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The Future of the Fifth Circle

And thus, life went on. It was several days after Barbatos's defeat. Even after defeating a major threat, the lives of the group were still full of busyness and even some catching up to do.

After doing some paperwork, Zardes and the group decided to return to Qeveriyt. Ammon, Asmodel, and Belial decided to follow the group, knowing that they were not done with them yet.

While the group was walking along, Ammon looked at Barbatos. He was quite angered by Barbatos's role in causing the misery in his life and giving him an existential crisis that might not be resolved if it wasn't for the support of his friends. He also hated the fact that he was forced to kill his childhood friend, and all was because of the subdued demon trapped in the body of a demon bat who clearly was once someone else, until that personality was taken over by Barbatos.

There were a lot of things he wanted to do towards Barbatos, especially since the chains were an indication of his eternal servitude towards Ammon. He wanted Barbatos to suffer for everything.

However, when Ammon looked at Barbatos now, it was far from the demon that menaced him and the group. The chains all over his body clearly stood out of his white skin and his wings. It became even more apparent by the fact that he wore nothing but a piece of ragged loincloth wrapped around his private parts under a cloak, which was a decency they could afford him during the moment due to him originally being naked when fighting them. They only gave him a cloak with a hood to cover him when they were walking to the embassy building, knowing that he would be burned by the sun, just like Ammon.

Ammon, being taught kindness from Lehrn, felt nothing but sorry towards his former enemy. He was so shaken by the loss that he did not even speak. His eyes were blank, though he was still responsive. Ammon wondered what the Seal had done to Barbatos, and he planned to ask Asmodel about it. He turned to Asmodel and said, "What is the Black Road Seal, Asmodel? It's more than just a seal, isn't it?"

Asmodel seemed to hesitate, but he then said, "That Seal is called the Mark of the Fallen, and is the same chain that is used to bind the Evils of the Forgotten Circles, or, if I may borrow from the history books, the Forever Damned."

"What?!" said Malkar, surprised. "How the hell did you even get that?"

"Well, due to the work of one of Belial's subjects and the attempted invasion one hundred years ago, the Forgotten Circles are no longer a secret. All demons know of its existence, and the dangers imprisoned in those circles. I simply take a little part of the Mark and used it as my final weapon against Barbatos."

"But why does it make him look like this? He's far too docile for someone who is supposed to be angry for his defeat."

"Barbatos is a prince, but he's not one of the prisoners," said Asmodel. "The chains are used to keep the prisoners subservient to a degree, but if given to a demon from a lower Circle, they are going to feel the full effect of it, and as a result, become a slave to whoever sealed them."

Ammon felt bad for not knowing this, and as he looked at Barbatos, who had clearly lost all kind of fighting spirit or even thought of vengeance made him even more miserable than he was.

"Is there a way to release the chains?"

"You can release it any time you want," said Asmodel. "But do you really think it's the right idea?"

"He may be an asshole, but he does not deserve to look like a lobotomized subject." Ammon turned to Barbatos, who looked at him. "Besides...if he is this broken, it won't be interesting in the long run."

"And given that you're a wrath demon, you need someone as a rival," said Belial. "You have a point there."

"Tell me how to partially release him."

"I can tell you now if you want," said Asmodel, smiling. "But I don't think it's a good idea to make him sour our mood. I suggest you wait for a moment, at least until we're alone."

"I suppose so."

The rest of the group, hearing about this, also felt bad of Barbatos's fate. It was such a big drop from a prince to a slave. No matter how they pictured it, it was always a bad fate.

They reached Qeveriyt some two days later. While the rest of the group, notably Zardes, Itresil, and Malkar, reported to the Order, Ammon and Belial got to a hotel they remembered from their previous stay and rented a room. Here, Ammon partially release the Mark's hold on Barbatos, at least enough to let Barbatos keep his mental capabilities, but without any way to even use his power or even have violent tendencies. Any kind of violent tendencies would be held back by the chains.

As expected, as soon as Barbatos's mind was freed, he became emotional and tried many times to try and resume his fight with Belial and Ammon, only for the chain to stop him. It did not simply stop him, however. To Ammon's surprise and horror, Barbatos quickly fell on the floor, his expression indicated that he had suffered a seizure. Ammon did not want to accidentally kill Barbatos, but to his relief, it was a temporary measure. Barbatos was not ready to give up, however, so he tried it again. The cycle repeated itself, and this time, after recovering, Barbatos reluctantly stopped, especially after Ammon's urging.

"You're a prince of your domain and you feel compassion to your former enemy?" said Barbatos with a scoff. "You're not fit to be a wrath demon, Vessel."

"I am not even a true demon," said Ammon. "So, who cares?"

Barbatos, already defeated, decided not to humiliate himself further. He looked away as Ammon said, "Why did you do it? Why cause all the destruction and suffering just to get the throne and rule everything? It won't gonna make life easier, you know. It will only become a burden."

The answer surprised both Ammon and Belial.

"I am the only demon in my own domain," said Barbatos. "I look towards the other domains and see many other different kinds. I see more than one Infernals. I see more than one Asmodians. I see different genders and age, but not one of my own kind. I am just one Barbatos, the prince of darkness. I can't even call myself 'we', for I am not many. I'm no Legion."

"And so, you try to invade the other Circles and the surface world because you're lonely," said Ammon.

Barbatos scoffed. "Well, never thought one of my own creations rebelled against me and throw everything into ruins. All because of that smug-faced cat."

"Yeah, I agree with you on that," said Belial. "Sometimes, I really want to punch that face of his. Well, I almost did. Except his ability was a pain in the ass."

Barbatos sighed. "Well, new prince? Anything you want to do to me? I know you're _ecstatic_to see the one who caused you all those sufferings suffer himself. Just give me everything you got, Ammon. I'm far older than you and I know more things than you."

"I must admit that I want to see you suffer," said Ammon. "But, given that you're a demon, I think compassion is a fitting punishment."

Barbatos tried to egg Ammon on, trying to at least make the demon bat act more like a demon prince, but he realized it was futile. The chains held him back, and Ammon clearly was not a true demon. He had feelings like a mortal, and he knew compassion. It disgusted Barbatos to a degree, but he realized that he had lost.

"So, as punishment, you are going to accompany me and Belial to travel around the Underworld trying to find the rest of your Vessels, starting from you telling me how many of them are left."

Barbatos hesitated, trying to make Ammon's life harder. However, Ammon, who knew he could not interrogate Barbatos without a little persuasion, said, "Mark of the Fallen, make Barbatos talk."

Barbatos could not even fight back as the Mark forced him to even think about saying the numbers. He tried to fight against it, but he felt like a puppet. He could not even stop his mouth saying, "Around a hundred or so."

"Are all of them male?"

"No. Why would I make them unable to bear children?"

This made Ammon smile.

"See," said the demon bat while patting Barbatos's head. "It wasn't that hard, wasn't it?"

Barbatos was angered by this move. He was thoroughly humiliated. He wanted to slash Ammon's smug face, but he knew that would cause the seizure attack again. With no other way to fight back, Barbatos sat on the bed nearby, defeated.

"However," said Ammon, whose smug face turned into something else that made Barbatos shudder. "I may know compassion, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to make a demon suffer."

"Try me," said Barbatos rather half-heartedly.

"You're the only one of your kind, so I doubt you even know what love is. In fact, I can't imagine darkness to even know what pleasure is. So, Barbatos, a little visit to the Second Circle might do you good."

Behind him, Belial sighed and said, "Really? You became the leader of your domain and your first priority is that?"

"Don't you want to know how it works up here?" said Ammon. "Besides, we need to talk about our own relationship."

Barbatos did not understand what Ammon meant, but he had an idea about what he would encounter in the Second Circle.

What he knew next, however, was that Ammon clearly had something dirty in mind, and Barbatos did not even want to know.

All he could do was hope that Ammon did not get too overboard. Whatever he had in mind would not be good for the former prince.

***

Ammon and Belial decided to go out into the city while leaving Barbatos in the room. The former prince was already helpless with the Mark all over his body, so he would not even try to get away without Ammon knowing about it. The couple then walked to a restaurant and ordered a big chunk of steak.

"So, what did you want to say back then?" said Ammon while eating a chunk of steak. "About the future of the Fifth Circle?"

"I say 'wait and see for a bit', because I want you to know that I'm considering stepping down as a prince."

"Wait a sec. You're stepping down?!"

"Why?"

"You're a wrath demon prince. You don't step down unless defeated."

"I realized that my obligation as an Infernal prince clearly conflicted with how I developed during this journey. So, I was thinking whether Azazel could take over. My only concern is that no one will respect him because I handed the throne to him without even letting him take it from me. He won't even like it, either. Azazel's not Asmodel."

"I know what you mean. But why?"

"Because of you, Ammon." Belial then held Ammon's wing claw. "I have never thought about it, but my travel here has made me realize that there's more than just fighting and killing. I wanted you to be happy, and I want to know you more, but I can't do it without being seen by the other Infernals as someone who betrays his kind for something as dubious as 'love'."

"Belial..."

"That's why I want to try and maybe form a truce to keep the Fifth Circle's fighting down to a minimum. I know it won't work. I know it's far too radical, but I want to at least try."

"I must admit, Belial. I don't really want to be your enemy, not after everything we've gone through," said Ammon. "But, maybe you should wait for a while, at least until my domain is fully in control first. Now that Barbatos is gone and the other Vessels are freed from his clutches, it's time to claim that domain as the domain of our kind. So, I need your help to keep your other siblings away from me, at least until we can talk about it diplomatically."

"Diplomacy," said Belial with a chuckle. "That's the word I would never associate my siblings, or even demons. You'll be a game-changer down there, Ammon."

"Is it good or bad?"

"It depends." Belial then sipped a cup of coffee. "Demons are known to be stubborn."

"I have someone stubborn on my side already," said Ammon, smiling.

"Cheeky bat," said Belial while forming a smile.

"You know, for an Infernal like you, seeing you smile sincerely like that makes you look a little...cute."

"Cute?!"

"Unless...that's offensive?"

"No. Well, normally, it does, but for you, I give an exception."

Ammon chuckled, then moved to kiss Belial. Belial had never felt such genuine love coming from both him and Ammon. Now that both had become prince of hell, it might sound disturbing if they called each other 'brother'. Still, even if that happened, they were far too different to even be considered siblings.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Qeveriyt, Zardes and Itresil talked with Asdal while relaxing near the underground lake, which was also the source of clean water for the city. The Infernal dipped one of his hooves into the water and sensed a strong magic emanating from it. It was very comfortable, and he was fortunate that it was not a type of anti-demon magic that could hurt him.

"Impressive," said Asdal. "I never would've thought surface dwellers could be this magically advanced in only 300 years."

"They have a little help from the demons, which sounds bad," said Zardes. "I mean, they salvaged demonic technology and improve them from there, so that's that."

"I know what you mean. Still, to think that the once fleeting organization would become one of the biggest groups that saved the world a couple of times is impressive enough. It seems that I need to learn more about the world ever since my imprisonment."

"Where did you get this impulse to travel, Asdal?" asked Zardes. "Is it boredom?"

"A little temptation, courtesy of the lust demons." Asdal sighed. "I was drawn to a world more colorful than the spilled blood and pool of shit down in the Fifth Circle, and that of sex. Well...I did not think my little escapade turned out to be something much bigger."

"So, you've traveled the surface world?"

"Back when the humans would call the dark ages and when the dragons' fate lies within the first dragon and rider pairing. Oh, and an intelligent dragon that inspired hope. I think his name was...Gran-something."

"Grandos," said Itresil. "The hero of dragons, and one of the founders of the Order. So, you've walked the Earth for nine hundred years."

"Now that you've said it, I guess I do. I still wonder why I haven't dropped dead already. I've never known a demon turning into a mortal could live that long. Well, except me, of course."

"And what's your next plan?" asked Zardes.

"Travel the world. Maybe continue my journal. There's a lot more I haven't seen, and I'd like to see all of them. Having a long life can help you do this sort of thing."

"Have you considered returning home?"

"I cannot return home now. I've been traveling far too long. I lost my immortality in exchange for emotions and feelings. I don't think it's a bad thing, and given that I'm an Infernal, being a damned will just be a short downtime."

"And you'll return up here one day, to travel once more?"

"Maybe. We demons are cursed to roam the Earth until the final judgement, or at least that's what the legends said about the Evils of the Forgotten Circles. There's a prophecy that one day, the son born from one of the Evils, bearing the Mark of the Beast, would spell the end. The Apocalypse, where the demonic invasion is inevitable, will be the end of everything."

"And the demons tried to hasten that process. Well, it's in your blood."

"Yeah, I know. About traveling, I think I'll stay around for a while. Malkar had asked me to talk about anything I know about the Ashen Kingdom and what it was, specifically those I had not written. Still, I really want to admire the culture and the arts and see the appeal of the attempted invasions."

"I will tell you this, Asdal," said Itresil. "You'll forget that you're a demon. This world is far more interesting than you might think."

"I'll keep those words, Itresil. I'll keep it. Anyway, have any of you know a good place to eat around here? I'm starving."

"I'm craving some Eastern," said Zardes. "How about we get some takeaways and chat in my home?"

"Eastern? Oh, I haven't been there for a while," said Asdal. "Sounds like their food's gonna be good."

"Believe me. They have some of the best taste in the whole continent."

Asdal was intrigued. It seemed that his time among the mortals would be extended, after all.

As the trio returned to the city, others, like Gehen, Alhen, and Damos, decided that they had their own job to do. The demonic invasion caused extensive damage, so the three decided to return to the Ashen Lands and help rebuilding, along with coordinating their efforts with the surface hellhounds. Aside from that, Alhen and Damos wanted to know a bit more about Common, so they did not need someone to ask to translate every time.

In the end, things slowly turned to normal, and life had never been better.

***

As the group and the rest of the world recovered, there was one other player who was curiously left out of everything: Asmodel.

After they reached Qeveriyt, Asmodel disappeared into the city. As this was something normal, the group did not really care. They, however, missed out a lot of things.

In an abandoned home where no one had lived for a while, Asmodel sat on a chair relaxing while eating some meat. It was a raw meat he cut from the original inhabitants of the house: vagrants who had made the home as their own.

"Well, I think it's time for me to shine. Don't you think so, reader?" said Asmodel while licking blood of his claws. "I think you're curious why I am aware of you. Well, I simply know who you are. You're the audience reading how stories unfold in this world. Was it a good story? Well, don't tell me. I don't really care. It simply happens out of our dear writer's imagination. There are some points he forgotten, and I'm sure he has re-written part of it already and completely changing everything. I won't tell you what happened before, though.

"Me? Well, I'm Asmodel. Fortunately for you, I am not going to tease you. I'll just tell you this. I am not Asmodel. I simply took his form. You might've wondered why Asmodel is so different from Belial while he was already known to be a wrath demon. The answer is simple. He was the same with them: a vulgar, violent winged feline demon calling himself an Asmodian. However, he was ready to play dirty to achieve victory, much like the fallen antagonist of this story, Barbatos. He thought that he might get the best of his siblings by making an alliance with us. Oh, I pity his naivete. Did he really think we would simply follow him like slaves following his master?

"Besides, we knew that a proxy in the form of a hellhound was not going to work. Everyone already knew what to expect. So, we just kill him and put his soul in the Circles, eternally bound to it with no chance of getting out. By the way, thanks for the body. I doubt you can listen to us down there, but I'm sure you know.

"Oh, I slipped, didn't I? I called myself 'we' instead of 'I'. Does that make you feel scared? Barbatos did say that he was not a Legion, because his darkness only had one consciousness: himself. I don't really care what you're thinking right now, but just so you know, we are already here.

"So, now we're in the end of our story together. In the meantime, I'll travel the world. Maybe I find a soulmate, and after that, a child. People always say the next generation will finish whatever you started, so I suppose he'll be the leader we all need. No, not Barbatos. Not Asmodel, but a true leader who will lead the entirety of hell. The King of Demons.

"And the best thing of all? You cannot fight against me. How can you? We exist in a different reality, and all I did is to make you aware that I know who you are.

"So, just sit back and relax. Things will get interesting soon enough.