Chapter 3

Xain was now climbing out of the sewers following Ercale's directions with Azure in tow, though not by his own will. First, he made Azure climb out, the green-haired man emerging reluctantly, as he was being dragged against his will. Then, with Azure out of the way, Xain followed suit, ascending through the same manhole as Ercale directed.

Emerging from the confines of the sewers, Xain's squinted eyes adjusted to the daylight. His gaze fell upon Azure, who had his hands raised, facing The Guard's armed members. Clare stood before them, positioned in the front, and Ercale's thought echoed in Xain's mind, *She carried out her commands.* Clare's eyes locked onto Xain's figure, and with a burst of relief, she exclaimed, "Xain!"

Clare was right in front of him, looking worried. But Xain's attention was on Ercale. *You could've told me this earlier, while we were leaving,* he said with a bit of annoyance. Ercale's reply was simple, *You never asked.* Clare's voice was concerned as she spoke again. "Are you okay? And what happened to your brother?" Xain was a bit baffled by her questions and just responded, "Huh?" in confusion.

*Oh yeah, I forgot about that,* Ercale admitted, his earlier deception slipping his mind. Xain, feeling perplexed, managed to respond to Clare with a shaky voice, "Uh, he's okay." Inside his head, Xain's confusion turned into frustration as he mentally exclaimed at Ercale, *What is she talking about!?* Ercale's response was a bit exasperated, *You don't have to yell. To clarify, to explain why I can control your body, I told her that we're brothers who share the same body,* he clarified for Xain.

Clare continued her questioning, asking, "What happened to The Shadow Baron?" Xain's energy seemed to drain as he responded, "He's dead." Clare let out a sigh of relief and followed up with another question, "Are any of his subordinates alive besides him?" She pointed towards Azure as she spoke. Xain nodded and replied, "They're knocked out, so you can go arrest them."

A group of guards approached Xain, their weapons held at the ready. Their stern voices merged into a chorus, urging Xain, "You have to come with us immediately." Xain, a little puzzled by their urgency, inquired, "Why is it so urgent?" One of the guards responded curtly, "You're a magic user, and we need to interrogate you." Xain's confusion deepened, but then Ercale's voice chimed in his head, *Oh yeah, I told them you can use magic.* Despite wanting to respond, Xain was so taken aback that he found himself at a loss for words.

Clare reassured him saying, "Don't worry, they won't do any harm to you" as she ordered most of her men to go inside with her while some stayed outside, handcuffing Azure. Ercale, however, urgently conveyed in Xain's head, *No no no, we can't let them take him alone. Tell them to bring him with you!* Xain on the other hand said, *I really don't think they are going to let a 'magic user' do that,* clearly annoyed at Ercale for lying about his abilities to The Guard.

As Ercale seethed and Xain was being pulled into a steamwagon, Azure found himself in a mix of emotions. He was both relieved and anxious – relieved to have escaped from Xain's presence, yet anxious about being in the clutches of The Guard. As a former worker of The Shadow Baron. "This can't end well," he muttered to himself, his trepidation palpable.

Sitting in the back of the steamwagon with a guard in front of him and two more occupying the front seats, Xain felt a wave of nervousness. He attempted to strike up a conversation with the guard in front of him, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the guard shot him a fierce glare, prompting Xain to quickly fall silent.

Ercale's voice continued to echo in Xain's head, a jumble of thoughts that he struggled to comprehend. He chose to ignore the chaotic stream until Ercale's tirade finally subsided. After a moment, Xain directed his thoughts towards Ercale, asking, *Why are you so interested in him?* referring to Azure.

Ercale's response came with a hint of irritation, *Did they erase that from the books too? Anyway, his ancestor collaborated with Winter to defeat me,* Xain's mind reeled from this revelation, and he couldn't help but exclaim, *WHAT?!* Ercale's patience was wearing thin, and he retorted, *Shut up! He's from the Absaar lineage. I've fought one of them in the past, which is why I find him intriguing.* Xain, still processing the information, questioned, *What abilities does the Absaar family have?*

Ercale took a deep breath which didn't make sense and explained, *The Absaar family possesses various eye-related abilities that manifest when they turn 25. However, if these powers aren't controlled properly, they can lead to disastrous consequences.* As Ercale delved into the details, Xain's confusion grew. One particular aspect caught his attention, prompting him to remark, *Huh, I didn't realize demons could care about humans.*

Ercale, sounding confused, asked in a puzzled tone, *What are you talking about?* Xain attempted to clarify, *Well, in stories, demons are depicted as evil beings that bring only destruction. And you're The Demon Lord, Ercale, so I didn't think you would care about people.* Ercale, both baffled and frustrated, retorted with evident annoyance, *Okay, there are so many things wrong with what you just said. First of all, demons aren't simply monsters; they have thoughts and feelings like people. And two, do you really think I'm a demon?* His irritation was palpable, especially in his response to the last assertion.

Xain was baffled and couldn't help but notice the prevailing theme of confusion in this chapter. Nevertheless, he pushed it aside and responded, *Well, yeah, you're a Demon Lord; you said so yourself.* Ercale sighed audibly and clarified, *Yes, I am a Demon Lord, but being one doesn't automatically mean I'm a demon. I'm a human, just like you—though I suppose that's a difficult concept for your ape brain to grasp!* This time, Xain actually yelled out loud, "WHAT!?" prompting the guard sitting in front of him to smack him in the head as a reprimand.