Elise saw how the house around them burst to clouds as it suddenly disappear in a mere seconds, puffing into fogs all around her. Elise raised her hand when she saw how Ian's hand had slide away from hers and she frowned at this.

Her blue eyes looked around the place, "Come out," she demanded, knowing how there were someone watching her the entire time.

​​

"You could have been gentler in your manner way of talking, little Elise. Perhaps that way, you will look a little more similar to Ariel," the voice appeared before the shadow of the tall figure made its way through the fog.

Elise saw Ernest but the golden eyes had told her enough how the person who was inside the body wasn't at all Ernest. "Apollyon."

"Am I once again raising to fame in both Hell and Heaven?" Apollyon questioned, his smile tilting widely. The fog around him moved similar to how he walked.

"You are a narcissist. What are you trying to show by telling me Ernest's past?" Elise questioned, her hand trying to grasp around her where the black wisp coming out from her index finger was her most trusted ally, Jett.

"I wanted to show you that in this world all evil doesn't start from evil. Don't you pity Ernest? Abused by his father, living in such a hell-like house before moving into a mansion where his foster parents abused him again and again, and again. He could have been a good boy only until people around him corrupted his pure soul. You have been in his position once, you must know how painful it felt. Isn't it alright for him to make those who caused him suffering to suffer as well?" Apollyon creased his forehead, his expression twisted in pity and sadness on behalf of Ernest. "Wasn't the fact that you are here prove that it is alright for you to make those who sinned to receive their punishment? I don't see the difference."

Elise heaved a deep breath and released it slowly. "Being the one who suffer the most is never right for others to cause more suffering to others around him. Ernest had perhaps suffered through unfairness of life but there would have a chance for him to resist you. The choice to escape was there and he had said it on his own. However, even after considering that, he still choose to take your help."

"You mean he got what's coming for him?" Apollyon questioned and hummed, "You are selfish, little Elise."

"And you are one bad actor I have seen in my entire life. The true evil here is you, Apollyon. Indeed I came here to gave you the punishment you deserve but on my way to punish you, I haven't took the life of anyone who is unrelated to you. You have no right to cry wolves now." Elise reached out her hand where Jett had turned into a long sword.

Apollyon smirked, "Thinking you're invincible simply because of the prophecy don't you? Overconfident will lead to your demise."

Elise entertained nothing as she marched forward, launching slashes toward Apollyon. Although she hadn't been taught the art of swordsmanship, Elise had Jett to teach her where she should attack which had made it easier for her to wield the sword. Her movement had been quick as though the sword was light but when it slashed the ground, the single plunge caused the ground beneath to break into halves.

Elise picked her sword when she saw Ernest's leg kicking upside toward the side of her face. As Elise pushed herself back, she managed to avoid getting attack, at the cost of a lock of her hair cut short to the length of her neck. Elise quickly dashed backward to create distance between her and the man.

When she touched her hair, her heartbeat raised. If she had been a second late, it wouldn't be her hair that cut short but her neck as well.

"You're quite quick, to run. You remind me so much of…" Apollyon hummed, "Your mother."

Elise's angered expression at once dissolved into a shock. "What do you know about my mother?"

"What do I know? No way, Little Elise. Have you forgotten of our meeting around more than ten years ago?" Apollyon noticed the confused expression on Elise and his grin went wide enough to touch his earlobes. "You have indeed forgotten it. Don't you remember?" Apollyon pulled out a ring from his pocket. The ring looked old but the glimmer on the gold body stood out amongst the crowd.

Elise frowned when in split of second an image came to her mind. The image was unclear and it had showed for a very short amount of seconds but Elise had managed to see the same ring in her memory on the hand of her mother. She heard the scream, her mother's hand over her when everything had turned black.

"You were the one who had killed my mother," Elise gasped when a single tear slide from her eyes as she regained some of her memory.

"Finally you remember. Wasn't it an exciting moment when we met?" Apollyon's wily smile widened when he felt a pierce on his chest. Elise's blue eyes grew wider as she saw Ian standing behind Ernest with his hand thrust through the man's chest.

"You talked too much for someone who wants to fight," without a single hesitation, Ian pulled out the fleshy heart from the man's body, dragging it out forcefully before throwing it toward the ground. The fogged sky turned clear at once as the magic casted by Apollyon stopped the moment the severed heart landed on the dry ground.

Ian quickly made his way toward Elise, "Are you not hurt? Did he hurt you anywhere?"

Elise took Ian's hand, her eyes shut closed before she tried to open it again to meet Ian's red eyes where concerned filled his eyes as well as care. Elise reached out her hand toward his shoulder and he readily let her support her body with his shoulder only for his entire body turned rigid when Elise had stabbed the spot beneath his chest.

Elise's eyebrows furrowed as she stared back at Ian's shocked face.

Elise pushed his body away, pulling away the sword as well to quicken the process of the bleeding. Rubbing her face, Elise then saw how Ian's face slowly melt away, showing back to Ernest's true face.

"Once would have worked but not twice."