We arrived upon Pandemonium's gates, whereupon it opened all on its own. Mom tilted her head, searching for the mechanism. Meanwhile, Dad raised a brow, and Grandpa only smiled, his eyes forward and fixed on the cursed manor itself.

All three of them immediately felt it, the moment we stepped foot inside. Tense shoulders, darting eyes, they knew that they were in the territory of a terrifying beast. They understood it better than most.

"Haell? What's going on?" Dad asked.

"We could feel a little bit of it outside, but this is… Wow," Mom added.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Trust me."

"Okay…" they said hesitantly, but visibly relaxed. They did trust me. I'd learned that such unconditional trust was a curse… in some ways, but damn was it actually nice to be on the receiving end. I had no intention to ever break it. How could Therick ever break mine?

My parents and grandparent allowed themselves to be led inside, and I showed them around the still largely empty courtyard before coming inside the central wing. The mansion we entered was not like what it was before. Every corridor was now furnished with at least some vases or paintings or other forms of art to break the monotony, and many of the rooms had been designed and decorated like the luxurious lair of a genuine demon queen.

"Wow… and this is all yours?" Mom asked.

"Yep."

"That's amazing, Haell," Dad praised, and I puffed out my chest.

"I made it myself!"

They exchanged a look.

"I'll explain later," I added.

We all took a seat in the living room. Mom and Dad's armor came off, and I was already wearing a casual dress. Grandpa, on the other hand, remained in his plated armor as he chose to take a seat on the floor. He really did look super imposing in his silvery herokane full plate. The hero of Angelore, sitting across from me.

I didn't know where to begin, and neither did they. A small stretch of silence passed, until Moonwash arrived with refreshments in hand.

"Oh! You've gotten stronger too!" Grandpa nodded sagely as Moonwash passed the food around. "I expect nothing less from my granddaughter's partner."

Dad shot him a narrowed look, before turning to Moonwash. "Thank you… for all that you did to save Haell."

"Yeah. You did good," Mom smiled at her, a lot less reserved with her praise.

"You are welcome," Moonwash herself responded without shame.

I wanted to comment that I saved myself, but I refrained.

Instead, I began my tale, as all of them wished to learn of what happened. Moonwash sat with us, right beside me, even though she'd already heard this tale. I started from the beginning, with the adventures I had shortly after leaving Latarus City, my hometown. We visited many settlements, and saw many beautiful sights. We were still… traveling as the harvesters back then, and we fought so many hard and glorious battles together. People were saved by my actions, and that did make me happy, no matter how I may turn on them someday.

I tried to avoid any mention of Therick, which wasn't too difficult because he had always been weak, but he did inevitably come up every so often. I took a deep shaking breath to stabilize myself whenever he did, and my parents and grandparent were able to realize that something was very wrong. They didn't press me to talk about it, however, and allowed me to continue at my own pace. I was very thankful for that.

My tale raged on. We destroyed an entire goblin settlement. I had flown into the air and bombarded them where they could not reach. I met with Eflrafim at the Singing Vortex Wonderzone, and there she trained me on various things. It was fun, just being able to hang out with an old trusted friend. I wondered where she was now, and what she was doing.

I met orcs. They were fucking awesome, and Grandpa agreed. They were always down for a good fight. Though he had never really integrated with them to the extent that I had. But what a glorious experience it was. I learned my anatomic mastery from the greatest of their 'village.'

The 'Harvesters' reached the rainforest south of this side of the continent. We were so happy back then. It was a time long past. I didn't know if those of us who remained were still even a party anymore. They… would not be able to keep up with me, honestly. They would drag me down, in battle and possibly in travel. But they were still here. And we were still friends. I hoped that at least would not change.

"Haell?" Dad called gently, and I snapped out of it.

"Right, right! Where was I…"

I complained about all the bugs here. I talked about the new and different kinds of monsters we found and fought and killed. They were a little bit stronger than what could be found up north.

I admitted… to starting the whole goblin epidemic spread by both countries. I killed so many bandits for a stupid count, and for our mercenary work, we got to see Duke Astro's library… which wasn't actually here. And then Count Licarl tried to fucking capture and brainwash me so I killed him, slaughtered his people, and burned down the city on my way out.

I might prioritize capturing Licarl City for later.

What followed was a chase. An entire army came after us. But we fooled, and defeated, and evaded their slimy agents, until finally we joined New Grandera and marched straight for the Fortress City of Revenge.

My time in New Grandera was a complicated one. They did things that I didn't like, they did things I was willing to kill for. But it was a better alternative for the moment, and I tried, I really tried, to solve at least some of the most glaring issues in my own way.

I could at least do that here. It would not have been possible in Edengar.

But the experience wasn't all bad, of course! I loved the culture. It was so varied and unique, that there was always something new to discover. I no longer had to hide myself. I could be a demon… and people would bat an eye… and some would try to do something about it, but I was generally fine! I killed all comers and never actually got in trouble for it. They loved me, somehow, actually. And while I had no need for their affection, it was… nice anyway.

I enjoyed my adventures here, and I even helped them with some of their conflicts, until one day, a suspiciously timed ambush managed to take and capture me.

This was when I looked at my parents and debated how much I should reveal, but my friends had gotten most of the story, so I decided that they should at least get the same.

Moonwash told them about how I'd sacrificed myself for them. And I told them about how infuriating it was, that one of those people was Therick, who had betrayed us and led our party to the ambush in the first place!

"That fucking brat!" Dad punched the table in front of him, hard enough to completely break the piece of furniture. He looked like he was in so much pain, when his hands were actually barely wounded. "I… I teached him. I teached him everything he knows so he could use it against my daughter!"

"It's not just you," Mom gritted her teeth. "We've all watched them grow. We should've noticed something sooner and nipped it in the bud!"

"Hey…" I said. "None of us here knew either. And I think we knew him better than any of you."

"But…" Mom trailed off, clearly still trying to think of something. Any fault that was hers. "We're just so sorry Haell."

"Yeah… We failed you. We just fucking failed."

"I… Please… Don't…" My voice quivered. My eyes began to water. "You did… you did nothing wrong!" I sniffled. "I couldn't have asked for better parents!"

I jumped at them, and they did not fail to catch my fall. We all cried, like a family stuck in the middle of the ocean during a storm and about to fucking sink. The world sank away, for nothing else mattered anymore.

Eventually, we had to separate. I stepped back from them, and only now noticed the blood on my fingers as I'd clutched at their backs a little too tightly. I opened my mouth to immediately apologize, but the clear smiles on their faces made me reconsider otherwise. So instead, I placed a hand on their shoulders, and let my blood mana seep around them. I got vague impressions of how the blood flowed through their entire bodies, as I was aware of my own. I allowed it to clot and swarm and heal, which gave me a soothing feeling as the few spots of tension and strain on my body that yet remained were fixed.

Wait, no… It wasn't myself I was trying to heal. Instead, it was my parents. I allowed that energy to envelop them instead as our hearts pumped and fluid traveled through our veins. Mom and Dad relaxed almost imperceptibly, as the scratches I'd made on their skin closed, and scabbed, and then disappeared altogether.

"Haell!" Mom squealed.

"You can heal!" Dad celebrated.

The both of them swept me up. They were each more than enough to lift me up if I let them, and of course I did. I forcibly relaxed my body and allowed myself to just be carried.

"Yeah," I laughed. "I evolved."

"I can see that."

"We're so proud of you."

"That's right!" Grandpa guffawed, then looked me in the eye. "You did a good job surviving, and then turning the tables against them all. And now you're even stronger! I cannot fathom doing the same thing at your age or level!"

"That's right! I'm amazing!" I grinned back. A smile that slowly fell from my face as I talked about what happened next. The massacre I willingly enacted. The many people that died, and how they were sacrificed for my gain. The birth of Pandemonium, and my evolution.

I talked about it all precisely and concisely. I did not stutter. I did not hide any details. Unflinchingly, My evil eyes met their own with resolve.

I struggled not to react when they finally spoke.

"It's good that you were able to free yourself," Dad clapped me on my back.

"Yeah…" Mom said sadly. "We really should've been there sooner."

I raised a brow, "And you're not going to say anything else? The people who did trap me there aside, I could have at least spared some of them. Not everyone wanted to imprison me there. Yet even now, I wouldn't change a damn thing."

They looked at each other, then embraced me tighter.

"It's okay, Haell," Mom said.

"What matters is that you're safe," Dad agreed. "You did… what you did, after all you've been through."

"That's no excuse. I make no excuses."

"And yet," Mom started.

"We excuse you anyway."

~~~

"Enough about me. What have you been up to?" I asked after we finally separated, and I'd explained some of the more technical details about my evolution and Pandemonium.

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"Well…" Mom began to recount what they'd been up to. Life was really just much of the same for them in the years since I left. Although as time went on, they did begin to travel and adventure more like they used to. They found it very amusing when tales of my deeds reached their ears, usually in the form of a song. They knew who and what I really was, so it was reassuring to know that my cover was not yet blown. Until it was.

I'd revealed that I was no human. I killed nobles and shepherds and templars and so many others on my way out. Mom and Dad… chose to deny any knowledge of what happened, of my demonhood and everything else. They declined to comment where could, and tried to say as little as possible otherwise.

"I wanted to just tell them that they can all go eat shit!" Mom harrumphed. "But Rallem and the rest convinced me that you were fine. You've already disappeared into New Grandera by the time we found out, so you've escaped their clutches. That's what we thought, at least…" she balled her hands into fists. "But you got captured and beaten and tortured

"It's my fault," Dad shook his head in regret. "We should've rushed to your aid immediately."

A part of me agreed. An ugly part that was resentful. I knew that was only my turbulent emotions that never ever ceased. "What? No. There was nothing to aid back then. I was just having fun in New Grandera. And then you immediately rushed to my aid once I was actually captured, right? That's all I can ask."

"But we should've known that Edengar would be pissed enough to go after you," he argued. "Maybe we could've beaten them back if only we were there!"

"Dad, I… I appreciate the help, but you can't protect me from things that haven't happened yet. I've got my own life too. And I never would've been captured anyway if I hadn't been so stupid as to trust Therick. And that… that's on all of us. No one fucking saw it coming."

They were silence for a while, but eventually began to accept my words. They finished the rest of their tale, and I got to hear about how they had immediately gone out after hearing of my capture, just as I thought. Granddad came with them, eager to have one final battle before he died. He described their sallying forth with a great smile on his face, but that waned as he begrudgingly spoke about how Edengar had reacted and sent forces to intercept them… with some minor success. There was already great scrutiny placed on the old hero, so they were ready and had armies in place along their projected route. It was a great investment for just three people, which actually did lead to Edengar losing ground against New Grandera and losing several settlements very quickly.

The soldiers that fought Grandpa were at first dejected at having to fight someone who was to them still a hero. But as the bodies piled up, that respect quickly morphed into anger. They realized the depth of the betrayal. They acted like fanatics ready to give their lives. It reeked of shepherd manipulation to me, or at least they'd fanned the flames of rage further, but that was only par for the course for them. Under such an onslaught, even my parents and grandparent had to divert their route. The three of them were forced to hug the mountains of the barrier range and then enter New Grandera that way, before they could then make a beeline for Astro City.

By the time they got here… well, it was already far too late. The battle was over.

"I see," I said, "What about everyone else? How are they doing?"

"Oh… We wanted Luine and the rest of the… Piss Hunters," Mom smiled at having been able to insert some brevity into the subject, "to join us, but they refused. Luine packed up her entire orphanage, and they chose to march for Northern New Grandera instead. Many other people went with them, including that crustecar community you once brought to Latarus." She hesitated. I raised my brows higher and higher, until she finally continued. "They'd been at risk of getting arrested for treason already, because…"

"Of me getting exposed as a demon," I finished. "And then it would've gotten even worse if you and Dad and Grandpa rushed off to my rescue."

"Well, yeah, but… it isn't your fault, Haell…"

"And I'm not saying that it is." I shook my head. "But many more of them would've died, if they'd chosen otherwise. So I'm glad they chose to run, instead of abandoning or endangering the kids and everyone else." They wouldn't have been much help anyway. They would've still arrived way too late to do anything. "How are they doing now, by the way?"

"...They're fine, last I heard. Our own march straight to you drew far too much of the kingdom's attention. A group of adventurers and well, actual orphans, paled in comparison to a… what they saw as a traitor hero off to rescue his other traitor kin. But of course they're wrong about that! You should never have been imprisoned!"

I agreed, and her rage fed my own existing inferno.

~~~

"Well then," Grandpa stood with a clatter after we'd had massive skewers and crepes for dinner. A throne of stone had grown out of the floor of the living room at some point as we had continued to converse. "I'm getting old. There might not be another chance to do this again. So while I'm still active," he pointed his sword at me, serious and solemn. "Haell Zharignan. I challenge you to a duel."

My eyes widened. I grinned. My body immediately poised itself for a fight as I rose from my seat on the ground. Bloodlust radiated from me in waves as I met my grandfather's eyes. He was not wrong. This may be my only chance to ever face the hero of Angelore in single combat. It was my one chance to fight my boasting grandfather who had always been a fountain of cheer.

I wanted to accept his challenge so badly.

And so I did.

"Yes. Fuck yes!" My eyes glanced over to my mom upon cursing, but she only returned a smile.

Dad had some words of caution. "Are you sure, Haell? This could be dangerous."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." My body will heal from almost anything anyway.

I left them and immediately ran towards my bedroom. I reached the teleportation room, dove through the gaping maw on the floor, and then landed face-to-face with the best pieces of gear I currently had.

First was the bone-white armor made from the remains of many powerful enemies. I'd hunted several gold-ranked monsters over the past month with little danger to myself, and from their bones, Moonwash had fashioned together armor far stronger than any I'd worn before. A big part of this, other than her own increasing skill, was the hellforge inherent to Pandemonium. Because it ran on hellfire, it was apparently supremely adept at making gear from biological remains, potentially able to make them even stronger than when they were alive. The bones had to first be alchemically treated with poison-magic-enhanced potions, and then further laced with mythril, thereby allowing it to bend and melt like metal. The final result was something stronger than anything the monsters had when they were alive. And flame-resistant too, because of the way they were made.

I donned it as fast as I could, and then grabbed my new sword. Forged from the very chains that once bound me, this herokane greatsword was big enough to match my severely increased size, and it had the heavy weight to match. It was not cursed yet, we still had so many experiments to do in regards to that, but it would do well enough. This was an opportunity that would not come again, and I could not miss it.

A wave of despair crashed into me upon that thought. Grandpa would die, sooner or later. He was only mortal. It was natural. Everything rots, they would decay. There was no point to anything. Whether people suffered, or if they lived happily. What did it matter in the face of the vast and endless universe?

Nothing.

We are all nothing.

And nothing we shall remain.

I suddenly took a deep and forceful breath. That was… yet another aspect of the curse that flowed through me. It was a wild one that seldom rose to the top. But it was intense. I shall investigate it later, but for now, I had a fight to get to.

My wings snapped open from the perfect opening on my back. I flew out of the building for my grandfather was already waiting at the all too open courtyard. I landed in front of him, garbed in my armor, and ready to fight this giant. Grandpa had never looked so massive than in this moment, where our wills were about to clash like two opposing world-ending waves.

He laughed boisterously. "Ready?"

"Absolutely. You?"

"Of course!"

"Then…"

""GO!!!""

I charged. My grandpa did the same, but I arrived there first. Our two greatswords met, and we both rebounded off each other. Gramps immediately wound up for another strike, and I was not to be beat. I met his slash with my own and found myself pushed back hard.

What…? I did not have the time to think. I only reacted. The next strike that followed, I met with my own at the cost of losing more ground. My arms already felt numb, but a quick application of blood magic fixed that problem. Grandpa's next slash finally broke through my guard a little, and it ripped out a gash through my pauldron. We were almost matched in speed actually, but that was with him having so much more mass to his attack. Not to mention that there was something more to his every attack.

So I had to add something more to my own as well.

I'd already weaved my curse into my sword, and it was ever-present in my body. The foundation was already there, so I did what I had long mastered. It was a technique neither my parents nor my grandparent had seen yet, so I was happy to unveil it to their eyes for the first time.

I unleashed the confluence of my wrath, and…

…and…

…failed.

What…?

I received Grandpa's next slash with even weaker enhancements to my body. The blow ended up tossing me way too far back, and the quick stab that followed drew first blood across my bicep. I quickly healed and then desperately fended off my grandfather's next attacks as I tried to understand what had actually happened. Finally, it clicked, and I realized it was because the mana inside of me was no longer wrath. It was curse. I had not yet learned of its intricacies, and there was no way I could in the middle of such desperate combat, but I had to try something. If keeping the wrath in my mind was not enough, then maybe I had to attune all the mana in my body to the element.

I tried another master slash, and failed again. That resulted in me getting another nasty wound that I very quickly healed. Many more exchanges followed as our every clash created a cacophony of sound so grating they might pop the ears of a lesser creature. My tail whipped every which way as I tried my hardest to defend and deflect, but Grandpa had centuries more of experience than me there. I perished the thought of even managing an actual dodge, but I held on. I weaved in as many attempts at using the confluence wrath in between our normal bouts. I imprinted the wrath into my very mana, just as I knew it could take on a will of own. And then finally, it clicked, just like it did before.

My body and the sword, as one.

Joined by the curse, we struck.

An absolute great pouring that could never be stopped!

It rebounded. Our greatswords met, and our power came out near equal, finally allowing me to at least maintain my ground. It only allowed me to maintain my ground. That was not as dramatic an increase in power as I'd thought. Grandpa's hands were only scratched by the spray of curse that came with my strongest attack. More rapid exchanges followed, and he was not weakened at all. I had found myself on the backfoot again.

The answer is blood! I suddenly realized. My anatomic mastery was all about the wrath, or now curse. I actually had to lose my body enhancements from blood magic in order to achieve that move. Blood had no place in my anamotic mastery just yet, and it was a problem I would need to resolve. But it wasn't something I could just learn right now.

So I used a mini-ritual instead. It would probably overpower my confluence of wrath right now, and I was right. My next swing howled through the air and broke my arms, but Grandpa for the first time in this fight, was sent reeling back.

I grinned. He returned the expression. My body healed, and I hammered him with slashes that had ritualized ones mixed in. My next slash that sacrificed my own blood then failed, and Grandpa upped the power. The winds exploded around us like a typhoon, as we once again rebounded from each other, without a clear winner.

Was he holding back all this time? I questioned. But no, I didn't think so. That swing was so powerful because it contained all of Grandpa's spin and weight in it. It required far too much build-up to reliably use. And the only reason it worked, was because he had read me like a fiddle and knew exactly when I would unleash my current most powerful slash. It would not work a second time.

…But it could really truly work the first time. If this was a real battle to the death, then he would've used it way earlier to try and finish things, instead of waiting for me to rediscover some things and ramp up the violence.

I growled. I redoubled my efforts in an attempt to bring my grandfather down. His every strike was heavy, like the thunder slamming into me from above. But soon I found myself smiling, even as I raged. I wanted only to enjoy our first and likely final bout for as long as possible. Slowly, I began to lose ground again, for his technique just far exceeded my own. My greatsword often slid off his, while his strikes easily found my armor and then the flesh underneath once my layers had been peeled away. It was only my healing that kept me in the game. I tried to adapt to the changing battlefield, but he only adapted back, like he had seen it all before. I reacted with my powerful reflexes, but he remained a step ahead. I focused on my spatial awareness to keep a better track of my opponent, but it was not enough to overcome the gap. I foolishly tried to use my evil eyes and aura, only to have it be completely ineffective. Grandpa even laughed.

I frowned, but soon laughed as well.

We had fun, as grandfather and granddaughter. Our fight lasted for nearly half an hour. But finally, my own reserves, especially that of blood magic, began to run dry. I refilled it by the exploits of my Blood Eater, but I would not be able to do that forever either.

It was finally time to end this most wonderful duel. I was sad to see it go, but everything must come to an end. Hellfire raged around us, and I commanded Pandemonium to leave it be. Vile curses followed, and it surrounded me before rushing to my enemy. Grandpa tried to fend it off, his every slash dispersing great amounts, and his footwork allowing him to keep a step ahead of the endless wave. It really was too sleek for a giant like him.

I charged. I closed the small distance and slashed. Grandpa met the strike with his own, fending me off gracefully, but there was nothing graceful about the flames that crashed against his side. He took a hit from the curses next, as he deflected my slash. Most were stopped by his armor, but the curse was insidious, and some slipped inside. It caused rot and dismemberment of the flesh that had been touched. I grimaced for a second, but Grandpa met my eyes. I saw only determination in them, just as I did before this all began. This was what he wanted. This was the legacy he wished to impart. I was his only granddaughter, and I would damn well absorb his final lesson. His only lesson. A peak. A pinnacle. A warrior before my time.

I continued to push him hard. My own slashes began to land as he struggled to fend off attacks from so many directions at once. Grandpa's armor bent, and then broke. I drew blood directly past the skin. From his torso, down to his legs, he suffered the burden of so many cuts.

And yet, he only smiled, without malice or pain. He held on for as long as he could. Though blood and toil, fire and curse. I saw the hero who had fought for Angelore for entire lifetimes. This was Grandpa Golex, The Hero, and he ruined that legacy just to rush here and save me.

My greatsword slammed into an existing wound, and my grandpa finally fell to a knee. He panted with great difficulty, and I could tell that this was all he could give. All good things must come to an end.

"It is… my victory," I announced, with my greatsword pointed at this throat. Even like this, he was still only a little shorter than me. I could barely remain standing myself. I could no longer afford to heal every single little thing.

"It is, it is!" Grandpa boasted, as if it was he who had won. "You did it, Haell. I am so incredibly massively proud of you, my granddaughter."

"Thank you, Grandpa," I smiled sincerely, and lowered my greatsword into a bow. "You're the best Granddad ever!"

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