Chapter 79

Xain huffed as he ran around the mansion, searching for Zee. He bypassed the first floor, knowing she wasn't there, and focused on the second floor, opening each door to check if she was inside. But as he did, he noticed something peculiar. "How big is this mansion? It looks nowhere near as big from the outside!" he exclaimed, gazing down the seemingly endless hallways lined with doors and windows. 

Speaking of which, the windows were all covered by red and black curtains, which struck Xain as odd. "Were the windows covered before?" he pondered aloud. Approaching one of the windows, he attempted to open its curtain, but something felt off. "Why is this so hard?" he wondered as he tugged at the curtain. It felt more like stone than cloth, refusing to budge no matter how hard he pulled. "What is this?" Xain questioned, trying with both hands but achieving the same result. 

Exhausted, he let go, panting slightly and wiping away a droplet of sweat. "Are they all like this?" he wondered, moving to another window and attempting to tug the curtain, only to encounter a similar resistance as before.

Scratching his head in puzzlement, Xain couldn't help but think, *Is this some kind of magic?* He was almost completely oblivious to how magic worked, but this seemed like the most likely explanation to him. *Maybe this has something to do with the mansion's illogical interior? Because the size just doesn't make sense no matter how you look at it,* he theorized, feeling fairly confident in his deduction. But then, another concern arose. *How the heck am I supposed to find Zee in this place? Getting in and out is easy enough, but finding her is going to be a nightmare!* he exclaimed in his mind, letting out a deep sigh. *If only Ercale was here...* 

Then, a thought struck him. *Wait a minute! An entire demon invasion has started, and he still isn't back? Where the heck is he, and what is he doing!?* As he tried to wrap his head around this, he suddenly heard footsteps — armored ones—and they were approaching rapidly. "Who's there?" he asked, turning in the direction of the footsteps, which were coming from the direction of the stairs, out of sight due to how long Xain had been going down the hallway.

A bead of sweat trickled down Xain's face as the footsteps drew closer and closer. He got ready to fight just in case, getting into his stanch and taking in a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Before long, the source of the footsteps stood in front of him.

"Uh, hello," Xain said nervously to the 8-foot-tall figure in red plate armor, the armor writhing with each movement of the being. *That's definitely a demon,* Xain thought to himself, feeling a similar sense of fear to the one he felt when he first met the priest.

The demon didn't reply immediately; instead, he looked around as if searching for something, or maybe someone, before fixing his gaze on Xain once more. "It can't possibly be coming from you, can it? That just doesn't make any sense," the demon said in a deep, smooth voice, his tone oddly calming Xain's nerves.

Xain was confused by his words but then remembered what happened with the priest. *Can he sense Ercale too? Is that what he's talking about? If so, what the heck should I say?* Xain took a step back and put his hands up, his palms damp with sweat. "Um, I don't know what you're talking about, but can I go? I have to find my friend; she's kind of lost in here," he said, deciding to lie about the first part. The demon looked down at him, and Xain was certain that the demon was squinting at him from behind the helmet he wore.

"What are you? You feel human but exude demonic energy that surpasses even that of my lord," the demon said with a threatening edge to his tone. Xain froze up, sweating buckets, his heart pounding in his chest. "Are you sure it's not coming from somewhere else? Maybe from one of these rooms?" he said shakily, pointing towards one of the doors lined along the wall.

"My senses have never faltered; I know that it's coming from you. I will give you two options: allow me to take you to my lord, or I will take you to my lord by force," said the demon, making Xain gulp audibly. "Yeah, I choose neither. You know, I have a friend to find and all, but great chat, just great. I'm gonna go now, so, uh, bye!" he said, turning around to run away. But as soon as he turned around, in front of him was the demon, his towering figure blocking Xain's escape. Xain glanced over his shoulder in disbelief, realizing that the demon had moved with astonishing speed. *I didn't even hear his footsteps like before!* he thought before turning back to the demon, his entire body shaking.

"Force it is then," the demon announced before raising his fist. Before Xain could even raise his arms, the demon's fist stopped an inch away from his face, the force of the blow making his hair blow backward. "Holy crap!" Xain exclaimed as the demon withdrew his fist. Looking up at the towering figure before him, Xain realized, *I stand absolutely no chance!* But confusion swirled within him as to why the demon stopped.

"You are injured," the demon remarked, further perplexing Xain. "Uh, d-does that matter? A-are you letting me go because of that?" he stammered. The demon shook his head before reaching behind his back and pulling out a small bottle containing some sort of red liquid. He held it in front of Xain. "Drink this," he commanded.

Xain looked at the bottle and then at the demon. "What exactly is this?" he asked with uncertainty, his tone still laced with fear. "It will heal your wounds," the demon said curtly, causing Xain to blink in confusion. "Why?" he asked. "Because that is what the potion does," the demon replied. Xain shook his head. "No, why are you giving this to me?" he asked.

The demon straightened up, his imposing figure casting a shadow over Xain. "Because I, Kazon of House Emrack, am a knight before I am a demon. Attacking someone who is already injured is a dishonorable action and unfitting of a knight," he explained, his voice carrying an air of authority and honor, shocking Xain. Then an idea entered his mind. "Then, if I don't take this, will you not attack me?" he asked, hoping for a way out.

"I will not, as my lord has ordered me to kill mortals if I see one," the demon replied, shattering Xain's hopes.

Xain took the potion out of Kazon's hand. *If I have to fight, I might as well drink this,* he thought to himself before popping open the lid and chugging down the potion. Its effects were near instantaneous, as Xain felt a burning sensation throughout his body. It was oddly pleasant; he could feel the cuts on his back heal, and all the pain in his body just vanish. "Wow, that was something," he muttered before letting out a sigh. *It doesn't matter. I can't fight against this guy, not unless I use...* Xain put his hands down, feeling a surge of guilt and self-loathing. He hated this. He hated himself for being powerless. He hated that he allowed this invasion to happen. He hated that the angel had to help him against Marcus. And he hated that he had to do this to someone who had honor.

"I'm sorry, but I have no other choice," Xain muttered, looking down at the floor, unable to meet Kazon's gaze. The demon tilted his head, not understanding Xain's words. But suddenly Kazon's senses flared up, and he jumped backward away from Xain. *What's going on? It's as if I'm looking at a different person,* he thought to himself as Xain looked up at him, and he saw within Xain's eyes pure, unadulterated Hatred.