(October 2nd, 2030)

(POV: Third)

Alvis had enough. He needed to be with his brother and talk about how rotten this plan started to become. He rushed to Master Eirik's apartment, banging on the door with a rabid Sitri at his side. They needed questions answered on the double, and they were not going to take 'no' for an answer. Alvis continued striking the door with the bottom of his intense fist. The merciless assault started to grab the attention of the other members of the organization living in the building. They initially revealed themselves to complain. However, as soon as they saw that it was Alvis, the members retreated back into their room as they muttered to each other. "Watch out; the brothers are fighting again."

It seemingly took an eternity before someone answered the door. Gale barely acknowledged Alvis as he rolled his eyes, annoyed with the man's presence. "Password?"

"I outrank you," Alvis retorted. He shoved Gale to the side as he marched into the room, slamming the door behind him. Sitri was about to spit on Gale, but he stopped himself. He didn't want to overdo anything, especially when this argument had already shook the very foundation of this organization. It was then that Alvis caught sight of Master Eirik towards the corner of the room. Blankly, the man was staring outside the window with his hands just in front of him. With his thumbnail, he continued to scratch and peel at the dead skin on his fingers. "Eirik, we need to talk!"

"Al, please listen," Master Eirik returned. "You must have known this was the only way!" No matter how panicked Eirik portrayed himself as, Alvis was as unyielding as ever. Gale managed to bring himself back to his feet as he, with an annoyed face, leaned against a nearby wall. He had no business involving himself with these "idiots" according to him. "We needed him to access the Disaster Force when his mind is the most unstable! I told you this!"

"But… but you never told me it was going to go like that!" Alvis directed his finger to the man in the corner. "You had Gale screw with Liam. You screwed his head. You had him reveal the darkest secrets that even I would never reveal. And not only that, but even though you knew that Arkaid was still by CJ's side, you had Liam push Arkaid too far!"

"I had to do it!" Master Eirik yelled back. "Either she left because of the truth or she would leave because Liam pushed her; one outcome has Arkaid less faithful and the other does it more. I needed to see how close Arkaid was to him."

Sitri growled. "And?" Eirik turned to face the panther anthromorph. "Are you satisfied with what you got?" He angrily asked.

"Actually, we did," Master Eirik replied. He begged to the two allies before him. "But please, don't you realize the importance of this? Not only do we know that CJ truly can access that power, but now we know who to deal with when it happens again."

"Well, congratulations to you, then!" Sitri snarled. "Because after what happened, CJ has been keeping himself locked in his apartment! He quit his job! Alliot still hasn't come back! CJ's completely lost faith in everyone because of how much you tore him apart!"

"If Arkaid is truly as I suspect, then she will return," Eirik continued. "So please, do not worry about something like this. It's trivial in the grand scheme of things."

Alvis nearly struck Master Eirik's head, but the leader managed to duck at the last second. The charging fist crashed through the window behind Eirik, cutting Alvis's hand on impact. Eirik gasped at the sight of such horrible injuries. However, as Alvis pulled his arm back, he showed no signs of pain, only anguish and guilt. "His feelings are not trivial. Even in the grand scheme of our plan, I can't watch his two friends tear him apart again."

Sitri yelled in agreement. "We're not doing this again!"

"I refuse to put CJ through that kind of pain ever again. Whatever 'tick' is in his head, you're taking advantage of it!"

Master Eirik finally went on the offensive. His figure warped as his eyes went wild with fury. "If you think you can find another subject then go right ahead! But we only have Gale!"

"Then use him!"

"We can't! His head isn't screwed enough!" Master Eirik managed to finally force himself to calm down. He looked away, disgraced by his outburst of anger. It took a lot for him to simply have his eyes look to his brother. He was on the verge of tears the more he spoke. He was not just losing an ally for his cause, but something told me that he was soon going to lose his brother. "I'm sorry… but Gale lacks that specific 'tick.' If we can't find someone else like that, then CJ is the only one we can use to make our dreams a reality."

"Your dreams."

"Don't lie to yourself, Al," Master Eirik sighed. "You agreed to help me because our plan was going to give you eternal youth, the same gift CJ possesses." Alvis couldn't bring himself to look at his brother in the eyes. His body coiled with regret before he was entirely turned away, facing his back to his brother. "Sitri, too. You both see yourself as his close friends. You two are the reasons as to why I was able to find your friend. Yes, he's hurting now, but there will be a time where, at the end of all of this, everything will be like what we dreamed of." He looked down to Sitri, watching as the feline reluctantly looked towards the master. "You, both, will be given the ability to live alongside CJ to your heart's content. Everyone will. For me, I will carry on the banner of Kyoya and tear down this putrid society, bringing it back up! As for Gale…." Eirik smiled at the ostracized man. "What do you want?"

"A buddy that I can completely trust," Gale returned slowly. "But that's impossible. It'd have to be a complete and total robot. It must show no signs of betrayal. That is all that I want."

"I'm sure we can work on that," Master Eirik replied confidently. "Al, Sitri, I understand your fears and concerns, but we mustn't forget that, with every storm, comes a calm. Until we accomplish our goals, we cannot help but hurt those that may be close to us. That includes you too." Alvis and Sitri turned to their master, watching as he kneeled and bowed deeply. "Al, I know how much you love CJ, regardless of his decision. I can't apologize enough for what you had to witness. There's no doubt that I hurt you both very deeply."

Alvis felt his heart being torn as he heard those last words. It felt like only a short time ago when he revealed his true colors to CJ, and only him. He remembered the unfortunate words that left the man's mouth. Although Alvis was saddened, he greatly appreciated how supportive CJ was to him. Ever since then, he knew that CJ was a person to trust. It infuriated him that he had to leave CJ to the pain and sorrow of these experiments. However, as Sitri turned to him, the two of them slowly realized the horrible truth of their situation; they're in too deep, and this is the only way for things to turn out the way they want to. He wished that one member of the Cavalry would pick him so that he and Sitri could at least work alongside CJ for all eternity. However, he realized just how fickle the Omni Lords were, not just Lord Tenbu. Because of how he wasn't one of the chosen, Alvis felt no guilt at aiming for their eventual demise.

*Liam's Apartment*

The small, cramped room seemed fitting for the man filled with regret; he now saw his room as a small space designated for him, almost like it was a prison. He didn't wish to leave it, yet he could not see this space as a haven; he wanted to remain in this jail of a room. He had just ended a call with Tasuku Ryuenji as he morosely fell back onto his bed. His buddy remained in his SD form, looking at his partner from a chair near an unkempt desk. Needless to say, Liam could not bring himself to clean the rather disorganized living space; cushions were overturned, his television hummed with a soft buzz as static echoed throughout the room, and his window shades remained closed, further isolating him from the outside world.

Liam carelessly threw his cellphone over to the side. When he didn't hear a crash, he just assumed that it fell on one of the pillows or blankets thrown about on the floor. "Well, Tasuku doesn't know much either; he's too busy investigating on his form," he moaned morosely. "He only knows that CJ's phone was busted."

Demios nodded. "That explains why he hasn't replied back to you."

"Or he hates my guts," Liam sighed before turning his back to Demios. The leader of the Purgatory Knights was growing more anxious by the moment. His impatience made the dragon growl lowly. Liam's attention was only brought back to his partner when Demios stomped the floor, shaking the room. "If you hate this, just go."

"I hate seeing you like this," Demios scowled. "You've become a lesser man."

"Sorry I'm such a disappointment."

"That's not what I mean; stop acting like a complete whelp!" Liam ignored the scowling. He continued to keep his body turned away as he wished for death. He couldn't stop thinking back to the events that transpired only a few days back. As a friend, he broke countless promises to keep such information secret to the others. He also broke Arkaid, causing her to leave CJ and leave him buddy-less assuming that Alliot has yet to return. He stomped on his friend's heart, and he wished that CJ would've just killed him there when he was … whatever that form was. Despite all of this, Demios was relentless to get his buddy back. "Instead of wallowing, why don't you leave this room and confront him?! Show him that you're truly sorry!"

"That's not going to change anything," Liam murmured weakly. "What's my apology going to do? It's not going to save our friendship."

"That's not the point!" Demios fumed. Liam couldn't grasp the thought of such a thing; why bother apologizing when it's not going to change anything for the better? Without Arkaid and Alliot, CJ was still going to despise Liam for making them leave. At least, that's what was going through Liam's mind. "It's better than nothing; you've barely left this apartment since what happened. It's time you went out of your way to at least try and do it!"

"What's the point?" Liam asked morosely.

"What's the point?" Demios's tone flattened. Liam heard the rapid flapping of wings until the furious dragon appeared in front of his face. Even though Demios remained in his smaller form, the beast still struck at Liam with the intensity of a true foe. Liam winced as he recoiled back, dodging the blow but falling from the bed as a result. He tumbled to the floor until he was left with Demios standing on the bed, glaring before at him. "What's the point? You may be my buddy, but you have no right to ask me such an insane question! And to me of all monsters!" The dragon turned his head away. Although he appeared to regret his short assault, he quickly turned his back on Liam and went silent.

Liam couldn't find the willpower in himself to get off the floor. It was infuriating to Demios, for he didn't say a word; Liam was not the victim in all of this, yet he continued to search for excuses to just accept "the way it was." Demios's anger riled the dragon up, but he grasped his own arms to keep himself from breaking composure. When he finally glanced back, Liam was still lying on the floor, wallowing like a whelp. Finally, Liam muttered morosely, "I shouldn't have bothered talking today."

Demios scowled back, but he still refused to say another word. Why should he? Instead of confronting the issue like he used to, Liam let the current set of circumstances give him excuses to not do anything else. Even when Demios offered the idea to help the Fifth Omnis search for Arkaid, Liam morosely stated that the cavalry wouldn't allow their help. This was only one of many ideas shot down by Liam's incessant pessimism, which came like a slap in the face to someone like Demios.

Demios; leader of the Purgatory Knights, and a dragon that had to lead an army in Darkness Dragon World against all odds. Demios; the one who gave the order to use the forbidden curse to give him and his army immortality and eternal youth, an act against all forms of morality in his old world. Demios; the dragon that fought against Darkness Dragon World when they invaded his sacred land through a gate, with him and his army having to close the door from the other side, trapping him in that world ever since. This was centuries ago, and Demios had continued to fight through hell and back in order to protect the few innocent communities within Darkness Dragon World; he, using the forbidden curse, became damned sinners in the eyes of Dragon World to survive and protect for all eternity. For Demios to hear those three putrid words, "what's the point?" after someone like him went through so much for the sake of survival alone… it made him too furious to even bother anymore.

The two were quiet for some time, leaving Liam stuck with his negative thoughts. He would look over to Demios, regretting his actions for he had made his buddy give up on him. Certainly, he must have realized what he was getting into, Liam thought to himself. He sighed again as he began to wonder something peculiar. It was the thing that finally made him doubt Demios's true loyalty to him in a way back when Gale got into his mind. "Demios, why did you pick me?"

"Humph! You're really speaking like that? Now?"

"I mean back then, not now," Liam returned. He voice was stronger, but it still was one that carried defeat. Even so, Demios detected the curiosity in those words; for his buddy to reflect a time long past… it concerned him. The dragon turned to see his partner once again, seeing the man's determined face. "If I look like a nobody to you now, then there's no doubt you saw me worse back then, like." Liam struggled to continue, yet something brought him forward. "I… Gale brought it up when he was questioning me. Even for a moment, I thought you left me; I didn't once think that someone like you was captured, and so I felt…."

"You felt like I betrayed you," Demios finished. His eyes turned away.

"Yeah…. Gale went on and on about how someone as grand and great as you couldn't have been held back by the Will of Kyoya. He appeared so confident too."

"So, he made you doubt me?"

"… To be honest," Liam began weakly. He slowly brought himself back onto his feet, drifting himself towards his bed. He sat himself down next to his beloved partner before the two exchanged looks. "I think I've doubted you for a while; how could someone like you want to be buddies with someone like me? What you saw just now… has been stuff that CJ's been seeing for years."

"I'm not him," Demios returned. "It may not be a good thing either; for all you know, he either allowed his emotions towards you pile up. There may be a chance that he is keeping his distance because of your betrayal and what he has done for you. In the eyes of your friend, you turned on him when he's done so much for you." Liam didn't want to speak. His head hung low as he allowed the darkness to consume his eyes. "As for why I chose you… you showed me something the first time we met, and it contradicts what you're feeling now; that's why you anger me."

"How?" Liam depressingly spoke. "Surrounded by your soldiers, I was a weak, regular person afraid of death."

"Exactly," Demios returned with a strong nod. "You were true to your fears, and you actually acted to find a way to confront your fear. Unlike now, you didn't wallow and give in to death; you made your way to us, revealing your true self. You weren't a confident man searching for more power; you admitted to your weakness, a fear of death, and that was the most honest I've seen a human being in a while."

(6 Months Ago)

It took ages for Liam to find an individual with a buddy monster from Darkness Dragon World. Although the beast was not of the Purgatory Knights, the creature was a 'Black Dragon,' a line of reptilians somewhat coexisting with the undead knights. It was a forced compromise after knowing the true strength of Demios's warriors, yet the two groups were able to form a compromise based on somewhat similar ideals. One group of Black Dragons, allied with a famous creature known as 'Abygale,' were one of the frontrunners for establishing this peace. The Purgatory Knights and the Black Dragons were some of the only bringers of true peace in the desolate, ghastly world of savagery, death, and carnage. 'Peace' itself may be too strong of a word, for it basically meant that these two sides were to not confront each other violently. Despite this, there are some positive relations to this day, but they are outweighed by a bond of indifference; the conditions of this world did not help in making the denizens of this world happier either. Sunlight barely existed here; dragons were either black or white due to the harsh and intense conditions; a complete opposite to the more homely world of Dragon World. Truly, individuals living in Darkness Dragon World needed to be thick-skinned, strong-willed, and/or powerful in order to even survive, let alone lead. Yet, it was because of one 'Black Dragon' creature, and a powerful one at that, which allowed Liam to be transported to this world. Even today, he could not recall the human and dragon by name; all he could remember was that the boy that Liam spoke to had long, purple hair. Even the boy didn't wish to send a man to such a world by himself, for organizing the way there would be against the law; Liam didn't have a buddy of his own, and tension between Darkness Dragon World and Earth still existed due to its horrendous past. Liam had to promise that he would not speak of who he did this deal with, or how he specifically managed to get this to happen.

Regardless of how he got there, nothing could change that fact that he managed to find the desolate world. The young man travelled from town to town with nothing but a few bottles of water, some rations of food, and a small machete he took from a dead warrior somewhere in the desolate wasteland. With each town he ventured towards he would ask the same questions. He needed answers for where he would need to go in order to truly utilize the Purgatory Knight Curse.

It was after visiting three villages in the span of four days that he physically felt the world draining away at him. It was getting more difficult for him to wake up each morning, for every day was greeted with the depressing sight of the darkness veiling over the sun—if a sun even existed in this world. Around him, the trees reached high, begging for the sunlight with their purple ivory and branches. Nothing about this world was natural to him; he truly felt like he was forsaken.

He started thinking to himself that he was having the vision of a moving figure in the distance. At first glance, the creature resembled a human, but his entire body was white except for the dark patches covering his very being. It was the first sign of life for quite some time, and Liam was starting to believe that he had got himself lost. He was eager to ask for directions, but he was so exhausted that he barely had the will to jog. "Hey! You there! Could you help me for a sec?!" Liam called out to the being. When the figure turned to him, Liam's heart stopped for a moment. His entire body was paralyzed at the sight of the skeleton moving towards him.

The skeleton moved closer with a short sword drawn in his skinless hands. The dark patches were recognized to be mold as Liam got a better view. The only sign that Liam had that told him the creature was looking to him was how the head was turned. Liam was petrified at the sight of the eyeless sockets, the tongue-less mouth, the nose-less socket. The skeleton's bones rattled with each walk. What managed to keep the skeleton together was the soul; he must have been cursed too, or enchanted. "Oooh, a fleshy? What brings a fleshy like you here?"

Liam coughed, unable to even force himself to respond. He saw his fears right in front of him; the being was the epitome of death.

Before the man could even bring himself to respond, the skeleton hoisted his sword towards the man's neck. Liam's eyes widened as he weakly let out a frightened yelp. The skeleton brandished his aged sword, somehow flaunting the rust and cracks. "Do you not speak, fleshy? Well, you have quite good skin. I should take it for myself!"

The tone alone was enough to break Liam out of his frightened stupor. He cried out with fear as he grasped his sword, slashing it against the skeleton's in one, swift motion. The skeleton barely had the time to gasp in shock as Liam went in for the kill. His scared face released a screech of horror before slashing the sword through the skeleton's spinal cord. The defeated foe had his skinless head drop to the ground before Liam took off, destroying the aged sword with a strong smash with his right foot.

Hours may have passed, but Liam was still content with finally coming across another civilization. Just by looking from a great distance away, he was able to see that the settlement was more than just a village; it was a larger town. Buildings scaled alongside of mountainside with two entrances from the front and back. The buildings were created resembling the ones from Medieval times, showing the lack of advancement within this world. However, what truly caught Liam's attention was the sight of two specific guards standing in front of the gate.

As he drew closer, he could tell that these two humanoid dragons had taken interest in his appearance. Each of the two dragons was around six feet tall. Their white scales were the only sources of true light that Liam had seen for quite some time. The familiar, brown armor emphasized their bulk and servitude to the army that Liam had been seeking. When Liam was close enough to see their emblem, he knew that he had finally come into contact with some of the Purgatory Knights. The guard on Liam's right spoke first as he hoisted a spear at his side. He didn't appear aggressive; he more surprised, really. "Human, what brings you to this world?"

Liam didn't expect anything less; most of the people and monsters he's come into contact with knew he was not of Darkness Dragon World. However, these guards were the first to get straight to the point about it. "I'm looking for a way to be cursed like you guys."

The second guard turned to her comrade. "Is this child serious?" She spoke in confusion.

The first guard nodded back to her. "At ease. This human is no child; only a foolish man." The looked lowly at the human. "Forget about the curse, human; you clearly have no means of being here. In fact, we could be in deep trouble."

Liam acknowledged this ahead of time. "Yeah, I heard of that from my friend. He works at the DMW so he knows best." Liam took out a document from his sweatshirt. It was folded multiple times to save space. He unfolded it before handing the document to one of the guards. The first guard was intrigued with it, soon flinching a bit once he read it over. It was a note placing full responsibility, or blame, on this visit on the human being alone. Documents like these are not too commonplace when human beings go visit the outer worlds. However, they are primarily used when a human being is alone or does not have a buddy monster on their own to assist in their own protection. People that use these documents are, essentially, signing their death wish. For Liam, it was quite literal, for he had signed the document beforehand, leaving his signature. "I know that things are still 'eh' between Earth and Darkness Dragon World, but this should still work."

The first guard muttered loudly. "Does your friend know you're here?

"No, actually," Liam weakly replied. "He mentioned the process when some people he oversaw went to other worlds. That's the most he's told me about it."

The second guard looked away. "You fool," she scowled. "Throwing your life away just to visit this world; you should've stayed on Earth."

"But I need this curse; you don't understand."

"Oh, I do understand," the guard replied. She stuck her lance's grip into the ground, emphasizing her angry tone. "Just like the others, you wish to just reach us for the sake of having more power. You're just like that selfish child!"

"No! That's not it!" Liam yelled back.

The first guard spoke strongly back. "It's hard for us to see another human as honest, especially after what Tasuku did." He walked toward Liam, noticing how afraid the man looked. "You look frightened. You fear how weak you are. You seek the curse to increase your strength. You are nothing more than another weak and pathetic human like him."

"No, please! I need this curse!"

"You're not getting it!" The first guard exclaimed. "We're taking you back home! You think this paper is going to protect you? Protect us?!" The guard slammed the grip of his weapon into the ground. "If the District was told that a human from Earth was killed here, the fragile bond our two worlds share would be annihilated! We cannot risk you being here!"

Liam's hopes had shattered. The only thing he could do was hang his head low. His arms sagged to his sides as he heard the guards walk closer. Damn it all; he truly wanted the curse. He needed to be cursed. That curse was the closest thing to bringing his wishes to a reality. Without it … he couldn't even think of how he could keep going without it; after being told of such a curse, the only thing he truly wanted was for him to be cursed too. Unfortunately, all of his hopes were about to be wiped away. That is, until, a strong voice spoke from behind the guards. He must have heard the commotion. "What's going on here?" The two guards stiffened upon hearing the voice speak. The quickly turned their heads, with Liam soon looking up. From within the town stood a tall, strong dragon leading a group of recruits. Other dragon humanoids were shrimps compared to the one walking towards the guards; he stood taller than either one of them by at least half a foot, but his muscle tone made the guards look completely outclassed.

"Lord Demios!" Both guards exclaimed in unison. They stepped aside, allowing Demios to walk between them to observe the issue up close. It was then that he saw Liam, looking speechless as he gazed upon the leader of the Purgatory Knights. "We apologize for our loudness; we were dealing with this human from Earth."

"Alone?" Demios asked. His speech demanded a quick answer. His value and worth among his brethren were respected highly; the guards spoke without a moment of hesitation.

"Yes, my Lord! We do not yet know how he got here, but what we do know is that he came here in search of our curse."

Liam could hear the great dragon exhale deeply. Demios's eyes analyzed the human as the dragon's great, curved horns stretched upward. He looked like a demon, but clad in the armor that brandished the proud name of the Purgatory Knights, the protectors beyond the grave. Liam was silent, not wishing to speak out of turn. He was looking at the very leader of the group responsible for the curse, and he did not wish to squander his chances any further. "So, human, what is your name?"

"L-Liam Kieron!" The man begged.

"Are you truly here for the curse of Purgatory?"

"Y-Yes…." Liam lowered his head for a moment.

"Eyes to me," Demios commanded. Liam complied immediately with a strong flinch. "It is odd for a human to seek our curse. Each one of my loyal brothers knows well that the curse is not one to be proud of. The power it gives, as well as the eternal life it grants, brings us to an eternity of knowing the pain of death. So… when I hear that a human wishes for it, I cannot help but imagine there being an ulterior motive."

One of the guards turned to him. "He wishes for the strength it gives, my Lord."

Liam managed to force himself to scream. "That's not it!"

The scream caught the attention of the Purgatory Knights. Each of them turned their eyes to him and only him. "I… I want the curse because … I'm afraid."

The same guard from before turned to Demios once again. "He's simply afraid of being weak, my Lord."

"That's not it!"

Demios scowled. "Let the human speak," the dragon commanded. The guard hastily obliged, not wishing to anger the Lord he's been eternally loyal to. His eyes gazed upon Liam once again. The dragon breathed heavily. His breath echoed through the gate and frightened the poor man. Demios was seemingly interested in how submissive the human was acting. His mind went back to his first meeting with Tasuku Ryuenji. The man confronted Demios with booming confidence and strength, yet the boy's eyes did not call for true partnership. Demios recalled only hearing that the boy wished to use the power of the Purgatory Knights to, hopefully, overthrow Kyoya and his horrid plans. Because of how Kyoya abused the Purgatory Knights in the past, Demios was quick to accept the partnership. However, when he was tossed aside for Jackknife Dragon, he was quickly given the sting of betrayal. It was new for him to see a human, especially one that was older than Tasuku, completely submit to him. "If it isn't strength you seek, then explain what is."

"I…. I am afraid of death."

"Afraid of death?" Demios repeated.

"Yes… terrified of it," Liam returned. It took all of Kieron's remaining will to look into the eyes of Demios. He curled his hands into fists as he felt inspired to keep speaking. "All my life, I've been too afraid to die. I don't ever want to think about everything just… ending. I can't go on knowing that, one day, everything I've done is just going to amount to nothing. That's why I came here; I wanted you to curse me with the very curse that keeps you the same; a curse that keeps you the same, a curse continues to bring your soldiers back!"

"So, you came to this horrible world of death and famine… for the chance of getting our curse?" Demios was greeted with a swift nod. The other knights turned to each other, perturbed at such a statement. "If you are afraid of the pain of death, then you are not in luck. We die, sometimes horribly, and come back. There are no true curses that fit someone's wish to completely be immune to the world's burdens."

"That's fine!" Liam begged back. "I don't care about the pain; I just don't want my life to end!"

The great dragon found those words brimming with pure emotion and determination. He could not even force himself to see Tasuku in this one human. In fact, he couldn't even see this man similar to Kyoya. Demios remembered the pain; the pain of being abused by both Tasuku and Kyoya. He remembered it too well; he remembered Kyoya becoming like that of a god, fusing with Azi Dahaka. Demios and his allies were reduced to nothing but playthings in Kyoya Gaen's entire horrid scheme. The loyalty he once had for him, regardless of Kyoya's motives, were discarded and thrown to the side. Demios couldn't accept having another buddy with him just yet, not after how often he worked with humans that, ultimately, betrayed him in the end. However, even with his doubt clouding his mind, he couldn't help but see the man before him as something different.

Demios saw a man genuinely terrified of death. Regardless of the suffering, regardless of the pain, this man wished to keep going. Demios took in a deep breath, soon exhaling. He began to slowly ponder himself. "It has been some time since I brought myself to truly trust another human." Demios stared into Liam's eyes, seeing the man's stature stay true to his words. "You interest me, human. Unfortunately for you, the curse can be only given to those who serve me, human and dragon alike. If one like yourself wishes to obtain this curse, you will have to serve me. However, I have my own duties to attend. I wish to seek vengeance on a certain man for what he did to my comrades and I, yet I also wish to keep an eye on you. If you swear allegiance to the Purgatory Knights and agree to have me as your buddy, then consider the curse yours one day."

(Present)

Demios continued speaking with a defeated voice when he saw the confusion in his buddy's eyes. However, his trust in Liam compelled him to keep speaking. "Over our short time as buddies, I can look back and realize that such a demand was out of fear; how could I let you serve among the other knights when I still couldn't truly trust humans? I had to watch you, so I established a buddy contract. However…." Demios paused for a moment, going over the words that still were stuck in his mind. He had a hard time bringing them out; he wasn't the nurturing type; he wasn't raised that way. All his life, even from the youngest point of youth that he could remember, Demios was raised as a soldier. This was his life during his time in Dragon World, for his Lord, his father, strived to make his son a successor. Demios was a soldier, not a therapist, yet something happened during his time with Liam. Something made him feel… softer. "Over time, I began to realize just how loyal you were. You spoke highly of your friends, and you truly cared about me as your comrade… a friend." Demios looked into his buddy's eyes with determination. "As a child, I wasn't given the chance to truly be me. However, with you, I'm able to be… careless." Demios spat at his own disgust. However, he couldn't help but smile. Liam found himself inching closer to his partner. "I've let myself get attached to you, Liam; I've become vulnerable, mostly because I truly feel like you are willing to go to hell and back to protect me. That is the most I can ask for out of any buddy, yet you also wish to see me as a close friend. That's why it angers me to see you this way; you've regressed back, far back, and you've forgotten how to be the person that you willed yourself to become in order to find me."

"… Demios," Liam muttered softly. He felt his arms grasped around the SD body of his partner. He held Demios tightly, refusing to let him go. "I'm so sorry."

"I just wish this helped you in some way," Demios forced to return. He felt something fall from his eyes. "Damn it… now I'm crying. I've grown too soft, and I can barely help you the way you need me to. I truly am a horrible buddy."

"Far from it," Liam tightened his embrace. "You helped me get here. I can never forget that." Seeing his buddy like this, knowing how much he cared for him... it only made him further hate himself inside for taking such sanctuary away from his friend and Arkaid. He knew he couldn't accept this, but he knew he didn't have the strength to confront him just yet. He hoped that, sooner rather than later, he would find the confidence to face CJ once again and accept the guilt he feels.