“Welcome back, little demon,” Lunarius said, holding his hands out as if waiting for a hug. I brushed past, collapsing against the velvet chair and gripping my head tightly. If I squeezed any harder, the contents of my brain would spill out onto the carpeted floor.

  “It’s all my fault!” I raged, slamming a fist down violently against the chair's cushioned armrest. “If I weren’t such an idiot, or if I wasn’t so weak… none of this would’ve happened!”

  “Correct,” Lunarius replied.

  [Agreed.] Added Joshua.

  I stared daggers at the demon but withdrew slightly as he stared back with a cold calculation. “You have concluded that such an event is due to your failings as a ruler. As is the realization all rulers must come to, at some point in their reign, that is.”

  I bit my tongue, not wanting to anger my godlike benefactor any further, but inside, I felt more emotions than I could count.

  After escaping from the burning remains of Mount Boom, leaving Ossara to her fate, I had made my way back to Lunarius’ domain and been transported directly to his fortress. He had explained it as one of his dominion powers.

  Deep within the Moonwake jungle was the blackened castle that the Primordial called home, and it was quite similar to the one he had brought me to back in Hell, both on the outside and inside. However, the place was rather barren, filled with only my companions and Eztara, who floated around aimlessly.

  “Where are my friends?” I asked.

  Lunarius rose, grabbing me by the shoulder and activating Shadow Step, and suddenly I was face to face with the somber expressions of my injured companions. We were in the front entrance to Lunarius’ fortress, a large, cavernous hall with two sets of stairs leading up to a massive balcony. A red carpet lined the floor beneath us, as well as a number of chairs situated around flaming braziers. They burned bright, illuminating the crestfallen faces of my friends and allies.

  “Brother!” Azazel and Kril shouted simultaneously, stopping for a second to observe each other. Lioren picked his head up, nodding respectfully. Viressa was laid down on one of the chairs, still barely able to move, while Cedric and Zorrack sat by her side. Atea sat awkwardly beside the trio, attempting to adjust her wings into a comfortable position. Fang’s large body was curled up by one of the braziers, absorbing the heat. I could see a large wound across his front leg, dripping blood onto the pristine carpet below.

  “Where are the rest?” I questioned, remembering the Dryads who had escaped, as well as the treants who had hopefully made it back in one piece.

  “I allowed them to stay in the forested area just outside,” Lunarius replied, gesturing towards the grand entrance of his domain. “Eztara is there, so there should be no threat from the jungle's monsters.”

  I nodded gratefully. Then sat back in a chair in silence.

  My companions each looked at me, waiting.

  I didn’t speak.

  “Boss?” Zorrack started.

  I sighed heavily, like the entire world was hanging on my breath, then muttered an apology. “I’m sorry.”

  “Lucivar—” Kril began, but I cut him off with a hard stare.

  “This is all my fault. I should’ve never left or trusted Joshua, or we should’ve just evacuated right away, or—”

  My words came to a stop, interrupted by a tight embrace from Cedric. The small demon clung to my shoulders, and I let my body go limp, burnt out from the events of the past few days.

  A tear fell from my eye, slowly running down my cheek.

  “You are not solely to blame, Lucivar,” Lioren stated. “Your actions made logical sense. The benefit of hindsight can be a curse as well.”

  “But if—” I started.

  “Brother,” Azazel said sternly, hopping towards me in dragon form. He leapt into my lap, then to my shoulder, and nuzzled his cheek against mine. “We were all too weak. That is not on you.”

  Who am I kidding? I’m not cut out to be a boss, or a king, or a ruler, or anything. I’m just a normal guy…

  The world I had been reborn into felt like a video game, and thus, I had treated my role as such. It didn’t feel real, and the consequences, by extension, didn’t feel real either.

  Until now.

  I sat in silence for a moment, letting it all sink in. Then, my parasite abruptly interrupted my thoughts.

  [So what?] Joshua demanded.

  What do you mean?

  [So what?] He repeated, then continued angrily. [Are you gonna sit here and cry about it, or are you gonna fucking do something?]

  I didn’t reply, but his words struck a chord.

  Back in the real world, I was nobody. Stuck in a bed, waiting to die. I had all but given up on everything. School, my friends, my family.

  Myself.

  Giving up was a way to defend myself. A way to pretend like nothing mattered.

  However, deep down, I was scared. Scared of death. Scared of pain.

  Scared of living.

  But here, in this crazy, fantastical world, I had something. People whom I cared about, and who seemed to care about me. I wasn’t used to it. Having people who depended on me.

  I will not let them down.

  I looked up with a determined gaze. I would not let Ossara’s sacrifice go to waste. I would not let my friends' belief in me go to waste.

  Not this time.

  I stood up from my chair, letting Cedric’s embrace slowly fall away. “We need to prepare,” I started, looking each of my friends in the eye. “To show those Elves that they messed with the wrong demon.”

  “Hell Yeah!” Kril shouted triumphantly, pumping a fist into the air.

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  “And this time, we’re not going to wait until they strike first.”

  Cedric smiled while Lioren looked on approvingly.

  “You got it, boss!” Zorrack exclaimed, then looked around in confusion. “Except, how are we going to do that?”

  “I may be of assistance,” Lunarius interrupted. “That was a rather touching moment, little demon, but if you are quite done now, I have a gift for you.”

  “That being?” I inquired.

  “As you may know, higher beings may bestow blessings upon those of a lesser stature through what are known as ‘bonds’ by the dragons, or ‘blessings’ by the Aspects, ” he explained. “Demons go about such a process in a different manner.”

  I met his silver eyes, which shone with a mischievous glimmer. I waited for him to continue.

  “Rather than bond, or bless, as those pitiful angels like to say,” He paused dramatically. “We brand.”

  Lunarius had transported me to the boss's room, where I had first met Eztara, using his teleportation skill. The destruction that had once wreaked havoc on the grayish sandy dunes was gone, and the moon above me was now a golden amber, illuminating the world with a yellowish glow.

  “This is the Amber moon, the third in the cycle. As such, I believe the branding will not kill you,” Lunarius stated.

  “Kill me?” I questioned fearfully, taking a step back from the demon.

  He waved a hand. “Oh, never fear, little demon. I have only killed a handful of followers with a branding ritual before.”

  That doesn’t help.

  “What exactly are you going to do?” I asked hesitantly.

  Lunarius stepped forward, then turned to face me. “I will show you my true form.”

  “True form?”

  “Yes, well, at least, the one I am capable of manifesting as of now. Without my relics, it barely holds up to the real thing.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  The demon smiled thinly, removing his hood from his head.

  Then, darkness took over my field of view.

  My head pounded intensely, similar to how it felt when Thaleres had used the Dragon’s Will ability, but this one was somehow even worse.

  I collapsed to the ground, but my eyes were glued to the eldritch horror before me.

  [It hurts…] Joshua complained, sounding as if his teeth were clenched.

  My mind couldn’t even comprehend what I was seeing, Lunarius now simply appearing as the void incarnate. It was like a miniature black hole had materialized before me. Tendrils of darkness snaked outwards, extending into the infinite horizon. The moon glowed, coalescing in a brilliant golden flash.

  Then, I lost all consciousness.

  When I awoke, I was lying in a bed. I wasn’t quite sure if Lunarius needed a bed or if he even needed to sleep, but he was there at my side as I raised my head.

  I fell back, feeling an aching sensation across my entire body.

  “I wouldn’t move just yet, little demon. Your lesser stature will require more time to heal than someone like the wraith.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I replied slowly. My insides felt like they would come hurling out of my mouth at any moment. I inspected my profile, and to my surprise, a new category had appeared on the second page.

  I mentally selected the new option, and a darkly colored screen shimmered into existence.

  “Wait a second,” I said out loud. “With this, plus my unique skill, I’ll basically be able to travel to the other Realms without worrying about relying on my parasite to bring me back!”

  [How convenient.]

  “An oversight on my end,” Lunarius laughed humorously. Then, he placed a hand on my shoulder and activated his copy of Shadow Mark. “Should you ever be in need, however, I will warn you now. I was once willing to be summoned to the mortal realm despite the danger of the Aspects retaliating, but I’m no longer willing to risk that chance. Should you attempt to summon me at an inopportune moment, I will cancel the channel.”

  What changed?

  I wasn’t going to question the godly being, however. “Alright. Thank you, Lunarius.”

  Eztara suddenly burst into the room, slamming the door behind him. “Did he survive?!” He shouted, holding his massive scythe in one hand, which now glowed with a brilliant golden hue.

  “Quite easily,” Lunarius responded.

  The wraith lowered his head as if saddened by the prospect. “But how?”

  “Simple, really. It is because of that soul residing within you,” The demon said, staring straight at my chest. “A Primordial Brand is a mark upon your soul, but having two within you, despite your relatively pathetic existence, resulted in a greater tolerance for the ritual.”

  Thanks, Joshua.

  [You can thank me by kicking some ass.]

  I’ve never agreed with you more, Joshua.

  [Glad we’re on the same page.]

  “Lunarius,” I called, remembering something. The demon turned to face me. “I have something to show you.”

  [Parasitic Nemesis]

  Joshua appeared, calmer than he usually was. After a brief moment, Finnlen followed in a burst of golden light.

  “Hey! What is this place? Seems familiar...”

  “You!” Lunarius roared, angrier than I had ever seen him before. “I should kill you where you stand!”

  The demon’s aura flared, and I felt as if I was being crushed underneath the weight of a thousand moons.

  [You're so cringe.]

  [He's not "falling" into anything. He's just realizing I was right all along.]