A few kilometers away from Illyria's line of mountains, the battle between a pair of humans and a diminishing horde of demons was reaching it's climax.
Sounds of flesh getting sliced apart, monstrous roars filled with carnivorous intent, and the blowing wind caused the trees leaves to create a symphony of soft rustles in a small clearing where the battle was taking place.
"Your turn, Eddie!" A raven haired youth that was mid-air swung his leg to a Riot's head, sending the reptilian demon flying towards Zato's shadow companion.
A jagged black tendril drilled into the demon's center without meeting any sort of resistance. The demonic flesh getting torn and rearranged by the swilring black mass until it became visible on the other side of its target within a second.
Zato gestured his hand to the side, launching the corpse of the demon to it's remaining brethren.
The result was a bunch of reptilian monstrosities coming into contact with the grassy ground. They quickly rose with spinning leaps, ready to slice the human pair into red filled chunks.
Until their bodies froze where they stood, a black blur dashing through all of them that was accompanied by metal slicing through their demonic flesh.
The bodies stayed frozen for a second longer before they collapsed, splitting into two halves.
Aiden flicked his katana to the side, ridding the blood off the black blade.
He would've proceeded to sheath the sword back if it wasn't for the growl of another Riot notifying him of it's incoming attack.
With an annoyed grunt, he turned to face the demon's direction, ready to slice it beyond recognition.
He didn't have to wait long as the Riot leaped from the trees, claw raised high as it displayed its salivating tongue.
Until a giant set of white teeth, courtesy of Zato's shadow, chomped on the mid-air demon, ripping it apart in a single bite.
The demon got bitten in half like it was an apple in the glowing eyes of Eddie.
The gruesome end of the remaining Riot caused Aiden's face to turn into a dumbfounded stare. He has long become used to ending these demons in gruesome ways. But seeing one of them getting half of their bodies bitten off by a more larger being in such a sudden manner was a different sight for the young man to comprehend.
"We can get our move on now." Zato's rich, gentle voice broke Aiden out of his bewildered state.
"R-Right!"
The previous events would have to be minded at a later time.
"Are we getting any closer to that Hellgate, Aiden?" The blindfolded man asked his raven haired companion as they both resumed their run through Illyria's forest.
"Their scent gets stronger the more we head West, so yes, we are in fact getting closer!" Aiden answered with a bit more volume in his voice so Zato could hear him, sheathing Black Ghost back into it's place.
Zato responded with a curt nod.
The two sprinted at speeds that were beyond human, utilizing their expert level agility to easily pass through any geographical obstacles that were in the way.
They maintained this fast pace for a couple of more minutes until Aiden halted his sprinting and put his hand up, signaling Zato to stop. The blindfolded man complying with the command.
"So we have arrived." Zato said as a matter of fact.
"In a sense."
The reason why Aiden decided to stop is because they were blocked by the bottom of a mountain that connected to a line of other mountains.
The scent of the Riots are either leading them into the heart of the mountains or on the other side.
The young devil hunter prayed that the path would turn out be the latter rather than the former.
("Let's see what fate chose for me.")
He sniffed again to pick up the scent, turning his head to it's apparent source.
His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance once he came to the realization that he and Zato had to move around the mountain in order follow the scent that will lead them to the Hellgate.
Which would be a tiring chore to complete.
("Just one of the various cons I have to encounter in this business...") Aiden thought in frustration.
He jerked his head for Zato to follow him. Despite the tiring circumstances Aiden had no choice but to endure, he felt a bit of comfort in having some live company giving him a helping hand.
...
A certain amount of long minutes after the two humans resumed their trail, they found themselves facing the barricaded entrance of what looked like to be an abandoned mining shaft.
Mother nature has long staked her claim on the area as there were thick blankets of lush moss spread around. A good variety of natural colored flowers could be seen growing here and there.
While it may have looked like a nice piece of scenery to take in, the black cladded males were more focused on what was behind the barricaded entrance.
Aiden could easily smell the demons scent through the moss covered wood.
An icy blue light quickly disappearing, he held Cerberus rods in one hand. The ice cool feel of the weapon were of a minor inconvenience.
The live weapon fulfilled it's task of bringing his master the best comfort while in combat. No way it was going to let the wielder get handicapped by a hand affected by frostbite.
The young devil hunter thrusted Cerberus to the ground, prompting the chains to extend so the rods could stab into the dirt.
The outcome was a small wave of ice spikes heading straight at the moss covered entrance, instantly smashing away all of the wood with no struggle before they instantly melted into a large puddle.
"You possess a pretty handy tool, Aiden." Zato complimented to the nunchaku's supernatural ability, Eddie popping out from his host's back to give the young man a thumbs-up.
He returned a nod of both appreciation and agreement. "It'll definitely make our task more easier to complete."
They ventured into the accessible entrance, the sun making the other side visible to a sliver extent.
Aiden's amulet worked its power to give his eyes night vision once he and his shadow manipulating partner stepped into the man carved cave.
His eyes took note of how claustrophobic the other side looked.
Rocks had collapsed into larger piles of other rocks, wheels of rusty mine carts sunken a few centimeters into the hardened dirt, and an eerie feeling that was created by a silence that would signify anyone of their impending demise.
"Lead the way." A waiting Zato said, breaking the area's silence and bringing it a small bit of temporary life.
With a nod, Aiden went deeper, Zato staying close by his side as Eddie's eyes granted him the ability of vision.
The young devil hunter felt grateful that a powerful fighter was accompanying him on this tiring task.
...
Aiden and Zato did not know how long they have been treading through the abandoned mining shaft. While the place was an absolute maze to figure out decent navigation, it was manageable thanks to the raven haired youth constantly sniffing the dusty air for a demon's scent.
Though it was becoming harder and harder for his nose to catch the scent as the dust got thicker and thicker the deeper they went.
Yet he still continued. It was going to take a lot more than a dusty atmosphere to kill the young devil hunter's motivation to find the Hellgate.
"Do you feel like we're getting any closer to that Hellgate?" Zato asked, his question echoing throughout the cave.
"I'm not sure. The dust is making it harder for me to know." Aiden responded, though his unsure answer didn't reflect how confident he walked.
"Yet you seem confident." Zato commented. Eddie appeared to raise a glowing red brow, expressing his confusion.
The corner of Aiden's lips tugged upwards. "If I wasn't, then I might as well not have picked up a sword to spend my years under rigorous training."
Eddie grinned his white teeth as his host chuckled with a smirk. "I see your point. Throughout all my years of living, I have seen warriors express various forms of confidence. It wouldn't make sense if one didn't possess that trait."
Aiden curtly nodded with a light grunt of agreement.
After the small talk, the two returned their focus to the task. The mood around them felt a little bit more positive and lighter.
("It's so relieving to see that your social skills haven't been too negatively affected by your introverted desires, sweetie.") Eva said to her foster son in a happy tone.
("Is that right?") He asked in a slightly surprised tone.
("Mm-hm.") She hummed in a chipper manner. ("Usually you like spending the rest of your free time with me and my husband. Not even considering heading out to do your own thing. You haven't done that since Michelle...") Eva trailed off, her tone turning hesitant and solemn.
("...I see your point.") The raven haired youth responded, sadness and grief boiling in his heart as the memories he shared with Michelle dropped his positive mood.
Eva felt her foster son's mood shifting down, lightly gasping for the mistake she has caused. ("I'm sorry for resurfacing your grief over Michelle. I just... want you to form a bond with other people that will care for you as much as we do.")
("I know. And it's alright, Eva. It's just... I don't feel ready for another take on a relationship of any kind.")
Aiden has stored in that sentiment ever since his mind and body has stabilized itself from that day.
Nobody needed to tell him how unhealthy it was for him to live isolated from the world. Though his brain filled trauma told him time and time again that getting attached to others would backfire in the most painful way possible.
And that's where his self fault came in, he follows whatever anti-social idea his brain forms. He didn't even try and hesitate before complying with those ideas.
("I'll be fine, Eva. Let's just focus on fixing this entire ordeal before it becomes a massive thorn for everyone involved.") He moved past the subject of socializing and interacting with other people and bring back the focus to deal with the malicious forces of Hell.
("Alright. Be safe, sweetie.")
After sending her last prayer for Aiden's safety, the discussion of his past came into a temporary end.
("I swear to you, Michelle... what happened to you won't happen to anyone else.") He repeated the promise he made after her death. No longer would he ever fail those he swore to protect.
The world was cruel. But he wasn't going to tolerate it's existence for as long as he was breathing. He'll fight it until the day he died.