"I am nothing like you," Damian denied. "There is no Hunger inside me!"

The Demon laughed.

"You, my friend, are the worst of us," Syama said. "Ours is simply a hunger of flesh, the veins of power. Yours is the curse of knowledge. Even Amruta can't sate that hunger."

Damian knew he shouldn't believe some random guy in his lucid dreams, but he could not simply ignore him either. Things were not right with him.. he knew that from the moment his next life began. For a while, his pride made him believe it was all fate, that he was chosen for something bigger than himself. That there was a reason for his reincarnation.

Maybe a destiny to bring peace to the mainland. Unite all kingdoms as one, show them the way forward.

"You are a result of forbidden, that is true. The mage who called on you was just trying to find any soul he could. The creator himself forbids the use of that spell. Punishment for that is too great to bear. The second he used it, everything it touched was forever branded as an abomination of natural order."

"But I am a pathfinder. I have the system." Damian argued back.

"Your flesh has the system. Your souls are intertwined. The creator's system can't distinguish you from the dead soul inside. And such, you are the first demon that can ascend with Amruta in your veins."

Damian shook his head, "All monsters have mana inside them. If anything, at least I am a mana beast."

"Do I really have to tell you the difference between a creature's mana and Pathfinder's mana?"

No, he did not have to.

Damian knew a mana beast or a monster, no matter how powerful, had unrestrained, wild, two to three-element limited mana inside. At least the majority did; some lower-rank monsters couldn't even control their mana. Pathfinders were given the purest mana from the very first rank.

The core of a mana beast or a monster was not as refined. There were impurities inside. That was why the blood of pathfinders made the best prime spells.

"We do not get a choice in our evolution as well," Syama added. "Well, not until we are Legendary and above. The environment and the system decide all of it. The mastery of aura starts only after we have enough peace of mind and a high enough rank."

"And this hunger.. you speak of?" Damian asked.

Syama smiled; it was the pure definition of evil. "The hunger is what clouds our minds. Fills us with rage, hate, and desperation. Something primal awakens when we are faced with those with pure mana. Some can still achieve a high rank while suffering. It gets easier the higher the rank."

He paused and added,

"No one understands this thirst for knowledge of yours better than I. But I have not arranged this to discuss our differences. The last fragments of energy contained in the Astra we gave you can only last for a few minutes. You are still dying."

"What was the purpose of this, then? To make me more miserable before I die?" Damian asked.

Syama chuckled. "You are not going to die. Your flesh can withstand the assault. But if you keep up this foolishness, the next attack will kill you. Though I should be glad that you reached the very limit of your flesh. Reaching the brink of death is one of the requirements for gaining it."

Damian narrowed his eyes, "Gaining what?"

The sly monster did not reply though, and simply turned away.

"My brother and I were interested in this uniqueness of yours. Along with keeping an eye on you, the Astra we gifted you also shielded you from the worst of your curse. With the amount of strength you have, it shouldn't be an issue any longer. But still keep in mind that your curiosity can become an obsession at any second. We are never truly released from our hunger."

"Why?" Damian asked the biggest question he had in his mind from the start of this conversation. "If it is true.. Why do this for me?"

The red demon showed that sly smile again, "Find us in the realm beyond and we just might answer your... curiosity."

Bastard.

In the next moment, a deep maroon pillar of light descended on Syama from the far reaches of infinite space, and the demon scattered into thousands of red embers.

A Demon.

Damian hated the very idea of being anything other than human. But maybe it was his naivety talking. He was the one telling everyone not to treat beings differently because of appearance. And he could not accept himself for being different.

Was his curiosity truly disastrous at times? Or the demon was simply capitalizing on his own deep-rooted fears?

Nothing he could do about it other than try his best to remain neutral. What if he were a demon? His choices were still his own to make.

'This shit should not cloud my mind! There are more important matters at hand.'

Damian looked around for a moment, then exhaled and closed his eyes.

The demon was right about one thing: the azure flames should not kill him. He should stop this nonsensical plan and maintain some distance to get enough time for mana regeneration.

Damian focused his mind and exited his astral plane to face reality.

**

Near the Sealed Dungeon. Landbreaker.

The thin, curved shield of black aura finally broke and swallowed Runebreaker whole. Landbreaker gritted his teeth but did not move. The SpellMaster and Stormcaller could not move at all.

When the hundreds of blue snakes trapped Runebreaker and Sea Snake charged his powerful attack, the two transcendents beside him had launched themselves in the air to help him.

Landbreaker's eyes observed more than the two beside him. Barely a movement, and the group of Legendary beasts in human form had grabbed their limbs. Throughout the fight, they were ready to jump toward them, which was why Landbreak had not moved and advised the two to do the same.

And now they all were bound and at the complete mercy of the Sea God.

"This cannot go on! Why is he so eager to die!?" The SpellMaster muttered to herself in frustration.

The Stormcaller beside her had stopped saying anything now. His face was dark, and his eyes red. He had shouted for too long for Runebreaker to stop fooling around; now only eerie silence surrounded him. With this screaming silence, he witnessed the powerful white radiance of Sea Snake's trident, throwing Runebreaker aimlessly towards the sea.

Was he dead?

Landbreaker himself had no idea till Runebreak, against all logic, rose out of the ocean. Surviving the insane attack, that even Landbreaker was not sure he could do so if he was hit at such a close distance.

They all assumed that now Damian would stop holding back and fight seriously. But the bastard was made of much stubborn material than they had thought. Even with barely a trickle of mana inside, the boy continued fighting without using a single spell other than the runes covering his body.

'This is madness. He can not win this!'

And Landbreaker was proven right. The thin shield of aura was broken, and Damian was hit head-on by those damned blue flames.

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