The Demon Commons were not what I was expecting.

Instead of torture tools and crosses, the place was rather…empty. No blood rivers, no hanging trees, nope. It was only flat land. The ground was much too hot to touch, trust me, I tried. I could even feel the warmth of the ground through my boots, which began almost smelling like burnt cow. The floor was a glowing red color, and reminded me of blood. Other than the unworldly light that glowed from the ground, there was no other light at all, anywhere.

"W-Where are the demons…?" I whisper to Hannah, my palm sweaty and my fear increasing with every step I took. "I thought they came in the thousands. Besides, aren't they attracted to human souls who wander into here?"

"Oh please Young Master, no human soul has passed beyond those gates since GateKeeper took her role of guarding it." Hannah-dove says, looking around franticly. "But seeing how half of the demons kept here haven't had a real meal in decades, they'll be instinctively drawn to your scent. I'd keep my guard up Young Master…"

I nodded and put my life flower into my jacket's inner pocket, afraid that harm would come to it. Damn, it was scary here. I just wanted to get Nichole, kill the Faustus family and be done here. "Of course…"

"…Master….If the backup plan we talked about does have to be taken into action, know that y-"

"Yummy yummy child…"

I felt my body tense up, and the hair on my neck stand on its end like I was some kind of cat (If I was a cat, I'd be one extremely sexy cat of course.) I slowly turned my head to face the voice, and I believe I pissed my pants at what I was greeted with.

A black snake was slithering to me, its pink tongue constantly flicking out and in. Its head rose up from the ground, as the rest of its body hissed from the heat. Smoke even rose from where the snake's belly touched the ground.

"Master…do not look it in the eyes…it only makes it desire your soul more…" Hannah-dove whispers, her voice barely audible against the hissing. "Master!...Young Master!"

But I couldn't move…fear had shrouded me and was keeping me in place. I wanted desperately to run, I did, but my feet were frozen in place, my blue eyes locked on the snake's red ones.

"Yummy child is lost…Yummy child should come with me…Yummy child would be safe with me…"

"H-Hannah…" I stuttered, still unable to move. The snake demon was slithering onto my boot now, beginning to wind itself up my leg.

"RUN!"

I lifted my foot to sprint, but as I did, that damned snake had bitten my rose. I screamed in pure agony as it felt like I was being bitten myself. I felt Hannah fly right off my shoulder, her talons headed right for the snake demon.

I, meanwhile, laid on that scorching ground in pain. Little black dots circled my vision, and my brain hurt. I weakly lifted my hand to see that my rose had lost at least four petals, and was beginning to turn red.

Hissing and screams sounded from where Hannah and the snake had been fighting, and I was afraid to look.

"Master…It's okay to look now…"

Hesitantly my head turned. Hannah stood on the ground, unaffected by the burning ground at her feet. In her beak she held the limp snake. It was dead, but Hannah had lost a few feathers in the process of murdering that demon.

"H-How did you k-kill that thing s-so easily…?" I mange to say, shaking and getting up. "I-It's a demon…"

"Yes, Master, but a mere child of a demon. Less than one hundred years of age to be exact. These are so easy to kill. If Samantha had only had a demon mother, she'd be so easy to destroy…" Hannah-dove says quietly, tossing the corpse of the young demon away. "Anyway, others won't be that easy. Come on now, we must go…"

I nodded and regained my strength. Although having to push up with my hands on the ground in order to stand, the pain had mostly subsided. "O-Okay…let's just find where the Faustus family is and kill 'em. The longer we wait the more I want Nichole back…"

"As you wish, Master." Hannah-dove said, returning to her perch upon my shoulder. "I believe they are a bit deeper in the commons. And if I were you, you'd best run through here so no more demons come out. After all the slower you are, the more your scent shall linger."

"Okay." I agreed, my voice still quivering. I ran as fast as I could, holding my now tainted and wounded rose close to my heart. "I am not excited for this…"

"Neither am I…" Hananh-dove says, setting herself into a crook in my neck, and keeping herself there. She felt soft…

We were quiet for a while as I ran as fast as could. A few times I had heard a monster or two roar, but kept going. Hannah's presence did keep me sane though; without her, I'd panic.

"Hannah…" I said, after a while of running from shadows and confusing my fears. "W-Will you come with Nichole and I to the future…?"

"Young Master…I thought you would stay here with her…" Hannah said slowly, like she couldn't precisely understand what I was saying. "I mean, I made you materialize here. You do realize what I did in doing that, correct?"

"N-No…" I stuttered, my fear coming back. "Hannah…what did you do?"

Hannah-dove refused to say anything after that, and only buried her feathered head deeper into the crooked part of my neck. That surely didn't mean something good…

"Master!"

I froze, hearing Claude's voice echo throughout this empty place. He was coming from the right…

"Ah! Alois is backkkk…"

That was…Samantha…. "W-Where are you bastards?! Show yourselves!" I screamed.

The second I said that, I realized that I was standing in a giant shadow of a spider's web. In the middle, close to where I was, were the shadows of four spiders. Two were rather small, the others bigger and tougher looking. I looked up in horror at what I saw.

Sure enough, two giant spiders with the Faustus insignia on their backs faced me. Two much smaller ones were behind the one I presumed was Claude.

The slightly smaller one jumped off the web, and in mid-air transformed into that damned Samantha. She was wearing an even more exposing dress that barely covered anything (I was kind still attracted to her, so I nearly overreacted to her). Her tousled green hair covered her one eye, but a demon-like glow that matched her one visible eye emitted through the messy strands.

"Hello my little Alois…I never expected you to chase Daddy and I all the way here…" She said, a devious smirk planted onto her face. "I didn't know you loved my old friend THAT much…"

"Shut the hell up!" I snapped at her, "I'm done with you! I've come to kill you and your entire family!"

"Oooohhh…Little Alois is mad…" She sounded absolutely mad. "Honestly, what's the big deal with wanting to kill us all…"

"Hannah…" I said, trying my best to block out Samantha's whisky voice. "Now…"

Hannah-dove flew right off my back, and quickly switched into her demon form (What's with all the exposing dresses, I don't understand.) She turned to me, nodding. "Master…remember your true purpose in this."

"I will, I will!" I yell, quickly running towards her and bracing for what was about to commence. "I'll never forget!"

Hannah opened her mouth, and I plunged my hand deep into her. I'd rather not share this experience, thanks. But my fingers soon found the hilt, and as I clutched it, pain ran viciously. I felt fire, thunder, and anything that you would categorize under the word "OUCH".

I pulled the sword out, salvia coating it. My entire body shook vigorously and I could barely stand up right. The Lævateinn spread its vile power into my veins, making me scream so loud, it seemed to shake the earth under me.

Suddenly, my entire brain seemed to be wiped away, my only thoughts that stayed being to kill. An aura of pure red and black pulsated around me, and slightly enveloped my vision.

Another flash went through me, and I couldn't help but cackle like a bird at it. After that shock, my body stopped shaking, and I easily regained my strength. In fact, I had never felt so very powerful before. I could kill anything if I wanted!

"Hahaha….AHAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed/screamed at Samantha, my once blue eyes blood red. My black sphere pupils had transformed into small slits, yet my vision wasn't affected. Actually, it had become…better! Yes, along with everything! Everything concerning Earl Alois Trancy had become more powerful.

"You…you turned yourself into…" Samantha couldn't hide her obvious shock, and it made me laugh even more.

"Yes, Samantha Faustus…" I said, trying my best not to smirk at her sorry little face. "I have traded my soul to become a demon…" I raised the Lævateinn up over my head, a wild smile dressing up my face. "AND NOW I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL EVERYTHING!"

Yup...that just happened. I expect a shocking review from every single one of you. Jk, buit seriously, this chapter was cool, right? Also, the (un)official theme song I chose for this and Souls is In The End by the Black Veiled Brides. I just think the song goes really well with these two stories. So if you haven't hear that song before, check it out! :) Lioner signing off for now.