The siege on Lescatie was going well for Druella. Though there were a few road bumps with the heroes, they had at last breached the palace. One by one the remaining defenders fell as Druella and her mamono pushed through richly decorated halls. A tall orc mamono up walked to Druella as she walked through the halls. Their head down, hiding their face, "Your highness, the remaining defenders are holding in the throne room."

Druella smiled, "Excellent, show me."

"Yes your highness, at once," Spoke the orc in a familiar voice, standing up and turning around immediately, once again preventing Druella from seeing their face. Druella couldn't help but to find that odd, but what did it matter? They had won, and she had to see the last bit of resistance taken out and shown true happiness.

Through the halls, Druella followed the orc, but no matter how long Druella followed them, they never got there. "Hey, slow down!" Druella spoke up to her fellow mamono, but the orc not only continued their current pace but also started walking faster. "I command you to stop!" Yelled Druella to the orc as they turned a corner, disappearing from Druella's vision.

When Druella turned the same corner, there was nothing at the other end of the hall but darkness. When she turned to go back, there was nothing but a mirror on top of a wall. Slowly she turned back towards the end of the hall and faintly saw something from within the darkness.

A face, that was what Druella saw, with a long beard that touched the floor. However, it didn't do anything, it just hovered there in the darkness, unmoving. She couldn't help but feel a strange sense of sadness as she stared at the face. Slowly she looked away and turned her vision to the right to see the other end of the hall which led into another hall.

"Ahhh...," groaned an elderly voice. Druella immediately turned to her left to see where the sound was coming from. all that there was, was the same off-putting face hovering in the darkness. But then Druella saw something as she looked at the face. Was it just her, or was it moving closer to her?

It was barely noticeable, but Druella could tell it was moving. But it was so slow and so silent that she was surprised that she noticed it moving in the first place. But Druella couldn't help but feel a sense of danger. Slowly she started walking backward, away from the head but not daring to look away.

This however was a mistake. It seemed that the head noticed Druella trying to get away and began to get faster. Now it was much more noticeable. "Be warned, the path of Izalith was paved with good intentions..." Groaned the face, not ceasing in the rate at which it was approaching Druella.

Druella started to run as she turned the corner, glancing behind every few seconds. However, the face began to increase in speed further, slowly gaining ground. She cursed under her breath, Druella needed to escape whatever this thing, but it was not letting up. There was only one thing she could think of.

Raising her hand, Druella began to cast spells as they ran, firing waves of demonic energy at the face. However, they dissipated on contact and somehow caused the creature to get bigger. Not only that, but it began to open its mouth, showing only a dark void inside.

Slowly the creature gained more and more ground as Druella ran through the halls. As it got closer, Druella could make out more if it was in the darkness. It was not a face that was chasing her, no, it was a wall of flesh. As if being pressed up against a piece of cloth, countless faces stuck out of the flesh before sinking back in. it was the same as well for multiple pairs of arms that almost seemed ready to burst out of the wall of flesh. The only bit that was not covered in the flesh was the face, with its long beard.

And as it got closer, she could make out more of the face. Its beard was bloody, and its mouth gaping open with brown, filthy, bloody teeth. And where its eyes would have been was replaced with a pair of black, boney arms wrapping around the top of its face. Just what in Hel's name was this thing?

Druella gasped as a black hand burst from the fleshy wall and began to stretch all the way to Druella. She was not going to get consumed by this thing yet. Druella spotted a door on the side and mediately went through. Quickly closing the door behind her and took a deep breath. Looking around, it seemed she was in some sort of bedroom...that looked oddly familiar.

*BANG*

It wasn't over, cracks began to form on the wall as the creature began banging against the wall on the other side. She scanned the room as she leaned on the door, barely keeping the thing out. Eventually, her eyes spotted another door, and she jolted for it. She was glad that she didn't hesitate a moment sooner, as the moment she left the door, the wall of flesh burst through. Though at this point it didn't even look like a wall.

Now it looked like some sort of snake made of corpses, with the bearded face at the front. Druella leaped over the bed and ran through the other door. Right behind her, the thing practically threw aside the bed with its countless arms, before it suddenly was crushed by the thing's weight.

Once again Druella closed the door behind it, but this time the creature burst through the wall much sooner than before as it slammed into the next wall after it. It would not let up, it would not give Druella a chance to breathe. Her wings were beginning to burn from exhaustion, she had to escape this thing fast or else she'd burn herself out.

However there was no chance of that happening now, there was no more room for insight within the halls. "What sort of palace is this?! It's more like a maze or something!" Screamed Druella as she ran. Looking back, Druella's eyes widened. The thing had gotten bigger, especially the face as it almost took up the entire hall. Walls began to crack more and more as the creature got closer, barely able to hold the size of the thing.

Not only that, but the thing's jaw, was unhinging and stretching. It stretched so far down that Druella could see the skin tear apart as the jaw almost touched the ground. "This way!" came the voice of Yami from ahead of Druella.

Druella turned to see where the voice came from and saw the end of the hall. A lone door opened, with a bright light shining through it. So bright in fact, that Druella could not see what was inside. A faint smile formed on her face. "So there is an end! I just need to get the- GAH" Druella screamed as her wings suddenly flew off, as if an invisible force tore them off.

That would not stop Druella, turning from flight to running in a flash, "So close, I just- GRAH!" Druella screamed in pain again as she felt unimaginable pain in her arms, bits of her flesh peeling away and chunks suddenly disappearing. It was as if a pair of invisible hands were tearing her hands off, bit by bit.

Druella kept screaming as more and more of her body began to fly off. She wouldn't stop, she had to escape. Now her legs began to fall under the same effect as her arms. More and more pieces kept flying off, until her arms were non-existence, leaving behind only a small piece of bone sticking out. until suddenly bits of wood started to grow out of the missing limbs.

Glancing behind, Druella could see the creature was almost upon her. It's breath running down her neck as it's arms were about to grab her. However, she was not giving up yet.

She was only a few feet away, a few steps away and she'd have escaped these things. But now her legs were almost completely gone. Druella couldn't give up now. With the last ounce of her strength, Druella leapt towards the door as her legs completely disappeared.

With a loud thud, Druella slammed into the floor. Sweat going down her forehead. Druella didn't look up, nor did she open her eyes in fear that she didn't make it. But, nothing happened.

Hesitantly, Druella opened her eyes to see a group of mamono in front of her, including the orc she was following. She soon realized why she never saw their faces. It was because they had no face at all, instead it was a canvas of skin where the face would have been.

"Please, help me!" yelled Druella, but the mamono did not respond. They just...stood there, looking down at Druella. Or at least she assumed they were looking at her. Druella managed to look behind her, but the thing was nowhere to be seen. Only a dark void at the door. Then the orc mamono walked up to Druella. "Please get me away from that thing," Spoke Druella weakly.

"What did I ever see in you?" Replied the orc coldly even though they had no mouth to speak with.

Druella gave a look of confusion, "W-What-"

The orc interrupted Druella, as the other faceless mamono got closer. Each one of their shadows covered her. "You did this to us, you caused our death and countless others. You are nothing but a failure, deserving a traitor's death."

"What do you mean!? I wasn't the one who did all that, it was him! Don't you dare blame me!" Yelled Druella. She was right, it was never her fault. It was him, it was all because of him that her life was ruined.

"Ahhh..." Came a groaning voice. Druella looked back again and to her horror, the thing was there. Its mouth gaping even wider, but now not a single tooth was shown. It was just an empty, cold voice of death. Its countless arms as well were clawing towards her. But for some reason it could not break through the wall.

Druella sharply turned to the faceless mamono, "Please, help me. Get me away from him!"

However, they did not do as she asked. Instead, the orc got even closer and grabbed her by the hair firmly. "You are not worth it, no coward who cannot accept the truth shall live. From the void that you originated from, to the void you return."

The lilith struggled, but it was no use. She could not use her wooden limbs, nor did she have any strength to fight back. Desperately she looked about the room for anything, anyone that could save her. As the orc carried her closer to the gaping mouth of the monster, Druella spotted someone.

At the other side of the room was another door, with no light in it. And in that door, Druella could make out a figure, faint and barely visible in the darkness, but she could see them. "Please help me! I don't want to die! PLEASE!" Screamed Druella, but the figure said nothing as they watched. In that exact moment, the orc threw her into the beast's mouth.

Druella could feel the countless arms grab her, tear her to pieces. And she could do nothing but watch as they pulled her in. And as the creature's mouth closed and left her in darkness, she saw for a split moment the figure's face. It looked like a skeleton with skin over it, its eyes sunken and pitch black, its skin as dark as the abyss with not a bit of hair on it. But before she could make out more of the figure, she was consumed, and Druella was left in pure darkness.

...

...

...

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Druella awoke to the sound of knocking at her door, snapping her out of sleep. Sweat as all over her body as she laid there. This was the second time she had that dream. The second time she was consumed and saw all those things. The second time she felt all of that.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Come in," Muttered Druella weakly. To be honest, Druella was expecting Cellis, but to her surprise, it was her mother. The demon lord, in garments made for her and covered in gems made by her and her husband. On force of habit, Druella tried hard to get up. Her face turning red as she attempted to even move.

The demon lord raised her hand, "Please don't, dear. You need your rest. I have only come to see my daughter."

Druella sighed and gave up, choosing to lay there again. "Where is father?" Asked Druella.

"He is currently busy at the moment. There seem to be some problems with some of the mamono tribes under our rule. He chose to deal with it himself." The demon lord walked next to Druella and sat down, her eyes full of compassion and longing for her husband, "I hope he returns, I cannot stand being separated from him for long."

"How long will Father be gone?"

Her mother looked about the room as if trying to remember. "I believe he'll be back home tomorrow. Still, It feels like too long since I've last seen him," The demon lord looked Druella in the eyes, "But I am not here to talk about your father. How have you been?"

Druella didn't respond right away, "I, I guess I'm alright. Mostly."

"What do you mean mostly?"

Druella didn't answer her mother's question, instead, she looked away and changed the subject, "Mother, if you faced someone that you could not turn, what would you do?"

The demon lord was perplexed by such a question, "I- wh- Well that is a difficult question since such a thing is impossible."

"But what if you did face someone like that, someone more powerful than anyone else you ever knew?" Her mother was silent as if quietly refusing to answer their own daughter, "Please, just answer me, mother."

"I'd... I would find some way to contain them and...and then try to find a way to turn them or at least subdue them indefinitely." Spoke the Demon Lord hesitantly, not looking at Druella.

"Even if more lives were lost in the process? Wouldn't it be better to just, to just kill them?"

The Demon Lord faced Druella again, her patience beginning to dissipate."Listen well Druella, we do not kill. We fight for love, not death. No matter what we will avoid killing at all cost-"

"Even if it means more will have to do it?" Interrupted Druella

The Demon Lord raised her voice, anger clear in her tone, "Yes, Druella! Even if it so, we will not become like the monsters of old. Your father and I did not fight for that. Even for the chief god, we did not kill them!"

Druella retorted, her own frustration could be heard,"And yet, more lives have been lost because of it. Without her, so many mamono would still be living. So many mamono would have a chance at happiness."

"Enough Druella, we will not kill and that is final," The scowl on the demon lord's face disappeared and was replaced with one of sadness, "now please, let us forget about this. I," She grabbed Druella's hand, a tear running down her cheek, "I care too much about you to let you say such things. No parent. No parent should have to watch or have their child die before them. I was so afraid that was going to happen to you. So please, just rest. Please."

(-)

Yami groaned as she got up, expecting to feel pain all throughout her body. However, there was nothing but a throbbing headache. Yami felt a hand on her and looked to see Sasha who was asleep. Seems she had decided to sit and watch over her.

She couldn't stay, Yami had to leave the city as soon as possible. Thanks to Sasha, she would now have the strength to do just that. But, she didn't know where to go. Maybe one of the neutral territories but, she couldn't think of any at the top of her head. Deciding to plot her next course of action, Yami walked up to the small table near the window and reached into her satchel.

The Kunoichi paused as they felt not only their map but something else. Hesitantly Yami pulled it out to find some sort of letter with her name on it. Opening it up, the letter said,

"Yami, in our brief encounters I already know you will leave the moment you awake. That is why I have written my request in this letter. I cannot bear to hold the lies that I have made, and I believe it is best that I turn myself in. However, there is something I cannot betray. Within the forest near Lescatie, is a small area that I have a group of child mamono at. I ask that you take them to one of the neutral realms, and to someone that could care for them. There is an orphanage at Salutem, one of the Federation states. As for finding the children, there will be a pair of rocks, that will make a faint path. You should recognize the symbols, we used them in our countless meetings.

Please, just this once, help me.

Sincerely, Sasha."

Yami turned to look at Sasha. A bit of her did not want to help at all and instead just leave. But, Yami owed Sasha for what she did. So grabbing the quill Yami saw on the table, she jotted dotted on the paper and left it on the table. Before Yami actually left through the window, she paused again before quickly going to Sasha and lifted up onto the bed. And then just like that she left. Heading straight towards the forest.

(-)

Gael pushed himself through the trees, his bag at the brink of bursting with how many things he had in it. Since that last night, Gael has been on a spree of collecting anything that he thought was edible. From those throbbing mushrooms he found a while back, a mushroom that secreted some sort of slime, to a thing that looked like lettuce.

Maybe Gael had gone too far in his collecting, might even have to call it hoarding at this point. Though the food was not the only thing, he also had the rusty pot, spoon, a small rusty knife, old plate, and a cup that definitely needed cleaning. All of this he had scavenged from overgrown, and abandoned homes. This made Gael curious, however.

This world was free from the age of fire, and everything but him in this world was free of the curse. And yet, he comes across abandoned homes that looked like they were attacked. And not a single sign of death was anywhere inside. The insides of the homes as well were in mostly good condition, save for flora growing inside. It was as if someone burst into the home and then immediately left. He couldn't help but to be reminded of the abandoned village in that desert.

Gael knew what it would most likely have been. Those mamono, or monsters as the 'humans', call them. He didn't quite understand them, not once did he see a male of their species. But he already had put two to two together, in that they needed human men to mate. But their tactic of continuing the race was utter foolishness to him. Forcing their way and claiming all the men in sight.

They were like farmers who had all the food they needed, but instead, they ate the food and did not bother replanting or allow the plants to grow. Gael could tell that sooner or later, they would bring themselves to extinction if they continued to act that way. But maybe he was drawing conclusions too soon. Maybe not all of them were like that, maybe some had some sense.

As for the 'humans'. he hardly knew anything about them. Save for their deity, the chief god, as they call them, he didn't know of any other religions in this world. He also knew that they opposed mamono, but that was it. He couldn't blame them for fighting against the mamono, but he didn't know much about them either to make a full conclusion.

Gael stopped as he could faintly hear the sound of water. It might have been another river or lake, but he would have to see. Making his way toward the sound, Gael could see beyond the trees a large color of blue. Gael then knew what it was, the ocean. Making his way past the final row of trees, Gael took a deep breath as he stepped upon the sand of the beach.

Light glistened off the water as it went back and forth. Gael couldn't help but look in awe. Only once in his entire life could he recall seeing the ocean in person, and it made him feel like a young undead again. Staring across the infinite waters in awe.

In a way, it was like the bonfire, giving off a calm sense of peace and safety. And yet just like fire, it was dangerous. He knew from experience, all those times he fell and drowned to his death. Only to wake up, gasping for air on dry ground. Those moments were not...pleasant to but it gently, in the fact they were probably on his list of worst kinds of deaths.

With all that said, there was a problem. He needed some way to cross the ocean. That woman told him to go to the ocean and lands beyond, but he needed to travel across the ocean. He didn't have any money that this world used, nor did he think anyone would think of selling him a ship.

Maybe Gael should have thought this out further. Gael scoffed at himself, not planning something out was quite unlike him. Though maybe he was just tired of making long-winded plans. That old plan he made for his lady took so long to do, and so much planning, it almost hurt to think about it.

Anyway, there was nothing to do but search. who knows maybe he'd find something. Though he doubted it.

Gael began to walk across the beach, searching for a ship or some sort of vessel to use. And as he did, Poseidon watched from the ocean, hidden underneath the waters. She would strike, but not yet. No, she would wait until there was no chance of them escaping. Poseidon could only hope that this being would forgive her for when she had to kill him.

(Author's note)

I am putting this note here for those who have the same questions as a certain guest reviewer. For those who want more dark souls characters in this story, I cannot just do that.

Due to how I am connecting these two worlds, which I plan on eventually revealing, (and I have placed tiny hints in certain areas towards this) I cannot just pump in characters/areas/etc... from dark souls. In fact, there are only a handful of things I can put into this.

However, I already have given you a few dark souls characters other than Gael or the locust priest (Or the ashen one in the first chapter). I have shown about three of them so far, you just have to figure out who they are until I flat out reveal them.

Also I changed the title a bit since I realized just there are other fanfics that have "The slave" as the title. Just in case you didn't notice.

*Thank you to everyone who pointed out the haft mistakes I made. I am so used to saying haft instead of have irl, so my own form of speech seeped into this chapter. Now though it is corrected, once again thank you.