For almost an hour, I continue my practice with Mal. Training hard as we had been doing combat skills. I tried to strike first, but Mal is quick enough to block my attack by crossing his arms; every time I try to strike lounging my fist to his face, then to his stomach; he blocks with that crossing arm  and counters with a move of his own. It is a very strange move. He moves forward his left leg in between my legs and then he grabs hold of my left arm; then turns himself around pushing me forward. I turn in a weird angle as I fall to the ground with Mal kneeling down to my abdomen and then bring out a dagger of sorts. He then places hovering in front of my face.

“You let your focus go.”

“No I didn’t.”

“I sensed you and then I notice your eyes were away from me. When you were away, I seize my chance to make this move.”

“You are going to train me with that.”

“Of course.”

He grabs my hand to bring me back up. He then places some sort of cloth over my eyes. “What is this?” I yell out.

“This is another session. Blind attack.”

I’m seeing nothing but darkness as I can only hear Mal’s voice creeping around me. “You telling me I’m going to fight you blind.”

“Always check your surroundings. Sometimes demons might attack you in the dark.” He continues, “That’s why you need to watch out because anywhere, anytime, you could be facing a demon from the shadows when you are at your most vulnerable.”

“So what I should do?” I ask. I did not hear anything no responses from Mal. I turn my head, but my vision is clouded by nothing but dark. “Mal?! Where are you?” I then feel a smack across my head. “Hey!”

I then feel frustrated as I feel another smack. “Mal?”

“Follow my voice, Caden.”

Listening to Mal, I sense his voice is coming from the left side of me, so I turn to my left and then I feel a smack of my head from the other side.

“Again!” He says. I follow that voice from behind me, but thinking it was a trick, I turn back around to my left where then I feel a smack from my other left and as I turn I feel another smack this from right. I stopped not turning around. Mal seems to play with my mind because of my limited blindness. Getting agitated, I’m getting really sick of this. And then when I remembered he said follow his voice. I stand there waiting for my chance.

“Caden…”

I hear my name and that voice is coming from the north which is on my right. I then moved on my hand and grabbed hold of…Mal’s arm. I got him. I take my blindfold off to see him, and I was right. I crackle a smile knowing where he was.

“Good job.” He says.

“You said follow your voice.” I reply.

“And after numerous chances, you finally did.” He responds. “Let’s do it again and like you did before… focus.”

I place the blindfold back over my eyes as I hear Mal’s voice again.

“Remember, you are in control.” He says.

As I can only see nothing but dark, I can hear him and those words, that I’m in control. Seizing on that comment, focus on what I need to focus.

I’m in control.

I’m in control.

Repeating that phase again and again and again; using that as a momentum push, I focus harder than I had done before. When I hear Mal’s voice, I directly move left arm and hand and grab hold of his arm coming right to me. I take the blindfold off and, I notice Mal sort of shellshock in how that happened.

“Got you!”

Mal seems startled and impressed at the same time. “I never even speak a word; how you knew I was coming.”

“I heard you probably when you was whispering.”

Mal sort half smirks in how I did it. “You heard me whispering; I’m impressed. You might control your demonic side sooner than I anticipated.”

“There is always but somewhere.”

“But, we need more days to practice more on your throwing and combat. I sense there are more powers within you; in due time, you’ll be able to gain control of it.”

“And Asmodeus will finally be defeated.”

“Don’t be too sure.”

“But this time I will fight back.”

“You must.”

I think about those events where I couldn’t able to emotionally hold on to fight back, but with this training and more to come. I will do what I can to stop any enemy out to get me or harm the ones I love.

“So are you ready to continue.” He says.

I shake my head in agreement. “Let’s do this!” I reply back. Mal showing off that half-smirk.

As the sun still sets in the sky, the training continues. We restart the summoning and throwing practice; with me summoning the fireballs and throwing each one to a tree stump or throwing boulders in my way. I then continue the combat skills; Mal begins to teach me the technique when he pushed me forward and down to the ground. As the sun goes down becoming dusk, we practice one more session.

Mal soon ends the training for the day. He then tells me, “Good start; we continue tomorrow. Got it!” I happily obliged by responding back, “Yes, sir.” I then place my right hand flat sideways on my forehead; and then salute him. He gives no emotional feedback towards that move I just did. He just looks at me and walks away until tomorrow.

It seems like maybe we should do some practicing on his manners and how to act like a human. Difference between me and Mal, is that I’m half-human, so I know how to react emotionally. That is what a human does. I’m disappointed a little that all this time he hidden and living along with the humans, that he does not act like a human. I do not want to say that he is just a demon and its demonic nature.

I just believe he has feelings, but do not want to show it. In any case, I felt he did have some feelings when my father died. Maybe because of that, Mal is so reluctant to show feelings all the time. When he sees me doing something good, he starts to show that feeling of excitement and faith. I guess seeing me is sort of a spark to release his feelings because he sees my father in me.

As I dwindle on to the emotional highway talking about this, I head back home to get some rest. As the next few days go on, I finished up school and I head back to the forest to continue the training with Mal. We continue with the summoning and throwing and then move forward to combat and then something new; Mal begins to show off a new practice in me summoning fireballs, throwing them, and intermix with combat. After an hour of intermixing between them, I take a break to catch my breath while I see Mal just waiting. Guess being a demon is that you do not have to worry about exhaustion.

When another couple of days gone by with me being more aware of summoning and throwing the fireballs; then with combating; and then with intermixing all of them. Mal is getting impressed every single minute.

A new day, I return to the forest to where deep inside the training area. I look around the area and Mal is nowhere to be seen. I even holler Mal’s name, “Mal!” I holler his name again. For about two minutes, I start to get worry about him and ponder if he is alright. He did not even give a hint yesterday that practice will be canceled. It is like go on like usual. However, I sense this could be bad and as minutes start ticking by I do not see him.

I yell his name out again. “Mal!” again and again; he is nowhere. As the wait last to an hour, Mal has not shown up.

When another few minutes gone by, I hear that familiar swoosh sound and then I look up to see a black cloud zooming from the sky and corporealizes into Karina. I was sitting on top of a rock and when I see her walking towards me. I quickly get up from the rock and check on her. I notice bruises around her face and hands.

“What happened? Where’s Mal?” I ask.

“Mammon and another group of demons were close to here. Mal had me and Aris protect this area, but Mammon tried to get in.” She responds.

“What?! Is Mal…?” I question.

“No, he’s shaken up a bit. Aris had to bring him back to the warehouse.” She says as she surveys her minimal war wounds. “However, Mammon is still out there.”

“So practice is canceled?” I ask.

“Until it is safe.” She continues. “Mal wanted you to continue training by yourself.”

“What about you? You want to join me?” I ask.

“I want to, but I can’t. I need to head back to the warehouse. Mal told me and

Aris to keep the warehouse forted from those hellions.” She says.

“You need me.” I say.

“What I need you to do is stay here.” She says.

“What about the third trial?” I question.

“No, Caden, you are not ready!” She then reaches closer and puts both her hands on my shoulders. “I would love to help you with the trial, but Mal said you’re not ready. Trust me on this.” She answers.

“Well, what about me helping you against Mammon.” I state.

“And you will one day, but not right now.” She says.

I stand there just taking it in and realizing that even though I’m training hard to control my powers and not let my demonic side do it for me; I guess I’m not 100 % sure I’m going to get full control. Listening to what he had to say, I kind of agree maybe it is not the time to fight not until I fully gain control. Mal sees it happening.  When I glance back at Mal, he begins to walk backwards and senses something in the air.

“Aris is calling me. They aregetting close. I half to go.” She says.

“Be safe.” I say.

She nods her head in agreement, “Thanks. You be safe as well.” She says as she morphs back to the long, slender black cloud swooshing up in the air and then flies to the northeastern direction.

I have confidence Karina and Aris will stop Mammon and the others. I hope Mal is going to be okay. I just pray this would not be another ambush set up by Asmodeus. Thinking he might be around, I pull out both my right and left arm in an attack position.

Suddenly, I’m hearing noises near the left of me. Hearing those noises like footprints marching across the leafy ground, the noises are getting louder. Not doubting a minute that it could be a demon or it could be Asmodeus. I position my right hand to my chest level, opening my hand out.      

Waiting to hear some sort of signal since it is coming from this western direction. Then I hear a snap across from me and it sounds like that snap came from a broken branch fallen off to the ground. Not wanting for whatever to strike first, I will take the first move. I position my right hand just enough to where I focus on my “trigger moment” I like to call; when I focus hard enough on it, I feel the urge coming and then I quickly glance at those black vine-like lines coming through my arm to my hand where I summon and shoot out a fireball. The blue flaming ball zooms out of my palm to the area where I heard that snapping noise.

I able to see the fireball blasting through a bush, but nothing commence. Sensing something is there, I begin to shoot again firing another fireball back to the area. The ball hits a bark of the tree leaving residue. However, nothing is coming out. Believing something is hiding in those bushes and making those noises, I’m not going to stand down my attack position. In fact, using one of the tactics I learned from the training, I sprint from where I sat on that rock to the area I’m hearing those noises; as I sprint, I fire more fireballs to that same spot.

I then stop and believing I heard something from my right, I hastily turn to the right and fire another fireball. The fireball zooms to a figure, but as the fireball flies straight to that figure it almost hit it, but the figure barely dodges. Then I hear a scream.

YOW!

Strange sound but the voice kind of seems familiar to me. As I get close I’m able to see parts of red hair. Now I know who it was who has been making these noises. I run towards the bushes to where I see Desmond covering for protection.

“It’s me.” I say.

He peaks his head up to look at me and is not surprised to see me. I’m able to help him up to his feet to where I wondering why am he here.

“You got firepower now.” He says in that Scottish-like accent.

“Yeah, I couldn’t control it when I first discovered it, but practicing with Mal; I’m able to summon it and throw it by focusing on one thing. My trigger moment.”

“Trigger moment?”

“I called it that because when I focus on this moment, it allows me to control my demonic side to summon the fireballs.”

“Yeah I noticed when you almost tried to kill me.” He steps out of the bushy area and into the open short field. He then smacks dirt away from his dark green pants and then up to brown jacket. “So are you practicing alone?” He asks.

“Well sort of.” I reply. “Mal wanted me to stay and practice a few sessions by myself, but he had to rest while his other students defend this spot from Asmodeus’ goons.”

“And you didn’t fight?” Desmond ponders.

“According to him, I’m not ready.” I respond as I head back to the big rock where I sat before and sit again.

“So Mal can be trusted.” He says warily.

“I trust him definitely. I trust Karina. I sort of trust Aris. Mal knew my father, and he knows a lot more about these demons who are after me.” I answer back trying to defend Mal’s name.

“Strange, he’s a demon. His allies are demons. And yet they are helping you fight against other demons; bizarre.” He says.

“Asmodeus wants something from me.” I state.

“You know what it is?” He wonders.

“I still have no clue.” I reply the best I can.

“Well I might know what will.” He says very obscurely.

I pause a minute as I heard Desmond said he knows something that could help me. The question that is rambling in my mind is what this something is and can it be safe. I stare back at Desmond trying to get an answer.

“So what is this something?”

Desmond gives a smile and then reaches into his pants pocket where he takes out his notebook, which I noticed the first time I met him. He begins flipping pages in that black book and after a few seconds he stops. “Here we go.” He says as he brings the open book towards me and points his right index finger to the left side of the book where I see some writing of his own. I read the few passages where Desmond kind of instructs me. “Go to where it says the Vessel.”

I look down the page to the passage where it says the Vessel. I begin to read it silently in my mind.

The Vessel of Nexum formed by the ancients contains powers from the mist of Avalon. Whoever opens it will absorbs the mist and have powers like those of a god.

I look back at Demsond sort of shock to see that such thing exist. I close his black book and give it back to him.

“Wait! The Vessel of Nexum exists?” I ask.

“Oxley tried to search for it once, but gave up.” He responds.

“Why?” I question.

“Because of his gut that containing such power will make you unstoppable.” He states. “Wait, have you heard about it before?”

“It’s the third trial my father assigned me to complete.” I say.

“Well if we work together and find it; Oxley and I can find a way to manipulate the mist’s power into a weapon where you can use to defeat Asmodeus.” He says.

I layer my head down slightly as I ponder on what he has to say. Thinking about the Vessel and seeing this could be my best opportunity to finally defeat this demon and finish the trial. I glance back at Demsond.

“If you think this is going to work…” I’m about to finish before Desmond replies fast. “I might be naïve sometimes, but I know my stuff.”

I stand up straight giving him my reply; “I’m in.”  .

We are going to find that Vessel of Nexum and hope it could stand up against Asmodeus.

“So where to begin?”

“Oxley gave me the location to where he was last time when he tried to find that Vessel.”

“He told you? Really?!”

“No not quite, but I found a way.”

“And what way it is?”

“Somewhere dangerous. Listen mate, this state may have a lot of swamps, marshes, and forests, but this forest holds a lot of entries to several dimensions.”

“Dimensions?”

“Yeah like the astral plane and others. I found a way to get to this dimension where we have to go.”

“I don’t know, but I have faith in you.”

“Fantastic, let’s go!”

We both head off venturing further into the forest. With all honesty, I never had been further down in the forest before, so whatever is waiting for us, I half to hold on because this journey could be very perilous.