God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The large sac of smoldering Demon Matter with thick crimson veins pulsing on its surface remained suspended in the air for a long time.

Floating just a few meters away were Azazel and the being of darkness that had kept him company for far too long now.

The darkness pulsed,

"What do you think is going on in there?"

Azazel shrugged, "If I was forced to guess, I'd say it isn't pretty."

His eyes narrowed,

"Balangol's soul has long since departed. That sly bastard! Just a moment before he was consumed, he sacrificed the soul of the boy that was still hidden in the body."

Although he felt a bit regretful for letting him go off just like that, he still felt satisfied with the outcome.

He had achieved his goal, so there was no need to be upset.

But it was still too soon to celebrate.

The being of darkness suddenly spoke,

"What about the boy? Has his consciousness been consumed by whatever that thing was?"

Azazel raised a brow, "Who, Cain? No, he's alright. Probably..."

Silence...

Seeing that the being of darkness was not at all pleased with his answer, Azazel sighed,

"He is undergoing metamorphosis. His body, soul, and spirit are changing. Depending on the outcome though, we might have a bit of trouble on our hands."

If the being of darkness had been something more than a floating mass of oozing black, it would have raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"What do you mean?"

Azazel smiled wryly,

"Didn't you see what just happened? You think that idiot, Balangol was trying to run for no reason?"

He turned towards the floating darkness, his voice tinged with a hint of masqueraded fear,

"In any case, it is out of our hands. The boy can only rely on himself now."

"Hmm..." The being of darkness said nothing more.

Azazel turned back towards the grotesque orb and sighed,

'Come on. Don't let me down, Cain.'

***

There was silence and darkness for a long time...

Finally, there was a hint of light.

Cain opened his eyes and looked around. A cool wind hit his face carrying a slightly damp and stale smell, like that from moss.

There was dim lighting coming from somewhere, although he couldn't tell where from.

But it was enough for him to see where he was.

He was inside a large stone room. The walls of the stone room were inclined upwards to make a dome. However, Cain couldn't see this dome, as starting from a certain height, his vision was obscured by a veil of white fog.

Chains attached to the walls were rattled by the wind blowing into the stone room, although there didn't seem to be any dorrs or windows nearby.

It was a rather confusing ordeal...

'Aren't I supposed to be fighting against a death god? What am I doing here?'

Although he was very focused, Cain still remained vigilant.

That was why he was able to see it.

Something, or rather, someone had suddenly popped out of thin air and into the stone room.

Cain quickly reached with his mind into his inventory and–

To his utter shock and dismay, he realized that he couldn't access his inventory. Even worse, he also couldn't access the system whatsoever.

His face paled as he watched rhe being slowly walk forward, its form obscured slightly by the white fog that dropped down from the ceiling.

After a few hesitant seconds, the being finally revealed itself.

Cain became even more distressed.

Because he recognized this thing.

This was the creature that had been chained inside his soul.

But now, here he was, staring at a completely unchained creature. The thing was also staring right back at him, its demonic features that were both abhorrently gorgeous and terrifyingly harrowing making him feel new levels of uncomfort.

'I can't feel any bloodlust from it.'

Perhaps to lull him into a false sense of safety, the thing didn't exude any form of malice or killing intent at all.

The thing just stood there, staring at him, a hint of curiosity in its eyes.

The panic Cain felt suddenly washed away.

A frown appeared on his face,

'What's going on?'

The apprehension he had felt vanished in the blink of an eye.

The longer he stared at the thing, the more familiar it seemed.

Even the huge bat-like wings attached to its back, or the curving crown of horns that adorned its head didn't seem all that frightening anymore.

Another seconf passed by, and neither one of them moved an inch.

'Ah, to hell with it!'

Cain suddenly took a step forward.

The creature took a step forward at the same time.

Their eyes met.

Slowly, they walked towards each other, both staring deeply into the others eyes.

Despite its eyes being like radiant orbs of light, Cain didn't feel any discomfort. It was almost like those eyes were his, in a sense.

Now, only a few pinches separated them.

Cain hesitated for a moment before bringing his hand up.

The creature did the same.

The moment the very tip of their fingers met, a drastic changed occured.

BANG!

The white veil of fog covering the stone room suddenly descended.

Cain felt a tremendous force on his body, forcing him towards the demonic creature as it was also forced towards him.

'Crap!'

Panic instantly set in, and he began calling on every ability he could muster.

Yet, they all failed him here.

The Demon struggled as well, trying to break free from the embrace of the smoldering fog, but it was unsuccessful.

'Calm down, Cain. Thing rationally.'

Sucking in a deep breath, Cain let his thoughts flow.

He looked into the radiant eyes of the demonic creature.

Then he smiled.

His lips parted,

"It's okay. Don't fight it anymore."

The creature passed for a moment, a look of Wonder in its radiant eyes.

Cain's smile turned into a grin,

"You are you, and I am me. But we are also one and the same. If that is the case, then we do not need to fear anything. Who we are can never die. We can only continue to grow."

Cain sighed, 'Of course, how didn't I think of this sooner.'

This thing, this demonic entity...

It was him. Just a corrupted, twisted version. But it was him nonetheless. Like a split personality. And yet, it still retained much of what he was.

It didn't want to disappear. It wanted to exist. It also wanted to be a part of something.

Cain's smile turned peaceful and he looked up.

The fog covering the dome was being washed away, and a sky filled with stars could be seen through the shattered dome of the stone room.

The body of the demon was disintegrating, gradually turning into dust.

But Cain knew what was happening. It was not fading away.

Rather, it had become him, and he had become it...

Cain's features slowly began to change.

Two horns jutted from his temples and his eyes seemed to fill with light. His skin that had always been a shade of light tan turned a bit lighter with a tinge of golden luster hidden beneath. His fingernails elongated and turned into claws, but they receeded a moment later.

And most convincing of all, were the tail and pair of wings that popped out a moment later.

Cain took this moment to observe his body.

He felt different, but this also seemed oddly familiar as well, like he had been this way all his life. It was a jarring experience at the very least.

A moment later, the tail and wings receeded as well, but the two small horns stayed.

'I feel powerful.'

He could feel it. The raw power flowing through every cell of his body. He felt like he could rip a mountain off clean with just his bare hands.

He looked around him. For some reason, the stone room felt oddly nostalgic.

He didn't know what this place was, but he had no doubts at all.

He would be back someday.

***

"Hm?"

Azazel quiet watched as the black sac ruptured and a figure fell towards the ground rapidly.

"Crap!"

With nothing but a thought, Azazel activated his magic, and a hole was torn in the space along the path of the body's fall.

The body fell through the hole and reappeared right in front of them, suspended with nothing but the power of magic.

Azazel quietly observed the unconscious Cain for a moment before nodding,

"He looks alright, I think?"

The being of darkness sighed.

Azazel placed a hand on Cain's chest,

"His vitals are mostly stable."

His eyes glimmered slightly,

"But the amount of Ki and Mana in his body have been practically multiplied ten times over!"

"That is indeed incredible. But one can expect at least that much. After all, he just defeated and consumed a Tier 3 being as a Tier 1. Although..."

Azazel waved his hand dismissively,

"Keep whatever negativity brewing in that head of yours to yourself!"

Azazel cackled loudly,

"Humans sure are interesting, aren't they? You give them an inch, and they remind you what a mile looks like."