened before."
Mark smirked closed the door again.
"So, have we reached a verdict?"
"He's back, and he's with Wolfram and Hart," Angel sighed. "I just wish I could have found out why."
"It has to be to do with Kegan," said Mark simply. "If it were any other reason, he probably wouldn't have even shown himself to her."
"Yeah," Angel muttered. "Still, I'd like to know what. It's scary, seeing her like this."
"Imagine how she feels," Mark pointed out.
"I don't think I could," Angel admitted, accepting a drink from Mark and slumping into a chair. "I only thought I had a bad childhood. I was pretty bloody well off compared to this."
"We all were."
"You too huh?"
"It's more common than anyone cares to admit," said Mark darkly. "Though I must say the stories I've heard don't really live up to hers. So, what are you going to do?"
Angel sighed.
"I don't know. I didn't want to go anywhere near him, but it's pretty clear to me that unless Kegan goes through a drastic change, I'm the only one who's going to be able to. So I guess I'm gonna find him. Maybe I'll be able to get some information from him without him setting me alight, but if he's anything like his daughter, probably not."
"And on the subject of his daughter? She can't stay here forever Angel."
Angel frowned.
"Witness protection?" he tried. "I have to get rid of him. It's the only way to help her."
"I think you'll find she's stronger than you give her credit for," said Mark. "Yes, she's scared at the moment, but if we could take that fear and turn it into anger, you might not need to help her."
"Well it's not hard to get her angry about her father..."
"At her father?"
"I was afraid you'd say that," Angel muttered. "How am I supposed to get her angry if she's going to maintain that even after everything he did to her, her father was a good person?"
"Angel, you know her better than I do. I can help you get her angry, I can't help you figure out how."
"Yeah, I- Kegan."
Kegan had opened the door and was standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"Did we wake you?" he asked.
Kegan shook her head as she made her way over to him and sat down next to him.
"Not you guys."
Angel brushed her hair out of her eyes.
"Are you alright?"
Kegan scowled and moved away from Angel's hand.
"I'm fine," she said shortly. "So?"
Angel sighed and handed her his drink.
"You probably need this more than I do."
Kegan swallowed and took the drink with a trembling hand. She was shaking so violently that the ice in the glass started clinking at a rapid rate.
"Could I...talk to Angel for a moment?" she asked Mark pointedly.
The Watcher nodded and left the room.
"I should be happy, shouldn't I?" asked Kegan, a note of self-disgust in her voice. "My father's back. He's alive. I should be pleased. I should be overjoyed. Not fucking scared."
"Kegan, you have every right to be scared. What he did to you was...abhorrent."
"Really? Was he really that bad?" asked Kegan, her voice raising an octave as tears appeared inn her eyes again. "It was Salem. Are you honestly telling me that sort of thing didn't happen often?"
"No," said Angel gently. "Of course it happened, and it probably happened quite regularly. But that doesn't make it okay. No matter what he must have said it was for, it's never justified. It's never okay."
"Why did he do it then, huh? Why did he do that to me?"
Angel took hold of her hand.
"It's a cowardly man that ever does that to a child Kegan. That ever does that to anyone."
"My father was NOT A COWARD!" Kegan yelled at him. "He wasn't! He was strong and brave and he protected me!"
"Well he sure had a funny way of doing it," Angel muttered pointedly.
Without a second's pause, Kegan had hit him hard in the face.
"Don't talk about him like that!"
"It's true!" Angel growled, shaking off the hit. "He tortured you to keep you in line because he was too scared to show you love."
"SHUT UP!"
Kegan hit him again.
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY FATHER!"
"Coward child trying to stand up for her coward father. How fitting," Angel sneered.
Kegan swung again, the force of her blow more than strong enough to cause serious brain injuries to any normal human being.
"You know, I get it now," said Angel. "You're not scared of Ku'Rorn, you're scared that you're just like him!"
"Just shut up! SHUT UP!"
Kegan swung again and again, but her blows were losing their power now, and with each hit she proceeded to move further away from furious, and closer and closer to distraught. Angel caught her fist as she swung again and pulled her into him as she broke down.
"Shh," he whispered. "Hush Kegan. Hush. It's alright. I'm sorry. I wanted to make you see. I've got you. I've got you. Shh. It's okay. Kegan, I want you to understand. What he did to you was unacceptable. It wasn't justifiable. It's never justifiable. Easy Kegan. Easy. You're alright. I'm sorry Kegan. I won't do it again, I promise you. Hey, look at me. Come on."
Kegan looked up at Angel, her face tear-streaked.
"We're gonna find him Kegan. We're gonna find him, and we're gonna finish this. You're gonna finish this. 'Cause you're not like him. You're stronger than he could ever be. And it's time he learned that. Nobody kicks you around and lives to tell the tale Kegan. Nobody. And just because he's your father doesn't him an exception. Show him that you can kick back. He's the one that should be afraid Kegan. You're the strongest demon anyone's known in a long time. Imagine the amazement of all those people out there who live in fear of you if they heard that you would cower in the face of one person. Are you really gonna let that happen? Are you really gonna let him beat you again?"
"I-I-"
"Kegan, if anyone can beat him, if anyone can stop him, it's you. You can do this, I know you can. I've seen you take down entire armies by yourself. I've seen you obliterate towns. This is just...one little demon. Are you really telling me you can't take him? Because you're scared? Kegan, when you're scared you're even more amazing. Don't let him do this to you. Don't let them win."