Ian felt a swirl around him. At once, he quickly hold what was the most important to him only to see the entire place around him disappeared. His hand tried to catch Elise's hand before it disappeared but by the time his fingers reached, he only went through a clump of fogs that disappeared at once. 

His eyebrows furrowed. Knowing Apollyon's goal had always to kill either him or Elise, he knew he had to find her quick. He made his way into the fog, disregarding how dangerous it might be as the fogged view would hinder his sight from upcoming attacks coming from his enemies but Ian had no time in the world to care about getting an injury.

"As hasty as always," a voice came from behind him, the voice youthful but the owner of the voice had spoke in a gloom tone that made him sounds older than his voice. 

Ian stopped his stride. Without the need to look back, he could tell who it was, "Was leading a double life fun, Caleb?"

The two generation of Diablo went silent after a few second. It wasn't because they hesitate but because they knew the first one to make an attack would win. The two of them was in par on term of power and intellectual. They knew each other's weaknesses which only made it more dangerous for both to attack without a plan in mind. 

"Is William's soul still residing inside your body?" Ian questioned which wasn't replied as Caleb had only looked back at him when he had turned his body to face him.

"Do you truly want to stop Ernest and Apollyon, Ian?" Caleb asked instead. 

The way they stood was the opposite of the time when they had first met. Where Ian was on the other side, weak, powerless, and in need of help. Now, he could only see Caleb who was needing for help but even a friend would turn into an instant enemy once they have chose to hurt the people around him. Ian wasn't compassionate enough to forgive the people around him who had hurt him or Elise because he knew once a person had a history of hurting his people, they wouldn't hesitate to repeat it for the second time.

"Why shouldn't I stop them?" Ian questioned, entertaining Caleb who wanted to know his answers. 

Caleb looked away before saying, "Apollyon want to destroy Heaven and Hell. The two places that had taken the life of those dear to us. Don't you want to punish them? Make them learn what it feels to be the one who had their things stolen from them."

Ian had learned how Caleb's obsession in bringing his wife back to life only resulted in him doing what was forbidden. He did brought his wife back to life but in exchange, her appearance was beyond recognition. Her soul was so fragile that she could only stay in the world for less than an hours, as though it wasn't enough, each seconds would inflict a burning pain on her soul. His wife who had to suffer all those pain, couldn't help herself from blaming Caleb, who had resurrected her. 

Ian had lost his mother before and he had thought he knew what Caleb felt, and the pain that the fellow demon had suffered. But it appeared, he was wrong. He learned that the truth is, the tragedy that Caleb suffered could be his story too. 

If that day, it wasn't him who had died but Elise, bringing her pure soul from Heaven would be impossible. To make things worse, if he didn't have anyone around him, he would have stolen the same resurrection book from Satan and in the end, attempting to perform the same mistake Caleb had done.

"Until I met Elise, I finally understand you, Caleb. Maybe it was Heaven at fault but also Hell at fault. Heaven didn't listen to my mother's plea of help and Hell was an easy place for the people who killed my mother. I did blame Heaven for ignoring her and the people of Hell who rejoiced in my wings being torn despite the things I have done to avenge my mother. It was unfair, perhaps my entire life was unfair. But I have never felt that I am the one who suffered the most in this world. Elise had been betrayed by all people around her but I learned it from her how despite everything, she remained strong. Strange isn't it? Such small body could posses such strong soul." 

"In the end your forgive Heaven and Hell?" Caleb questioned.

"What is there to forgive when the one who had caused the pain wasn't them? I have punished those who needs to be punished and I will continue to do so." Ian smiled in exchange. "Power doesn't come from how you can destroy a whole land by yourself, not how you can defeat an archangel, or how you can stand against God. It's how you can protect those who you treasured without loosing them and how you can stand by your own belief."

"I hate Heaven, Ian," confessed Caleb, "And Hell for they have stolen my wife. She was only a fragile person, kind, yet the world had taken her existence. Every kind people die and that never sit well to me. I agree with Ernest. Destroying Heaven and Hell, and creating a world solely for those who are innocent is a grand plan to my ears."

"Then we have to protect what we believe in," Ian let his hand down, "It's a shame that we couldn't have the same opinion. You were the only demon who I found to be the most admirable."

"And I am glad that you can be my successor," answered Caleb. The older demon took one step backward before disappearing in a blink. 

Ian had gotten used to the speed of demons that was far from what a human's sight could perceive. Knowing where the attack would come from, Ian had dodge perfectly the attack, receiving not the slightest injury. Caleb as well had avoided getting fatally injured by Ian's dangerous strike. Though the air was tense where one would have to be very careful of not receiving a deadly injury, both Ian and Caleb didn't had an expression of hatred. It was similar to how a teacher teaching their student the arts of war, where the other learn and the other teach. But even then that moment had to stopped when finally one of them had landed the striking hit. 

*******

A/N: Hello, readers. I am currently trying to adjust my life with my new schedule. Therefore today's chapter will only be one, I apologize for the lack of chapters ><