(POV: Third)

With the Cavalry off on their own, Tasuku and Jackknife realized that they were alone; before, they could stand alongside the Cavalry members and speak against the Purgatory Knights. However, with them gone, Tasuku realized just how futile further arguing would bring them. As Demios continued to organize and look for spare troops, Tasuku and Jackknife took it upon themselves to guard the Southernmost part of the village. The others were doing their own duties and helping them was not an option; the Purgatory Knights would not want the help of a traitor.

That hit Tasuku. With the lack of any action before him and his buddy, he had plenty of time to think about his previous actions. He recalled the short time he was allied with Demios. While working for Kyoya, though undercover, he was partnered with the leader of the Purgatory Knights. At first, Tasuku merely thought of him as some loyal means to an end, only seeing the true value in his real partner, Star Dragoner, Jackknife. But was that right? He couldn't find himself answering that question with a straight and plain answer. Of course, he was right, right? His true buddy was Jackknife! Demios was nothing but a sword to be used, a means to an end. That's all Tasuku cared to see him as; he focused on his responsibilities alone and didn't wish to acknowledge Demios as a true partner.

Tasuku thought to himself, speaking quietly for a time. Jackknife continued to keep gazing out with his stern, watchful eye. It allowed Tasuku to think at least a bit more. Even then, he was astonished by how Liam vehemently antagonized him. Tasuku still winces at the sight of such vocal superiority. Liam Kieron stood up for Demios, speaking praise while also humanizing the dragon. It appeared that Liam saw something that Tasuku didn't care to acknowledge; Liam saw a living, breathing being with wants, needs, and desires that any other living thing had.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the act of shoving someone aside… that was exactly what he did to Jack. He clenched his jaw, staring at the abyss of doubt within him. It took him so long, but that last encounter truly made him realize something. Jackknife heard his buddy's mutters, soon looking over to see a damaged soul. "Tasuku, is something wrong?"

Tasuku didn't answer at first. He looked up, staring out at this wasteland. He observed the barren, dry soil that stretched out for miles. The sky hid this world from any sort of sunlight. "I doubt they want to be here," Tasuku muttered morosely. "I've been thinking about this whole thing, Jack."

"I'm here to listen," the green dragon returned patiently. "If you need to get something off your chest, go ahead."

"… Liam and Demios… you've seen how they are, right?"

The green dragon nodded back. "It's always interesting to see the two of them together. Between you and me, I believe that Liam made Demios a bit softer."

"I've noticed that too," Tasuku returned with a sigh. "It made me wonder… what if that's what Demios wanted all this time?"

"Tasuku?"

He nodded. "All this time, I've seen Demios and the Purgatory Knights as an enemy; a force that represents my horrible desires; a force I needed to destroy and repel." He raised his hand to his chest, holding up his Core Deck Case. Tasuku stared at the blue gem, seeing his weakened reflection. "I remember what CJ said back in that tournament, and I still can't get what Liam said out of my head. They know things about the Purgatory Knights that even I didn't know."

"That comes with the territory," Jackknife returned. Tasuku, confused, gasped before looking over to his wise buddy. "We only knew of the Purgatory Knights from legend; from a time where they resided in Dragon World. It felt like an eternity before any world heard from the Purgatory Knights, and to see what became of them was a shocking sight." Jackknife huffed in intrigue. "We met them with our own eyes as soon as Kyoya made his move. What else were we supposed to think?"

The boy felt like Jack was reading him. "Jack…."

"You worked with what you knew. CJ gave information to Liam based on findings that weren't done until much later," Jack continued. "In my eyes, you cannot be blamed for assuming the worst; we all did."

"It's for that reason why I think I need to move ahead, though," Tasuku muttered softly. "Jack?"

"Yes, Tasuku?"

"What did you feel when I left you?"

The exhaled slowly, perplexed by such a question. "It's been a long time since I had to think that time," Jackknife began. "If I were to say anything, I felt like you abandoned me. However, I also felt like I didn't do something right; it was my responsibility to protect you, and I felt like I failed you for letting you turn."

"And even now, I can't apologize enough for what I put you through," Tasuku bowed.

"But that's the past now," Jackknife returned. "It's nothing for you to concern yourself with now."

"I can't help it," Tasuku sighed quietly. "After seeing more of Demios, I can't stop thinking that he may have felt the same way."

From behind them, a concerned voice became clear. "He did." The duo turned away, slightly startled by the sudden voice. They were greeted with Liam, standing beside his buddy who was turned away. Demios looked like he was walking off; his arms were crossed as his back was turned to the others. However, it appeared that he too was stunned by Liam's sudden statement. His head was slightly turning over, watching as Liam confronted the green dragon and the child of destiny. "He may have felt worse than you thought."

Demios sighed lowly. "…Don't bother yourself with such matters, Liam," he returned, still avoiding eye contact. "There's no point to it…."

"No; they need to know," Liam demanded. He looked back to Tasuku, staring at the young teenager with stern eyes. "Tasuku, I get that you wanted your buddy back, like. You care for Jackknife, I get that. But in reforming your buddy contract with Jackknife, you discarded the one you made with him." He glanced back at Demios, watching as his buddy still kept his back turned. The leader of the Purgatory Knights kept his arms crossed. "Demios didn't trust me when he first met me. In fact, he didn't trust anyone. It was only because I showed my weakness that he was able to even give me a chance, and that was just barely, like." Liam glared at Jack, watching the dragon's stern eyes. "Jack, I understand that you want to protect your buddy, but for someone who claims to protect others, your jealousy made you ignore someone who deserved better."

"In my position, Demios took Tasuku away from me."

"After he willingly joined Disaster," Liam reinforced.

"You know quite a bit."

"Knowing someone within the DMW made me curious, as well as our match," Liam continued with a frown. "You and Tasuku treasure each other; there's nothing wrong with that. But I can't help but hate your guts for leaving someone behind."

"Hate may be too strong of a word."

"I can't say I dislike you now, I don't respect you," Liam coldly voiced. "Like I said, you two are nice people, but I can't help but hate you two for seeing Demios as nothing more than a dark part of you that needed to die."

"Coming from the man who destroyed their own friendship!"

"I was taken over!"

"That only means so much, coming from the buddy of Demios."

Liam sneered. "He's the most important person to me, more loyal than either of you!"

Demios growled suddenly. "That's enough, Liam!"

"D-Demios?"

"I do not need someone to speak for me, nor do I need anyone to defend me." He eyed Tasuku and Jack with disdain. His eyes began to glow with a threatening crimson color. "Liam," he began, not giving him eye contact; his furious eyes were engaged with the ones who abandoned him. "We should not be the ones who need to redeem ourselves." His eyes squinted, yet the flow peered through like blood. "You are the ones who have forsaken us."

Tasuku's partner leaned forward, readying himself for a brawl. However, Tasuku gestured at him; he blocked Jackknife from moving any further by stretching out his left hand. "T-Tasuku?" The green dragon was confused by his partner's act of retraction. Despite this, he willingly allowed Tasuku to step forward. Something told Jackknife that Tasuku knew what he was doing. He no longer had any place in this discussion. Even so, he remained at the ready just in case Demios were to act out of line.

Tasuku approached Liam and his partner. He noticed Demios still had his back turned. He stilled crossed his arms. Such behavior was strange, especially considering that these actions make up one who wishes to avoid direct conflict. Tasuku understood; this specific matter was one that hurt Demios deeply. Although the dragon's demeanor didn't falter, the lack of eye contact painted Demios as somewhat afraid to speak further about this matter. When Tasuku glanced at Liam, he saw that the buddy knew the same; Liam knew that this was something that affected Demios greatly. The boy of destiny nodded to Liam. "In a way, you are right."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Not in a way; we are right," he adamantly retorted. "We're not the enemy here; we're nothing like you saw us as."

"You must at least understand our position," Tasuku replied with urgency. "I met Demios through Disaster. How else could I've seen him at the time?"

"If you bothered to talk to him, you would've known," he scolded. "But you didn't take your contract with him seriously, did you?"

"… I can't deny that." Demios winced very slightly upon hearing those words. "At the time, I only saw Demios as a weapon to achieve the goals I desired. I only didn't involve Jackknife because I truly worried about him; I didn't want him involved."

"That was your first mistake," Liam intervened. "A pact within the Purgatory Knights is treasured like a brotherhood. To come and go when most convenient to you is not the way we do things."

"You must hold that ideal in high regard, then."

"Too many friends that I thought were 'close' left when things got rough," Liam morosely returned. "CJ knows this too; friends that we've been with for over eight years… all of them left us, doing their own thing. Of course, CJ would try to meet up with them, constantly going out of his way to talk to them, but he's too nice like that." Liam grunted. "He's also too oblivious to realize that friendship goes both ways; if someone doesn't go out of their way for you, then why bother? That was something that he himself is still learning, but I already know that."

"… That's why you hold Demios so dearly."

"He's too prideful and arrogant to show you his true side, but I've seen it; he's nothing like what you make him out to be."

Demios scowled. "Don't talk about me like that…."

"It's also why I nearly died just to find the Purgatory Knights; I was afraid of death, but I also heard from CJ how much they treasured brotherhood with their unrivaled loyalty. That was something that CJ and I both wanted. But once I found it… I was afraid to tell him anything… sorry, I'm kinda screwing off."

Tasuku, confused, blinked back. "Screwing off?"

"I'm going off, like," he attempted to clarify. "Rambling, more like. Thing is, I wanted to have CJ join the Purgatory Knights too; I'm sure he would've found someone like Lunacy Wand or Pendulum; dragons that are rather similar to Arkaid in some ways. But… I didn't want to appear like I was bragging to him, and my bond with Demios wasn't much at that point; we were still getting to know each other, so why would he bother accepting such a request? I bet you're getting the point I'm getting at; CJ and I went on our paths to find others who would treat us the way we treated them, and we both found it. That's why I'm angry that yeer shitting on Demios."

"… Because he's everything you wanted in a buddy," Tasuku sighed somberly.

"And that's also why I want to find CJ and Arkaid more than anything right now," Liam replied with a curled fist. "I hate waiting for our forces, but Demios is right; those two demons are making it difficult for anything. Once they're taken care of, we're going straight out to find my friends."

It was then that the conversation was interrupted by Jackknife. "It appears we may get some insight on that." Before anyone could question Jack's statement, they turned to see him looking out and watching the wasteland beyond. Everyone gasped except Liam and Demios, who both wickedly grinned at the sight of a familiar foe. The weakened, wounded man walking closer to the town must have seen a settlement and blindly rushed for it, not thinking of the possibility of seeing anyone from the Buddy Police in town. Gale's soul was exhausted; he had been going out on his own, leaving the others for the sake of his own survival. However, he was extremely scuffed and dirty. His body froze once he saw Tasuku and Jack, but his eyes cried with fear once he saw Liam and Demios's cold grins. He gasped, soon quickly turning around before hastily limping as far as his injured body could carry him. "Halt! Stop right there!" Jack initially began to fly when two dull blurs rushed out from behind him. When he turned around to see where the blurs originally came, he realized Liam and Demios were gone.

Gale didn't see it coming. His weak, yet audible wails clouded his hearing when two behemoths pounced on top of him at once. Demios slammed him into the ground with a strong thwack, and Liam jumped on top of the person, prohibiting further movement. Gale gritted his teeth as he flailed his body around, desperately trying to free himself. Nothing was working; the murderous happiness within Liam's heart filled him with more power than he previously had before. Gale could only cry out in mercy. "G-Get off of me!"

Liam grinned mercilessly. "You think I'm gonna let you go, after everything you did to us?!"

"I'll make you!" Somehow, Gale managed to reach into his right pocket. The motion of that was like muscle memory, for he pulled out his Impact Card with such perfection. He revealed it in front of Liam, hoping that the card will glow. "You will fall under my command! Nightmare Despair!" Liam froze for a moment; his eyes glared sheepishly at the card before him. He expected the worst, hastily closing his eyes so that he could hide his eyes from witnessing his fall.

…
…

Nothing happened. Gale nervously looked at the card, soon realizing that he was missing the key component to making his card work; his Dark Core Deck Case was destroyed from before. "… Oh god! No!"

Liam, with a large grin, swiped the card from Gale's mitts. "I'll be taking that, ya Gobshite." He brought himself back to his feet, observing the card closely in his hands. Tasuku and Jackknife were rushing to the scene, soon watching in awe as Liam held the fateful impact card in his hands. "This is what turned me; his 'Nightmare Despair!' card."

Tasuku walked closer, soon receiving the card as Liam handed it to him. The teenager observed the card closely. Soon, it all clicked; it was like a switch had turned on in his mind. "Of course! How did we not think of this sooner! This card takes control of an enemy monster; when used with the Disaster Force…."

"It takes control of someone, making them their puppet," Liam returned with a pained tone. He angrily glared at the defeated man on the ground, watching as Demios's glare was all that was necessary to keep him in place. "I've tried it; Impact Cards can't activate with the Disaster Force; they're too powerful. But Gale is different in the same way CJ is; they both have access to more Disaster Force."

Jackknife grimly nodded. "If that is true, then it would make sense; more Disaster Force would equate to having more power to using a more powerful card." A wave of guilt overcame him. With a reluctant sigh, he looked over to Liam and Demios, watching the two as they smirked back. "I owe the both of you an apology."

Tasuku nodded. "We both do."

Liam smirked even more. "Heh, so will CJ when I find him."

Gale's voice suddenly shook the group. It was like he became gripped by a sudden wave of insanity. Laughter erupted from the demented soul. His shoulders twitched as his head reeled back with each horrific cackle. "That is IF you find him; the man and his buddy are all on their own now!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Gale cackled back. "Why else would we want CJ's power? We wanted it for our own, and now we have it; Alvis has become a beast that no one here could control, not even Azi Dahaka!"

Tasuku's eyes widened. "So… Alvis is…."

"The dragon fighting Dahaka as we speak!" Gale cackled even more. His mind was long gone. He was stricken with too much fear to even think straight. "You can't BELIEVE how much power we forced out of CJ's broken body. To do it, we made CJ think we killed Arkaid, when all I did was suck out her mana!"

Liam was enraged. "You did what?!"

"I used the card 'Black Drain,' and with my Disaster Force it was amplified far beyond your pitiful level. After I did that, he was unstoppable! He nearly killed me, even! After I held Arkaid's lifeless buddy like a puppet! That definitely set him off!"

Demios scowled lowly. "You cur."

"I have no idea where Eirik and Sinblade are; they both probably ran off on their own when the dragons brought everything to hell, and I thought I was walking in circles for the past two days, only to end up here with you losers," Gale snickered. "Hehehe… and Arkaid is probably still in her pitiful state, and I doubt CJ will last long watching over her useless ass. And I can't believe it… betrayed by Dahaka; he used the power to make Alvis a disciple, and he's RUINED now too! He's getting what's coming to him!"

Liam, with a raised fist, stepped forward. "What you say doesn't matter; we ARE going to find them!"

"With a world in this state?!" Gale scoffed back with a laugh. "Those dragons will kill us all! We're all going to hell now too! It just goes to show that you can't trust anyone at all! AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA-!"

With one swift, solid punch, Liam silenced the pitiful fool. "… I get you had it rough, but that doesn't make it right to be an asshole."