Elise felt her heard thump and she quickly turned her head behind her. Looking at who it was, surprised caused her eyes to widen, "Ian!" She called, watching him smiling over her from behind, "What are you doing here?" she then asked, who would have thought the people who the elderly woman mentioned was him, Elise breathed out in relief. 

"I thought I told you?" Ian questioned with a raise of an eyebrow, watching Elise who sweats in Winter and raised to wipe it away from his forehead. "I would be visiting some village, one of it is this village because of the woman whom Lucifer brought expressed that my mother sent some letters which she didn't deliver and kept it with her here. Why are you sweating, darling? And how did you know I am here, did you come here while running?"

"William," Elise quickly said and Ian who remembered the name to be her younger brother looked at her in question, she said, "I saw William again."

"His ghost?" Ian queried for confirmation, knowing that Elise had seen William's ghost once. 

Elise shook her head vigorously, "I think it wasn't his ghost. He was breathing and alive... and the people who was around him on the street can touch him."

It wasn't difficult for Ian to understand the situation and came to say, "He came back to life."

Elise nodded her head in reply, "I don't understand. He was alive but he didn't come to me. I called for him." As much as she was very happy to see her brother, she didn't know how she could be happy to see him when the dark sorcerers who had killed him, brought him back to life. He was alive, but rather than happy, Elise felt like he shouldn't be alive and thinking so made her feel bad like an awful person. "I am sure he heard my voice..."

"But he didn't answer you," Ian said and when he saw the single tear that welled up on the corner of her tears without her own realization. He then pulled her to his embrace, letting her lean deeper to his chest, "Calm down, sweetheart, don't worry there must be a good reason for this."

Elise felt something in her break into pieces and fall into a soft cloud when she was hugged by him, feeling vulnerable and safe at the same time. "I asked the shadows to chase after him and he vanished once he arrived here," Elise continued to explain.

Ian continue to caress her back while his eyes narrow. It was clear that Elise wouldn't see it wrong which mean the dark sorcerer has indeed successfully bring back the dead to life but he doubted but would be that easy.

"I remember I told you about Caleb, didn't I?" Ian asked when he pulled away and seeing that Elise forgot her red cloak, he took off his coat, draping it over her shoulders. 

Elise murmured thank you before nodding her head to his question. "I do." Caleb was the previous Diablo before Ian replaced his position.

"Though we met each other for a day before he gave me his power and die, he spoke a lot about resurrecting magic. He said he had stolen the book from Satan's library, the book which said could bring back people to life." Ian saw how Elise's eyes flickered upon hearing her paternal grandfather's name but she wasn't too happy as she didn't know how she should feel about being the granddaughter of the King of Hell. 

"If Caleb had stolen the book, why cannot he achieve what he wanted?" Elise then questioned, she remembered Caleb and his story, one of the most saddest one she had heard coming after Maroon's, thought her. 

"Because he could not," Ian added in continuation, his hand naturally goes on her back and the other on her hand. "Strange isn't it? Now that I thought about it, the dark sorcerers manage to bring back people to life, compared to Caleb, their magic is lesser and he told me he could not. Not because he was not able to successfully bring back his lover, but I think, something didn't allow him to."

Elise drew her brows, listening to what Ian said, it made sense now. It was indeed strange how Caleb wasn't able to bring back his wife but the dark sorcerer could. "But what could it be that didn't allow Caleb to do the ritual?"

Ian hummed, and his frown told her it wasn't something good, "In the ritual, there is only one important substance needed for it to succeed."

"Life sacrifices?" She took a guess and was replied with a shake of his head. 

"The soul," Ian explained and brought her out from the wall. Elise saw Maroon who stood next to the small carriage, bowing his head in response when their eyes met and after returning his greeting with a smile, her eyes goes back to Ian who said, "It's a thought of mine but it's possible that your brother isn't him. Someone else is occupying his body."

Elise pursed her lips, "I thought so," she answered with a low voice, her eyes sinking, "I don't think they would bring back William either, not when he is just a normal person." When sadness came to her again, she shook her head and focus on thinking rather than her feelings, "Which means they can control over who they brought back to life."

"Yes," Ian smiled before rubbing the tip of her nose that reddened with the coldness, "Which also mean we have to stop them before they spread like stem and bring back people who aren't suppose to be on this world again, though it would be difficult for them to bring back a lot of people, if they are clever enough to bring back those who are stronger than them, we'll have a little trouble."

Elise questioned how many people had been brought back to life and hoped that there wasn't many. She also questioned who had entered William's body and why had that person bring her to this village? Looking around, Elise didn't see what was important with the village. Or the person only wanted to shake her off his tail?

They stepped out of the wall and Elise turned to look at the small house that looked far desolated than the rest of the house where the door was old with some holes due to how long it had been abandoned. 

Ian pulled his arm in time and Elise turn to see the crow, he looked in the eyes of the crow and then announced, "Your brother isn't here." 

Elise who didn't know what to say or what to feel nodded her head in response. She turned to look at the house again, "The letters which Lady Lucy wrote is stored here?" She asked again.

"According to the maid it should be there." Ian opened the door by turning the knob. Even though the house was abandoned, most villagers had a habit of leaving an abandoned house unattended, not caring whether the door was locked or if it was left open. Therefore the easy access they have.

Noticing something wrong, Elise raised her brows, "But the letter was written nine hundred years ago, would it still be stored safely?" She also questioned why Arrah had hidden the letters but the answer was easy for her to draw, the woman must have been paid by Ian's step mother. In order to isolate Lady Lucy.

"She claimed to bury the letter under the floor," said Ian and at the same time, as they had stepped inside the house, the wooden floor beneath them creaked with the added weigh. Ian tapped the floor with his feet, "It should still be here unless because she left the house before I can catch her."

"Catch?" Elise questioned his words, watching how at the third tap of his feet, the ground crack and the wooden floor broke to pieces. Ian raised his finger, letting the broken pieces of wood to suspend in the air before swiping his finger to threw them outside. 

He turned his face, a light grin on his face, "I was caught by other Demons here. During the time I have slaughtered my father and the detestable member of my family, then I came here. Of course, I cannot forget the woman who had sold my mother's location and caused her death. But by the time I came here, that woman was gone."

Elise's eyes widened, she had listened to this story earlier, "It was you, the Demon who destroyed half of this village," said Elise in surprise.

"Indeed it was me," confirmed Ian and he took a breath of fresh air, "All I can remember was my anger. The rage in me consumed me to the point that all I see was red. I couldn't care less who I killed or how many of them. I didn't take it to concern that the Demon who caught me would kill me, because as I lost everything, nothing seem to matter to me anymore, not even death. Though in your eyes, I might have been the Demon they called me to be for killing innocent people."

Elise shook her head and came to hold his hand as she always did whenever she saw his strong back looking lonely, "I think it was wrong to kill but there are things that people cannot control, anger is one of them. I don't blame you and no one other than those who suffered should blame you. When that time come, and you wish to do amends, you should say a sincere apology to them. I don't know if they would forgive you but I am sure they would be able to feel your sincerity. At the end of the day, everyone will pay for their own sins, we can only hope those who had left won't hold grudge against you and that they can stay in a place better than before."

"True," Ian smiled, he liked the way Elise had always been true to her principle. She didn't like to kill nor does she support the idea and that what makes her unique and strong. She was different than most people he had seen who would turn to black once the color contaminated them. No matter how much black color was dropped to Elise, she remained white and pure, the same innocence which always beckoned him like light. "Though I am not sure if I would be able to express it sincerely, I do think they faced an unjustified death on my hand. Do you know that when I am with you, I always think of a way to fix myself as a better man? You change me for the better way."

Elise answered with a smile where her eyes softened to a curve and her cheeks reddening, "I am flattered if you think so." Changing a person had never been easy but giving them an opportunity to change themselves to a better version was something not everyone could do, and Elise was glad she had became such existence to him. She had never forced Ian to be a good person because she knew deep down he was one and let the course of nature to help him fix what he thinks need to be fixed.

Ian's eyes then went on a specific spot on the ground, "Hm, it seems like she buried the letters here."

***

A/N: I am sorry for the late update but currently I am resting in bed from a high fever. Therefore, this chapter is not very satisfying and there would only be a single update for today.