The Prophecy of Light - Part 1: Heaven and Hell
Chapter 4 - The cawing of hope
Several
weeks
had
passed
since
the
first
dark
magician
was
created.
In
the
meantime
Satan
had
sent
out
demons
to
bring
more
mortals
to
hell
for
this
purpose.
Several
hundred
had
come
together,
who
were
taught
by
the
demons
in
the
art
of
dark
magic.
The
wishes
of
the
mortals
had
been
very
different:
From
riches,
health,
immortality,
to
vengeance,
women
and
country
ranks.
"Fresh
air
at
last",
Perniger
said
to
himself,
beating
dust
and
ashes
from
his
fur
and
clothing.
Only
a
few
hours
would
be
given
to
him
to
strengthen
and
rest
outside
of
hell,
then
he
would
go
back
to
continue
his
training.
Teleporting
was
one
of
the
things
he
enjoyed
most,
besides
accumulating
and
spending
money.
He
had
never
seen
so
much
of
the
world
before,
but
now
everything
was
open
to
him.
Since
he
didn't
know
his
way
around
well,
it
had
happened
to
him
several
times,
that
he
appeared
in
the
middle
of
a
lake,
on
a
high
mountain
or
even
in
the
house
of
a
stranger.
In
the
meantime
he
had
acquired
a
small
bag
that
he
wore
on
his
trousers,
where
he
stored
his
gold
coins.
Perniger
stretched
his
body
painfully
and
squinted
his
eyes
a
little:
"They're
slave
drivers,
but
first
get
something
to
eat."
He
already
knew
his
way
around
this
area
and
ran
straight
to
the
town
in
front
of
him.
The
houses
had
some
damage,
probably
from
the
fights
with
the
demons.
Nevertheless
it
was
a
cosy
place
where
many
people
lived
and
there
was
a
great
inn.
There
he
eating
almost
daily,
drinking
wine
and
filling
his
stomach
with
the
most
expensive
food.
Whistling
merrily,
he
walked
along
the
streets,
passing
stalls
here
and
there.
Although
he
could
buy
anything
he
wanted,
he
grabbed
an
apple
and
bit
into
it
with relish: "That's the way I like it. Beautiful sunshine, I can have anything I want and no one can stop me."
Cleverly
Perniger
turned
the
dagger
in
his
hand
and
ignored
the
annoyed
look
of
Falx,
who
was
facing
him:
"You
shouldn't
play
around
with
it,
but
hit
the
stone
there.
Perniger
didn't
really
feel
like
it,
because
he
had
already
known
how
to
handle
daggers
and
knives.
Just
because
the
dagger
had
now
been
created
from
dark
magic,
didn't
mean
it
was
of
any
use.
A
dagger
was
a
dagger.
Amused,
Perniger
threw
to
the
stone,
"Satisfied?"
"You
must
throw
with
more
force",
Falx
admonished
him
again,
"If
you
allow
the
dagger
to
penetrate
deep
into
the
flesh,
your
opponent
will
be
severely
impaired
or,
at
best,
dead."
"It
is
time
to
conquer
the
world
of
the
living",
Satan's
gloomy
voice
resounded
from
the
roof
of
his
castle.
Like
many
others,
Falx
hadn't
even
noticed
that
he
had
appeared
up
there.
"Go
and
conquer
the
towns
and
villages",
he
commanded
them,
"and
destroy
the
light
magicians!"
Little
by
little,
the
demons
disappeared
with
the
new
dark
magicians
in
black
fire
to
carry
out
the
lord's
command.
Perniger
looked
around
as
soon
as
they
appeared
outside
the
city.
It
was
a
quite
considerable
army,
so
it
should
be
an
easy
task
to
conquer
the
city.
"Surrender
now
or
we'll
destroy
your
homes,
take
all
your
wealth,
and
the
demons
will
take
your
blood,"
he
announced
immediately,
sure
of
his
superiority.
Annoyed,
Falx
looked
at
him:
"We
have
to
refresh
your
basic
knowledge
about
demons.
Not
all
demons
drink
blood."
Many
of
the
inhabitants
hid
in
their
houses
and
locked
doors
and
windows.
Instead
of
giving
up,
a
larger
group
of
men
and
women
confronted
them:
"Get
out!
We
won‘t
leave
our
homes
to
you."
Grumbling
Metos
looked
at
their
opponents
and
then
at
Verentia:
"Let
the
dark
magicians
fight
first.
Then
we
will
see
directly
if
it
was
worth
the
effort."
Since
Verentia
never
fought
for
herself
anyway,
if
it
wasn't
worth
the
effort,
she
had
no
objection
to
Metos'
suggestion:
"Come
on!
Servants
of
Satan
shows
how
powerful
you
are!"
Some
of
the
dark
magicians
ran
straight
away
into
the
fight,
making
swords,
daggers
or
knives
of
dark
magic
appear.
Surprised,
the
light
magicians
could
watched
how
black
smoke
formed
weapons,
sharp
and
dangerous.
"Create
a
shield!"
cried
someone
from
the
light
magicians
over
the
group.
Almost
at
the
same
time,
the
light
magicians
stretched
out
their
hands
as
if
dark
magicians
wanted
to
fend
off
the
attackers
with
their
bare
hands.
But
instead
the
dark
magicians
ran
into
an
invisible
wall,
hit
it
with
their
weapons
and
got
support
from
the
magicians
behind,
who
shot
at
the
invisible
obstacle
with
dark
magic
balls.
Perniger
even
kicked
the
mysterious
wall
in
front
of
him
several
times:
"Cowards!
Fight
like
real
men!"
In
fact,
there
were
only
a
few
women
among
the
light
magicians.
It
just
wasn't
fitting
for
a
woman
to
go
into
battle.
The
man
was
responsible
for
protecting
the
family,
but
not
every
woman
could
rely
on
a
man
at
her
side.
So
they
preferred
to
fight
for
themselves.
Gabriel
had
rewarded
this
courage
with
the
light
magic.
"We
use
our
heads",
replied
one
of
the
women
on
Perniger's
challenge,
but
didn't
move
an
inch.
"Sure...
the
head...",
Perniger
mumbled
to
himself
as
he
hit
his
fist
against
the
shield,
"Well,
than
I
will
use
my
head.“
He
took
a
few
steps
back
and
looked
around.
Not
that
he
could
see
the
shield,
but
the
magicians
behind
it,
and
that
gave
him
an
idea.
Wit
a
grin
on
his
face,
he
ran
past
one
light
magicians
after
another
until
he
finally
reached
the
last
one.
This
light
magician
stood
to
the
left
of
one
of
the
houses
and
eyed
Perniger
sceptically.
"Don't
look
like
that
at
me,
I'm
just
going
for
a
walk
here",
Perniger
joked
and
followed
the
wall
of
the
houses
to
the
next
street.
There
was
no
light
magician
standing
there
anymore
who
would
block
his
way.
For
a
test
he
reached
out
his
hand
and
felt
no
resistance.
Laughing
loudly
he
called
out
to
the
other
dark
magicians:
"Just
run
around
them!
They
can't
put
up
their
walls
everywhere!"
"Looks
like
our
little
thief
isn‘t
only
fighting
with
magic",
Falx
told
the
other
two.
Like
all
the
other
demons,
the
three
had
stayed
out
of
the
fight
so
far.
"He's
got
quite
a
big
mouth",
Verentia
replied,
while
the
dark
magicians
split
up
and
poured
out
in
all
directions.
"Stand
up
to
them",
called
a
voice
from
the
ranks
of
the
light
magicians
again.
The
defence
was
dropped,
the
shield
disintegrated
while
the
light
magicians
tried
to
intercept
their
enemies.
They
had
no
weapons
themselves
and,
to
their
knowledge,
couldn‘t
create
any
from
their
magic.
Instead
they
attacked
with
light
magic
balls,
blinded
their
enemies
with
pure
light
or
even
fought
with
their
fists.
"Work
as
a
team",
it
called
from
the
ranks
of
the
light
magicians
again,
„Concentrate
more
on
ranged
combat.“
Perniger
lurked
in
a
side
street,
nestled
against
the
wall,
waiting
for
his
next
opponent.
He
liked
the
excitement,
the
thrill,
that‘s
why
he
like
stealing.
Quickly
he
jumped
out
of
his
hiding
place,
used
the
moment
of
surprise
and
thrust
the
dagger
deep
between
the
light
magician‘s
ribs.
Painfully
he
collapsed,
but
he
wasn‘t
alone.
His
team
partner
shot
Perniger
directly
with
light
magic
balls,
who
was
hit
several
times,
somewhat
taken
by
surprise.
Staggering
he
tried
to
throw
himself
on
the
other
light
magician.
In
all
the
excitement
he
had
forgotten
that
his
dagger
was
still
stuck
in
the
other
one's
ribs
and
so
he
had
to
use
his
fists
spontaneously
for
the
attack.
More
hits
pelted
down
on
his
body
before
Perniger
fell
to
the
ground,
contracting
painfully.
It
was
clear,
that
he
couldn‘t
fight
like
that
and
decided
to
retreat,
and
disappearing
in
black
smoke
before
the
light
magician's
eyes.
The
light
magician
now
bent
down
to
his
comrade:
"Breathe calmly. I will heal you."
Verentia
looked
thoughtfully
at
the
prince's
castle.
Once
again
they
had
lost
the
battle.
Although
the
demons
had
finally
set
fire
to
a
few
houses
and
eliminated
a
few
light
magicians,
the
angels
had
descended.
No
one
could
fight
against
light,
so
they
had
to
retreated.
"I
have
to
cool
my
wounds",
Perniger
lamented,
who
rubbed
over
the
aching
spots,
which
affected
almost
his
whole
body,
"If
you're
looking
for
me,
I'll
organize
some
water.
"Do
what
you
want",
Falx
commented
casually
and
looked
at
Verentia
questioningly,
"Not
everyone
has
come
back
yet.
That
doesn't
necessarily
mean
anything."
"I
was
really
hoping
they
would
be
the
solution
to
our
problem,
but
now..."
Out
of
the
corner
of
his
eye
Falx
still
saw
Perniger
dissolving
in
black
smoke
and
teleporting
away:
"We
failed
-
ok
-
but
this
isn‘t
the
downfall
of
our
people.
Look
around,
we
are
still
here.
As
long
as
we
live,
we
will
fight.
After
all,
we
are
demons."
"You're
right",
Verentia
replied,
"And
I
represent
all
the
female
demons
in
this
fight.
I
can't
give
up,
and
I'm
gonna
make
it."
Smiling,
Falx
nodded
to
her,
"That's how we know the Awesome. Always proud and ready to fight."
The
houses
on
the
village
square
were
ablaze.
Some
demons
had
simply
appeared
there
with
other
normal
people.
In
the
first
moment
Candidus
had
thought
that
they
were
prisoners,
leverage
or
the
demons
would
use
them
as
shields,
but
none
of
this
was
true.
They
used
magic
as
well,
but
not
light
magic,
but
dark
magic.
The
same
magic
that
the
demons
used.
Before
they
knew
it,
the
dark
magicians
had
attacked
the
inhabitants
and
the
demons
had
set
fire
to
the
surrounding
houses.
Candidus
had
been
at
the
market
place
at
that
time
and
wanted
to
exchange
his
harvest
for
other
things,
as
was
customary.
Instead
he
found
himself
in
a
fight.
The
shields
had
quickly
bypassed
the
attackers
and
attacked
with
swords,
daggers
and
knives.
Gabriel's
angels
came
to
the
aid
after
a
short
time,
but
the
fire
didn‘t
stop
blazing.
"Get
more
water,"
Candidus
shouted
to
the
other
inhabitants
who
had
no
magic.
He
himself,
as
well
as
the
other
magicians
still
tried
together
with
the
angels
to
chase
away
the
attackers.
One
small
ball
of
light
after
the
other
dipped
into
an
element
and
then
attacked
the
demons
and
dark
magicians
permanently.
Candidus
attacked
with
light
magic
balls,
always
looking
around
for
his
fellow
combatants
and
possible
injured:
"Don't
let
up.
Gabriel
protects
us,
his
angels
help
us.
We
can
do
this."
His
strong
belief
in
the
abilities
and
Gabriel
himself
not
only
helped
him,
but
also
strengthened
the
other
magicians.
They
had
received
the
light
to
protect
their
loved
ones
and
that's
exactly
what
they
would
do.
While
the
dark
magicians
mostly
concentrated
on
close
combat,
the
light
magicians
tried
to
stay
away
from
them.
If
the
dark
magicians
got
too
close
to
them,
they
produced
concentrated
light
to
blind
them
and
gain
distance
again.
Their
luck
was
that
the
demons
actually
stayed
in
the
background.
However,
the
fire
had
almost
got
out
of
control.
The
angels
sent
down
more
light
elves.
For
Candidus
and
the
others,
they
were
only
small
balls
of
light,
which
searched
for
their
way
to
the
enemy.
A
group
of
light
elves
immersed
themselves
in
the
flames
and
thus
took
on
the
element
of
fire.
They
attacked
the
dark
magicians
in
a
targeted
manner,
for
the
angels
knew
that
demons
couldn‘t
burn.
It
would
hurt
them,
but
it
wouldn't
scare
them
away.
The
dark
magicians,
however,
cried
out
when
they
came
into
contact
with
the
fire
elves
or
threw
themselves
panicky
on
the
ground
when
their
clothing
caught
fire.
The
heat
of
the
fire
bothered
Candidus
while
he
continued
to
attack
the
dark
magicians.
There
were
fewer.
More
and
more
simply
disappeared
in
black
smoke.
The
angels
followed
up
once
more
with
a
new
group
of
light
elves,
which
dipped
into
the
fire
again.
But
not
all
light
elves
left
the
fire
immediately,
one
seemed
to
be
missing.
The
magicians,
demons
and
villagers
didn't
even
notice
that.
They
were
much
too
busy
with
the
actual
battle.
A
young
wolf,
about
20
years
old,
ran
undressed
from
the
flames
of
the
burning
house.
He
looked
unharmed
but
confused.
Candidus
noticed
him
out
of
the
corner
of
his
eye:
"Are
you
hurt?"
Oddly
enough,
Candidus
had
never
seen
him
there
before,
though
everyone
in
the
small
village
knew
each
other.
Was
he
a
homeless
man
who
had
been
hiding
in
the
village
until
then?
There
was
no
answer
to
Candidus'
question.
He
couldn‘t
care
much
about
him
either,
because
he
still
had
to
take
care
of
his
own
defence
and
to
push
away
the
remaining
attackers.
The
strange
wolf
started
to
move,
patted
his
chest
as
if
he
was
gasping
for
breath,
and
suddenly
a
jet
of
fire
shot
out
of
his
mouth,
as
one
only
knew
it
from
demons.
Candidus
now
took
him
as
an
enemy,
of
course,
but
the
stranger
seemed
just
as frightened and ran away. Candidus briefly considered following him, but decided not to abandon his comrades.
Finally
the
last
dark
magician
had
disappeared
in
black
smoke.
Shortly
afterwards
the
demons
retreated
as
well,
who
instead
went
up
in
black
flames.
But
the
light
magicians
had
no
time
to
rest
and
started
running
to
get
more
water.
Some
houses
were
already
lost,
but
the
neighbouring
houses
had
to
be
protected.
The
angels
above
their
heads
made
the
light
elves
disappear,
their
task
was
done.
The
bright
figures
now
rose
higher
into
the
sky
again
and
finally
disappeared.
Bucket
after
bucket
was
brought
up
from
the
well.
"Move
faster!"
"The
flames
just
won't
get
any
smaller."
"We
need
more
water!"
"The
fire
is
spreading
to
the
fields!"
Voices
were
ringing
out
from
everywhere.
Had
they
really
won
the
battle?
There
would
probably
be
nothing
left
of
the
village
but
ashes.
Candidus
looked
to
the
sky.
"Gabriel,
please,
if
there's
anything
you
can
do,
please
help
us."
They
would
never
be
able
to
control
the
flames
alone.
Among
all
the
smoke
that
was
moving
to
the
sky,
other
clouds
seemed
to
form.
A
glimmer
of
hope
germinated
in
Candidus:
"Rain,
please
let
it
rain."
In
fact,
lightning
flashed
between
the
clouds,
thundered
and
thick
drops
of
rain
poured
down
on
the
village
in
a
torrent
of
water.
The
villagers
stopped,
partially
stretched
out
their
arms
and
gratefully
let
the
rain
fall
down
on
them.
It
was
a
true
miracle.
The
fire
went
out,
the
smell
of
wet
ashes
was
everywhere
in
the
village.
Many
of
the
villagers
who
lived
in
the
centre
had
lost
everything
in
the
flames.
Slowly
the
rain
began
to
stop
and
the
villagers
became
aware
of
the
loss
and
the
full
extent
of
the
destruction.
They
were
the
remains
of
a
battlefield.
Candidus
himself
hadn‘t
fallen,
but
his
house
stood
further
away
from
the
village
and
was
thus
spared:
"I
can
take
in
a
few
people
until
we
have
rebuilt
the
houses.
I'm
sure
there's
room
for
others."
He
looked
around,
some
people
nodded
their
heads
in
agreement:
"If
you
don't
have
a
place
to
sleep,
you
can
stay
with
neighbours
and
friends.
We'll
manage."
You
could feel the relief of the now homeless that they wouldn't die miserable on the streets.
Tired
Candidus
looked
at
his
field.
He
had
been
lucky
and
nothing
had
happened
to
his
family.
Nevertheless
he
was
worried,
because
the
fights
would
surely
not
end
so
soon.
His
life
as
a
farmer
had
always
been
enough
for
him,
now
he
used
magic.
It
still
seemed
a
bit
strange.
Protecting
with
his
arm,
he
held
it
in
front
of
his
eyes
when
a
bright
light
appeared
in
front
of
him
from
which
Gabriel
appeared:
"You
did
well
today.
It
took
Candidus
a
moment
before
he
respectfully
replied,
"Your
angels
have
helped
us
much.
Without
you,
your
magic,
your
angels...
we'd
all
be
dead.
We're
all
eternally
grateful
to
you."
"You
have
strong
faith",
Gabriel
remarked
with
a
smile,
"and
the
light
magicians
need
a
leader.
I
want
to
give
you
the
crow
magic."
"I'm
only
a
farmer,
I
don't
know
what
this
crow
magic
is.
You
should
choose
someone
else.
Someone
in
a
higher
position",
Candidus
protested
somewhat
startled
at
Gabriel's
proposal.
"It
is
a
special
magic“,
Gabriel
explained
in
a
calm
tone,
"a
stronger
form
of
light
magic.
I
have
given
this
magic
the
form
of
a
crow,
as
a
symbol
of
the
bond
between
life
and
death.
In
addition,
the
magic
of
light
has
many
more
possibilities
than
you
have
used
so
far.
I
think
you
are
the
right
man
to
lead
your
people,
the
people
of
light
magic."
"I
have
no
idea
how
to
lead
a
people",
he
contradicted
again
and
looked
somewhat
helplessly
at
Gabriel,
"As
much
as
I
am
honored
by
your
offer.“
Smiling,
Gabriel
raised
his
hand
and
laid
it
on
Candidus'
chest:
"I
will
help
you,
you
aren‘t
alone.
Your
faith
is
your
greatest
strength.
Remember
that."
Then
Candidus
began
to
glow,
stronger
and
stronger.
He
closed
his
eyes,
but
relaxed
quickly
as
the
light
felt
warm
and
friendly.
The
light
disappeared
into
his
body
and
a
light
grey
crow
symbol
appeared
above
his
left
eye.
It
looked
like
a
fur
drawing,
unusual
but
natural.
Candidus
looked
at
his
hands
and
then
indecisively
at
Gabriel,
"It
doesn't
feel
much
different."
"Your
children
shall
have
it
too.
Once
you
are
gone,
they
must
be
able
to
defend
themselves
and
lead
their
people",
Gabriel
gently
explained
to
him,
"Don't
worry,
they
will
master
it
better
than
you
one
day.
They
grow
up
with
it
and
it
will
quickly
become
a
normal
part
of
their
lives."
Candidus
turned
to
his
house,
"All
right,
I'll
go
get
them.
Wait
here
a
minute."
Quickly,
he
went
into
the
house
to
take
his
daughter
and
son
to
Gabriel.
Though
the
situation
still
overwhelmed
him,
he
trusted
Gabriel
completely. For the good of his family, he would become the leader, for Gabriel saw in him. He had to put aside his doubts.
Again
Gabriel
showed
him
how
he
conjured
up
a
magic
crow.
It
was
like
a
ball
of
light
magic,
only
it
took
the
shape
of
a
crow
and
was
much
more
concentrated.
So
far
Candidus
has
had
considerable
problems
with
this.
Although
you
could
detect
a
hint
of
wings
as
he
focused
the
magic
and
tried
to
give
it
a
shape,
the
construct
needed
to
be
put
back
together
each
time.
"You
mustn't
tense
up
like
this.
Think
about
beautiful
things,
the
people
who
are
important
to
you,
and
let
your
strengthened
positive
feelings
glide
gently
through
your
body.
It's
like
a
river
and
at
the
end
of
it,
a
beautiful
lake
is
created",
Gabriel
patiently
explained
to
him.
With
deep
breaths,
Candidus
tried
to
relax
himself
and
started
a
new
attempt:
"Let
it
flow."
Concentrated,
he
tried
to
transform
his
deepest
feelings
into
the
magic
flow.
Instead
of
a
crow,
a
bright
light
was
created,
which
blinded
the
nearer
surroundings
like
a
short
but
very
strong
flash.
"Take
a
break
and
practice
for
yourself
later.
When
you've
done
it,
I'll
come
back
and
show
you
how
to
steer
it
and
get
even
bigger.
But
that
should
be
enough
for
today",
said
Gabriel
smiling,
"You
are
doing
really
well,
Candidus.
Don't
worry
so
much
about
it."
Nodding,
but
a
bit
bent,
Candidus
agreed
with
this:
"Thank
you
for
everything.
I
really
can't
say
it
enough."
"Before
I
go
now,
Candidus",
Gabriel
began
again,
as
if
he
had
thought
of
something
important,
"I
will
let
all
the
light
magicians
know
that
you
are
their
leader
and
have
been
chosen
by
me.
No
one
will
question
you.
The
people
of
the
light
magicians
are
supposed
to
be
a
people
of
protectors
and
keepers.
I'm
sure
that's
exactly
what
you
will
convey."
Before
Candidus
could
say
anything
back,
Gabriel
disappeared
into
the
glare
of
the
light
and
left
nothing
but
a
white
feather
which
also
disintegrated.
"I'm
supposed
to
take
a
break..."
he sighed and went to his house, "How am I supposed to relax with all these things on my mind?"
Several
months
had
passed
since
Candidus
had
received
the
crow
magic
from
Gabriel.
With
a
lot
of
practice
he
could
finally
master
it.
The
houses
of
the
village
had
been
rebuilt
for
the
most
part,
but
in
the
meantime
they
had
suffered
a
few
setbacks
due
to
the
attacks
of
demons
and
dark
magicians.
Candidus
had
started
to
divide
the
light
magicians
better,
forming
three
groups.
The
two
largest
groups
once
consisted
of
the
light
magicians,
who
specialized
in
defence
and
thus
tried
to
use
the
shield
optimally.
On
the
other
hand,
there
was
the
group
of
magicians
who
went
into
direct
close
or
long-
range
combat.
These
specialized
in
attacking
magic,
speed
and
strategy.
Besides
these
two
larger
groups
there
was
the
group
of
healers.
They
concentrated
on
taking
care
of
the
injured
and
preventing
or
fighting
diseases.
This
new
division
had
already
proved
itself
after
a
short
time.
Well
distributed
the
light
magicians
even
managed
to
protect
most
of
the
village
with
a
huge
shield.
This
way,
the
fights
were
fought
in
the
outer
area
and
the
non-magicians
could
find
safety
inside
the
village.
"Have
you
got
everything?"
Candidus
reassured
himself
once
again
with
his
wife
and
children.
After
he
had
successfully
made
the
village
his
safer
place,
he
now
wanted
to
move
on
to
other
villages
and
towns.
He
had
the
feeling
that
Gabriel
expected
something
like
this,
so
he
could
support
the
light
magicians
everywhere.
On
them,
it
finally
depended
whether
they
would
be
subjugated
by
the
Prince
of
Darkness
or
hopefully
go
into
a
future
that
would
bring
peace
to
them
all.
"We
can
go,"
his
wife
reassured
him,
"I
hope
we
don‘t
regret
this
decision."
"Gabriel
will
be
with
us",
Candidus
replied, then looked up at the sky, "He watches over us all."
Full
of
dirt
and
ashes
Perniger
stood
before
the
hole
in
the
ground
in
which
he
hid
his
treasures.
Over
and
over
again
he
reached
into
his
pocket
and
took
out
new
pieces
of
gold,
which
he
let
fall
down.
He
grinned
happily:
"If
I
keep
this
up,
I'll
soon
need
a
bigger
hole."
Because
of
the
many
fights
with
the
light
magicians
in
the
last
months
he
had
it
more
and
more
difficult
to
spend
money
in
some
places
there,
because
they
recognized
him
as
a
dark
magician
and
attacked
directly.
Therefore
he
took
more
and
more
care
to
only
go
to
places
where
he
hadn‘t
been
attacked
before.
Again
and
again
he
looked
around
to
see
if
someone
would
come
into
the
forest
and
discover
his
hiding
place.
Finally,
one
could
hear
the
jingling
of
the
gold
coins
a
little
further.
Perniger
wouldn't
shy
away
from
killing
the
uninvited
guest.
"Once
more",
Perniger
said
to
himself
and
reached
into
his
pockets
again
to
get
out
another
load
of
gold
coins.
He
dropped
it
into
his
treasure
hole
as
well,
before
he
reached
for
his
shovel
and
filled
it
up
with
earth
again,
piece
by
piece.
Surely
he
could
have
bought
a
house
with
it,
could
have
lived
well
and
still
be
in
Satan's
service,
but
Perniger
was
too
afraid
that
he
himself
would
be
robbed.
Therefore
he
preferred to continue to bury his treasure and to multiply it from time to time.
Luckily,
Damon's
leg
had
healed
well,
but
he
had
never
doubted
it
either.
Demons
were
quite
resistant
to
it
and
their
bodies
healed
well,
mostly
without
leaving
any
permanent
damage.
Since
Damon
had
no
open
wound,
there
was
no
scar.
Just
now
Damon
was
on
his
way
to
Portunus,
walking
over
a
wide
plain
and
didn't
really
know
where
he
wanted
to
go.
Dimicatio
had
returned
to
his
so-called
Shadow
Gate.
He
didn‘t
have
to
wait
for
his
support.
Most
of
the
time
Damon
had
been
travelling
in
the
desert
on
the
continent
of
Fidius.
Since
he,
like
most
demons,
needed
neither
water
nor
food,
t
h
e
r
e
had
been
no
hurry.
If
he
was
a
blood
demon,
he
would
have
had
to
hope
for
the
blood
of
another
demon
or
reach
one
of
the
few
desert
cities
and
villages
of
mortals
as
soon
as
possible.
But
Damon's
ability
was
rebirth.
He
still
knew
nothing
about
the
fact
that
Satan
hadn‘t
killed
the
demons,
but
only
enslaved
them.
Damon
stopped
in
amazement
and
looked
to
the
village
which
wasn‘t
far
away
from
him.
Wafts
of
smoke
rose
up
and
coloured
the
sky
black.
The
sun
was
already
low,
which
meant
that
Damon
didn't
immediately
realize
that
the
flames
in
the
village
were
also
pitch
black
and
not
reddish-orange.
Nevertheless
his
fine
demon
nose
had
picked
up
the
scent
of
another
demon.
He
didn‘t
believe
that
it
was
Dimicatio.
His
smell
was
also
rather
mild
and
light
in
contrast
to
most
demons.
This
smell
seemed
heavy
and
had
the
strong
adherence
of
ashes,
which
could
come
through
the
fire.
Determined
to
pursue
this,
Damon
ran
towards
the
burning
village.
Maybe
one
more
demon
had
survived,
but
what
would
it
do
in
a
village?
A
blood
demon
in
search
of
food?
Had
he
started
the
fire?
Why?
It
didn't
seem
to
make
any
sense.
When
he
reached
the
village,
he
was
presented
with
a
questionable
sight.
Among
the
flames
of
the
houses
mortals
were
fighting,
attacking
the
demons
with
bullets
of
light.
On
the
other
side
the
demons,
who
fought
only
half-heartedly,
supported
by
other
mortals
who
mastered
dark
magic.
Damon
no
longer
understood
the
world.
He
felt
relief
that
demons
were
still
alive,
amazement
at
what
was
happening
and
horror
at
the
magic
that
mortals
could
suddenly
use.
He
vacillated
between happiness over the surviving demons and despair over what he had done with his crazy idea.