Chapter 142: Do You Have A Name?

The angel's tone left no room for argument. Xain knew he had to comply or risk who knows what. "He isn't really under my control," Xain said, rubbing the back of his head. He was relieved the angel hadn't dragged him back here to kill him, which should have been a given, especially with the demon present. "Just ask him, would you?" he said, getting a bit annoyed.

*Well, Erkie? Do you wanna come out?* Xain asked internally.

*Ask him why I should. Also, don't worry about him attacking you; I still have more than enough power to kill him if he tries,* Ercale responded, his tone dismissive.

Xain decided to leave out that last part. "He asked why you want him to come out," Xain relayed.

The angel sighed. "It's related to the history of this world... and his death."

Xain felt Ercale react in his mind. *Switch with me,* Ercale instructed. Xain let out a tired sigh before closing his eyes. When he opened them again, it was Ercale who spoke. "Okay, little pigeon, say what you want."

The angel took a step back, gulping. *Shit, didn't expect him to do that. Those damn eyes are scary as shit!* he thought before clearing his throat. "Alright, I'm sure you must've noticed your whole invasion thing is considered a bedtime story now, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" Ercale replied, irritation evident in his voice.

The demon spoke up, its tone calm. "Lord Ercale, do you not find it strange that all of what happened 500 years ago is now considered fiction?"

Ercale turned to face the demon. Unlike the angel, it didn't flinch under his gaze. "Despite it being 500 years ago, something as grand as your invasion and The Companions of Winter could not possibly be forgotten so quickly and written off as fiction," the demon added.

*That actually makes a lot of sense,* Xain said in his mind. *If you even did half the stuff the books say you did, there's no way it could be forgotten, even after 500 years.*

Ercale put his hand to his chin. *True, it really doesn't make any sense,* he mused.

"And then there's the, uh, situation you're in right now, being in the kid's body," the angel pointed out, gesturing to Xain/Ercale.

Ercale nodded, his expression stern. "So, do either of you have an idea as to why that is?" he asked.

The angel nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, well, a little," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not all that high in the heavenly hierarchy, so I just know the basics. I know that this whole thing about you, the invasion, and everything that happened 500 years ago being forgotten has something to do with the goddess."

Ercale's arms dropped, and his eyes fixed into a glare, causing the angel to shiver under his gaze. Xain could feel Ercale's anger rising rapidly. "What did you just say?" Ercale asked, his anger barely contained.

"That is not all, Lord Ercale," the demon interjected. Ercale turned to it once more. "While I do not understand the full story, I do know that the goddess Sarandel and one of the Demon Kings made a deal after the invasion was put to a stop, which is most likely related to the erasure of your history," the demon elaborated.

Ercale gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, lightning crackling between his fingers. He raised his hand, the lightning now glowing with a cosmic hue like the stars in the night sky. Both the angel and demon tensed up as Ercale was about to bring it down.

*Hey, Ercale, calm down!* Xain urged. Ercale's fist shook in the air before he slowly brought it down, the lightning dissipating as his arms fell to his sides. 

"Do you know who it was?" Ercale asked, looking down at the ground, his voice low.

"It was King Domine, someone who took over after King Ansiau had been killed," the demon replied.

Ercale clenched his fists again and let out a sigh. *Ercale?* Xain called out, seeing his state. Gone was the powerful and narcissistic Demon Lord; now, Ercale looked utterly defeated.

"After everything you did, you just die?" Ercale muttered, his voice barely audible.

*Ercale, are you okay?* Xain asked, his voice filled with concern.

*I-I, no, I'm not,* Ercale admitted, surprising Xain. He never expected to see Ercale be so vulnerable.

*Don't worry, I'm here to talk. Even if I don't understand what's going on completely, you can talk to me,* Xain assured. Ercale didn't reply but let out a sigh, turning to the angel.

"Why did you tell me this? Shouldn't you hate me or be scared?" Ercale asked, his tone somewhat back to its usual state.

"Who says I'm not scared? I'm terrified of you. But the reason I told you this is because you saved everyone. You did what I came here to do, what I failed to do. You did it. I just wanted to repay you for that in whatever way I could," the angel replied nervously.

"And what about you?" Ercale asked, turning to the demon.

"I do not have the right to withhold something you deserve to know, Lord Ercale. And even if I did, it is just the right thing to do," the demon replied calmly with a nod.

Ercale looked between them and let out another sigh. "You," he said, turning to the angel. "You don't look like the way you should. You look withered, mortal, not divine. What happened?"

The angel's gaze fell to the ground. "Well, I was about to die fighting a demon, and to survive and win, I used the divine blood in my wings to create a halo. It used up all the divine blood I had in me," he explained.

Ercale nodded. "Do you have a name?" he asked.

The angel shook his head. "Nah, I'm the absolute bottom of the barrel when it comes to angels," he said.

Ercale stepped close to him and looked him up and down, inspecting him like an object. "What are you doing?" the angel asked, feeling uncomfortable under Ercale's intense gaze.

Ercale backed up slightly and said, "Male, Maverick."

The angel's eyes widened as he felt something get etched into his soul, into the very foundation of his being. His withered wings sprouted from his back, slowly unfurling back into their majestic, glowing, pure white divine appearance. But they went further than that. Instead of stopping just below his waist, his wings grew until they nearly touched the ground. They appeared stronger, more powerful, more angelic.

"I... did you just... am I...?" Maverick was at a loss for words as he looked down at himself, awe-struck.

Ercale then turned to the demon. "Lord Ercale, you do not have to—" the demon began, but Ercale cut it off.

"Male, Zalathor."

The demon felt a similar sensation in his soul and very being. His physical appearance remained unchanged, still taking the shape of Levarick, but he felt it. He felt his name leave a mark within the depths of Hell, felt its connection and the power it provided. "Thank you, Lord Ercale," Zalathor said, giving him a deep, respectful bow.

*What just happened?* Xain asked, confused. Suddenly, he felt his consciousness switch, and he was back in control of his body. Ercale had gone quiet. *Thanks for the explanation,* Xain said sarcastically before turning to Maverick and Zalathor. "Well, are either of you going to explain what happened?"