There was nothing stealthy about Sxorce's entrance to the castle.

The guards at the front gate stared up at him, eyes wide with fear and shock as they held their spears. One of them charged, aiming for his neck, but was rewarded with a tail-point through his chest. The angel fell, coughing up blood before finally going limp. His companion attempted to avenge him, but Sxorces grabbed his head and twisted it to the side. A sickening crack was heard as the angel fell, his head stuck in an impossible angle, bone peeking from where the sharp, broken point breached his skin. Blood seeped from the puncture.

He pushed the doors open, grinning with maniacal glee. Angels roaming the halls, some of them staff and some soldiers, either fled in terror at the sight of the possessed demon or ran at him with their spears, but all were easily picked off. Some Sxorces picked up with an invisible force, crushing them or slamming them against the walls, others he simply stabbed. Blood covered his hands, his face, everything. But he didn't care.

In fact, he loved it.

After multiple repeats of it all, he had made his way to the throne room. Montelor was there with his son and some other angel that must be the army captain by the looks of it.

Kyrlas, Sxorces recalled from Omen's memory. And the prince was Fjonxor.

Kyrlas's gaze flickered over to Sxorces, his eyes grew wide, the turned to aggression, stepping in front of the two royals protectively. Montelor turned, fearfully gazing up at Sxorces.

"Fjonxor," Sxorces heard Montelor say, not taking his eyes off of him, "Run."

Fjonxor began to object. "But what about-"

"I said GO!" Montelor snapped at his son. Fjonxor turned and bolted away, taking one last look at his father before disappearing around the corner.

I'll find him later, Sxorces thought, I have more pressing matters to attend to.

Kyrlas grabbed his spear from its place slung across his back, holding it out in defense. He didn't have a shield, as most of the other soldiers Sxorces had killed didn't.

A mistake that would cost him greatly.

Sxorces held out his hand, and in one quick, fluid motion, Kyrlas was sent flying across the room. His head hit the wall, and he slumped to the ground.

Montelor got a good look at Sxorces, and somehow, deep inside, he knew this was the one, the murderer that had killed his wife.

The king growled, grabbing Kyrlas's spear from where it had fallen near his feet.

Sxorces glared at him with a smirk. His voice echoed, Omen's vocals arguing with those of the new controller of the demon's body. "You angels. Always thinking you can just walk up and kill me that easily."

Sxorces grabbed Montelor with his telekinetic power, bringing him closer until he was inches from his face. Montelor struggled, finding himself unable to move. Sxorces forced him to look forwards, to look him in the eyes.

"Look at this," Sxorces chuckled, "Not fun to be helpless, is it? Oh, but wait, you're always helpless."

Sxorces curled his claws into a fist. Montelor gasped sharply in pain as multiple cracks were heard, followed by his shrieks of pain. He coughed blood from his mouth, it poured from there, his ears, his nose. Like everything was being pushed from his insides, his bones contracting and collapsing inside of him.

He tried to breathe, tried to move, but his every motion caused him excruciating pain.

Sxorces grinned, and let go of him. Montelor fell to the ground, barely alive, entirely immobilized. His eyes were glazed as waves of agony flooded his senses.

Through his blurry vision, he saw the demon reach down and grab his crown. Sxorces observed it for a moment before allowing it to float a few inches above his palm. It spin almost hypnotically in midair.

Sxorces looked down at the broken angel at his feet. He smiled.

"Looks like I'm the king again," Sxorces said, placing the crown on his head. It turned black as shadow surrounded it. "Don't worry... I'll take care of your little kingdom. Right after I burn it to the ground."

Sxorce's psychopathic laughter echoed through Montelor's mind as the world blurred and doubled, sending him into the abyss of darkness.

————

"Xana? Xana!"

Krel didn't see Sxorces take hold of Omen. But something deep in her heart felt the change. Somehow.

"Xana, I know you're here, come out!" She called into the dark alley.

A green spirit came into view. His emerald eyes settled on Krel disapprovingly.

"Let me guess," He said, "The demon decided to shake Sxorce's hand and is now about to burn the kingdom down?"

Krel rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, you can say I told you so later. We have to stop Sxorces and save Omen as well as the kingdom!"

"I want no part of sparing the demon," Xana growled, "I have no way of separating Sxorces from his subconscious, and the only way I can get rid of Sxorces is by killing the demon."

"Xana, please!" Krel begged, "I hate Sxorces as much as you do, but unlike you, I see good in Omen. I love him, okay?"

Xana rolled his eyes. "Of course. I should've known you'd get attached."

"This isn't time to criticize me, the kingdom is in danger!"

"You think I don't know that?" Xana snapped. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Fine. Maybe I can try and get your demon friend back in control. But if I can't, I will not hesitate to kill him for the sake of getting rid of Sxorces. That good enough for you?"

Krel sighed. "Thank you."

"Now, no time to waste," Xana said. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before they snapped open again. "The prince. He's escaped the castle. He's near. Find him and get him somewhere safe, then meet me at the castle!"

Krel nodded, and sped off into the alleyway as Xana disappeared.

————

Fjonxor ran.

And ran.

And ran.

He was entirely out of breath by the time he stopped. He was somewhere in the kingdom, though the castle was still in sight. About maybe a mile or so away.

His home.

What used to be his home.

He knew his father was dead. There was no way Montelor could've survived a demon attack. Especially a demon as powerful as that one looked.

He was the last of the royal family.

Fjonxor wiped away his tears. He needed to find someone, anyone who could help.

He heard footsteps, and his pointed ears pricked slightly. He turned and saw an angel girl gazing at him, her face showing panic and then relief.

"Thank god, I found you." The angel said, "Now come on, we have to find a place to keep you safe-"

She grabbed his arm and began to pull him along. Fjonxor jerked away, surprised.

"Who the heck are you?!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry," the angel sighed, "I'm in a rush. My name is Krel, and I'm here to help."

"How do I know you're not with that demon?" He growled.

"Well, first of all, I'm an Angel," Krel said, "And second... you don't. You just have to... go with what you have."

Fjonxor glared at her a moment more before relaxing. "Alright. Where are you taking me?"

"I know a safe place," Krel explained, "Come on!"

Fjonxor chased after her. "That doesn't answer my question!"

Yet he continued to follow, racing after Krel as they weaved through the buildings.

Krel led him to a smaller, house-looking building. It looked very overgrown, like no one had lived there for years.

Fjonxor shivered as he felt a ghostly chill.

This place is kind of creepy, he thought. An eerie breeze blew past them, but Krel didn't seem to be shaken.

"You sure this is the place?" Fjonxor asked, "Like, where even are we?"

"Yeah, it doesn't look like much," Krel shrugged, "But Xa- um, a friend of mine put a protective shield on it that prevents darkness from coming through. Figurative darkness, of you know what I mean."

Fjonxor warily followed Krel, glancing around the small house's yard as he went. The only life was the plants growing around, some bright and growing, others black and withering with decay.

Krel opened the door and urged Fjonxor inside. "Just stay here, and stay out of sight. If you see smoke or fire, don't try to get away. The shield protects the house from that as well."

"Fire? Smoke? What the heck are you- what?"

Krel sighed. "Just... trust me on this. The entire city is in danger, and if the king and queen are dead, you are the only heir to the throne. You need to stay here and keep safe."

"What, am I just supposed to sit in here while everything burns to the ground? While everyone is killed?" Fjonxor objected.

"There's a possibility that won't happen. I have a plan. But if it fails, you need to be safe from what's coming."

Fjonxor looked forlornly in the direction of the castle. He gazed there for a while before finally sighing, and looking back to Krel.

"O-okay," he said, "But what do I do if you don't come back?"

Krel took a deep, uncertain breath, not meeting the prince's eyes.

"I hope it doesn't come down to that. But if the city burns, and you don't find me after seven days, then find your way out. Find any survivors and find a way to escape the demons. You're smart. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Fjonxor took a deep breath. "O-okay."

He walked in the house. Krel bid him farewell and closed the door. Fjonxor watched from the window as Krel flew off into the sky, warm oranges and reds and violets from the sunset, towards the castle.

————

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