Seraph of Orathia approached next as she inclined her head respectfully toward him. "I am in your debt," she said. "If ever you have need of Orathia's aid, you need only ask."

Aiden simply just nodded at the woman.

Lord Juvna came forward afterward, gripping Aiden's forearm in a warrior's clasp. "My people owe you their lives," he said. "That is not something we take lightly."

Aiden met his gaze and simply nodded as well

A few others came forward, offering their truest thanks with sincerity in their voices.

They knew who they truly owed their gratitude to, and it wasn't Oberon.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Although Aiden hadn't noticed, the elves walked by without showing any form of gratitude.

They moved past him with the expression on their faces still blank and their eyes fixed straight ahead as if they hadn't seen him at all.

That was until Taenyra stepped forward from the back of the group and walked closer to him.

She stopped a few paces away and looked up at him with those unusual eyes of hers before speaking.

"I'm sorry that my sisters and the rest lack the manners to thank you properly," she said. "But I wanted to say thank you myself."

Aiden smiled hearing that.

She was the youngest in the hall by far, yet she sounded far smarter than her age would suggest.

Aiden simply nodded in acknowledgment, and said "You're welcome."

Taenyra smiled briefly before turning and walking past him to catch up with the others.

Aiden watched her go for a moment before shifting his attention back to the rest of the hall.

—-

Far away in another dimension entirely, within a grand fortress, Malachar walked through a long corridor lit only by flickering red torches mounted along the walls.

She pushed open a heavy door at the end of the corridor and stepped into a large chamber where two figures waited for her arrival.

Cassian stood near the center of the room with his hands clasped behind his back, and the moment Malachar entered, he dropped immediately to one knee.

Behind him, Lysandra did the same without hesitation.

Her white hair fell forward slightly as she bowed her head, and the black line markings were still visible running down both sides of her face.

Cassian spoke first. "My Liege," he said respectfully. "How did the council meeting proceed?"

Malachar let out this soft laugh as she walked further into the room. "As rowdy as ever," she replied with amused tone. "Kaerys and Jynx nearly tore each other apart before Morrigan ruined the show."

She stopped in front of them and looked down at Cassian for a moment before shifting her gaze toward Lysandra.

A smile spread slowly across her lips.

"Her brother finally acted today," Malachar said.

Cassian's eyes widened slightly but he said nothing.

She raised one hand slowly, and as she did so thin black leeches emerged from beneath her skin and writhed across her palm and finger, before sinking back beneath the surface again.

Malachar continued speaking as if nothing unusual had happened. "Unfortunately, due to Aiden interference, the demonification process in all those humans was cut short."

She paused and tilted her head slightly. "A pity really."

Malachar housed a unique power among the demon lords. One it was said that she may have inherited directly from the Original Demon himself, Arzun.

This was Demonification. It was a slow transformation that worked through parasitic leeches she created from her own essence.

Once implanted into a host's body, the leech would burrow deep into their brain and begin altering them piece by piece until they became demons entirely.

The process took time, weeks at minimum depending on how strong the host's will was, but once completed it became nearly irreversible.

And the original plan was to leave those possessed mages hidden in different dimensions, long enough for demonification to complete its work.

It was part of what earned Malachar her position among the ten demon lords.

Cassian's expression shifted into and he lowered his head further. "My Liege," he began. "I had no idea Aiden would be able to locate them so quickly."

He paused and clenched his fists where they rested against his knees. "This failure is mine alone."

Malachar waved one hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter," she said lightly. "In truth, I didn't think he'd be capable of harnessing the powers of the other dragons either."

Cassian lifted his head slightly and gestured toward Lysandra without turning around. "If that's the case then he must be looking for her as well," he said urgently. "It won't be long before he finds her too."

Malachar's smile widened slightly as she looked down at Lysandra, who remained kneeling silently with her head still bowed.

"Then you must make sure that doesn't happen," Malachar said firmly while turning her gaze back toward Cassian. "Until we complete the mission our Master sent us out for, we need some sort of leverage over this Aiden."

Then she turned towards Lysandra again, "and from what i can tell from my little friend inside of her, she will serve that purpose perfectly."

Cassian nodded once. "I won't fail you again, my Liege."

Malachar stared at him for a moment longer before tilting her head slightly with curiosity now on her face.

"Why do you still wear the face of that human?" she asked casually.

Cassian blinked as if caught off guard by the question before lowering his gaze briefly. "I apologize," he said quietly. "It had become a habit."

Then his body began to shift.

His skin darkened into this grey color while his frame expanded outward with muscle and mass adding themselves unnaturally fast.

Dark armor materialized across his chest and shoulders, and two curved black horns grew slowly from his forehead.

His eyes shifted last, glowing bright blue, as flames began flickering around him in shades of orange and blue.

When the transformation completed, Cassian stood fully upright in his true form.

Malachar smiled approvingly. "That's more like it," she said.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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