Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

It took every bit of courage for Alphonse to ask the question that was burning inside him. There couldn’t be any reason for him to feel afraid. Cassandra, no matter what her secret abilities were, was just a teenage girl. Even if she kept him from possessing her, she didn’t have him killed… not that she could.

Right?

“Hey,” she said, drawing his attention to her. He blinked in surprise at the air. Unlike a few days ago, they were out in the backyard with Antonio. “Are you okay?”

Cassandra gave him a concerned expression, eyebrows furrowed as she hurried over to him from her goal post. Antonio practiced kicking the ball whilst running (a common skill soccer players had). Alphonse met her gaze and shrugged.

“Bullshit.”

“It’s nothing,” Alphonse said, his voice thick with stubbornness.

“What’s the matter?” She reached out and touched his smokey arm. He glanced down, certain he would never get over that. “You can tell me anything, Al.”

His eyes lifted to the gash on her forehead that was now well on its way to healing. How could he have left Cassandra on her own for that one day? “I just hate that I went away for so long and you got hurt.”

“It’s not a big deal.” She pulled her hand back and looked away. “I’m fine. Mom’s working now. Who cares? Have fun with us.”

“That’s another thing.” Al exhaled and swept over to the patio, sitting down and watching the boy sprinting about and kicking the ball into the goal with a victorious cry. “I have something… to ask you.” He swallowed hard, feeling something uncomfortable build up inside him. Was this what the humans talked about when they felt anxious?

“Okay,” Cassandra sat herself down beside him. “What’s up?”

The nauseous feeling inside him grew, thickening and ripping away at him. It was rising to his tongue, his mouth fighting to keep shut while everything inside him wanted to burst. “You said I wasn’t your first demon. What happened with the one before me?”

It was clear by the look on her face that of all the things he could’ve asked her, she didn’t expect this. For a moment, she stared at him without saying a word. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her eyebrows quirked, and she looked so pensive but serious, yet never looked away from his eyes.

Cassandra nodded slowly and took another breath, this time, shakier. “I thought you’d ask sometime. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon.” She took a pause and swallowed hard. “Nothing… bad… at least I don’t think. Just… we—it was kind of like us. He ended up giving up after a while. Just moved on to someone else, I think. Or maybe not. I’m not sure. He just disappeared one day.”

“Right… I doubt he really disappeared, is the thing,” Alphonse said. The demon must’ve turned into a risen demon. It was impossible not to care about Cassandra and her brother. Although, if that were to happen, Alphonse couldn’t imagine vanishing from their lives. “He ended up caring about you and your brother?”

“Yeah. It was only a couple of years ago,” she said, nodding. “I didn’t mean to change him or anything. I just didn’t want him to possess me. Same as you. I guess you guys are just too stubborn to lose. And then… I don’t know.” She sighed. “We kind of became friends-ish. Like you and me. I kind of like to think we’re sort of friends? Even if a little bit.”

“Honestly, you hang out more with me than that girl you like and that’s saying something,” Alphonse muttered.

“Well, what am I supposed to do? I see her at school all the time and she’s with her boyfriend and I can’t really talk to her about you, can I? So.” She let out a frustrated sigh, her head dropping into her hands.

“I’m sorry,” Alphonse whispered. He couldn’t believe he meant it, either. “I didn’t mean to make it so difficult between you and your real-life relationships.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault, really.”

“Feels like it is.”

“It’s not. It’s really all my choice.”

“What was his name?”

Cassandra paused and gaped at him before shrugging. “Klaus.”

Klaus. He knew the name solely because he knew everyone dubbed him as a risen demon. Even Alphonse sneered at the name because of what everyone called him. There’d been a demon hunt for Klaus, as risen demons had a warrant for execution.

Silas always carried executions out.

If Alphonse wasn’t careful, he would soon face the same fate as Klaus. He was so close to becoming a risen demon that he may as well tear himself into shreds before anyone else did.

“Cass,” Alphonse said, his voice slow and deliberate. “I think I will go on my way.”

Her bright eyes shone with tears she seemed incapable of holding back any longer, though her eyes showed how stunned and hurt she was. It pained him more than anything to make this decision. He didn’t want to leave her or her brother. He would’ve loved to protect them for the rest of their days.

Although, he couldn’t do that if he was dead.

“If that’s what you want.” She wiped at her eyes, sniffling. “I always said you could leave if you wanted to. I would never force you to stay. I’d never do that.”

“I know,” Alphonse agreed, his voice warm and regretful. “I always liked that you said that. But I think now, I have to take that offer. I can’t… stay here with you and your brother. I’m… I’m growing too attached.”

As he stood up, Cassandra let out a soft, shaky laugh. She looked up at him and nodded. “Klaus said the same thing. And then he never came back. So…”

This was good. Cassandra could go back to hanging with her friends properly. She’d turn eighteen, hopefully get away from her mom, and take her brother with her. Graduate. Go to college. Maybe find a girl who would actually return her feelings. It wasn’t like she couldn’t handle herself against demons. Clearly, she had that well under control.

“So, this is goodbye, Cass,” Alphonse said, stretching his hand out to her.

Cassandra let out a sob as she took his hand and shook it. Oh, how he would miss feeling human. He hated admitting it to himself, but this girl truly made him feel whole, made him feel more in touch with humanity than he’d ever been.

For what felt like an eternity, they stopped, hands still shaking as they looked at each other. In an instant, she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. Alphonse froze, unsure of what to do. The warmth overwhelmed him as she squeezed, making him feel like a solid person as she was so capable of doing. She pressed her face into his chest. Smoke and mist stilled into a form of a person, and his hesitant arms slowly looped around her.

Was he about to vomit? Something threatened to burst inside him, but his arms squeezed her gently, and she responded the same.

He couldn’t remember being hugged before.

“Take care of yourself,” Alphonse whispered, pulling away before it was all too much.

“You too,” she said, sniffling once more and giving him a sad smile.

Alphonse turned to look at Antonio, who’d taken to lying on the grass and looking up at the clouds in the sky. “He better make it to pro,” he said, making Cassandra laugh.

“I promise I’ll make him practice, though I don’t think he’ll need much persuading.”

“No, definitely not.” He gave Cassandra one last look and sighed. Waving a clawed, smoky hand, he swept away into the woods surrounding their backyard and vanished underneath the earth.

Depressive thoughts of leaving the only person who gave a damn about him in all of his existence plagued Alphonse’s mind. A person who turned into a friend. Who would’ve thought demons needed someone to care about them too? Maybe if demons weren’t such shitty people and jealous of humanity, they wouldn’t be lacking what they wanted so badly.

Making his way through the circles of Hell wasn’t as exciting as the last time. The tortured screams of souls just weren’t doing it for him this time around. Nothing pulled him out of wallowing in self-pity until his name was called, loud enough for him to look up in the direction the voice was coming from.

“Alphonse!”

Silas.

A demon of a higher tier, Silas exuded demi-god energy. Although he looked human, wisps of smoke swarmed him, his eyes pitch black with no white in them, teeth filed into fangs, and the blood of his victims drenched his person. “A little birdie told me you were having problems with a demon tamer,” he said, beaming and matching Alphonse’s gait.

“Nope… it’s all taken care of. Out of sight, out of mind,” Alphonse told him, shrugging.

“Okay, no. See… that’s bad. Pathetic, even. Terrible. ‘Cause that means you left the little vermin alive. You gave up on the thing. You let a measly little human beat you.”

Alphonse said nothing, but something about the way Silas grinned chilled him, even amongst all the flames.

“Now, I don’t want you to get a bad rep. You’re a badass. Your track record?” Silas kissed his fingers. “Chef’s kiss. I don’t want to fucking execute you!”

“Neither do I, incidentally.”

“So, how about I take care of the vermin for you?” he said, making Alphonse stop in his tracks. There was a knowing smirk on Silas’ face, his eyes wide as he studied Alphonse like he was expecting something.

Lucifer did say that Silas was the only demon to possess demon tamers successfully. If it were anyone else asking… well, Alphonse wouldn’t care.

But this was Silas. He could kill Cassandra. He could kill Antonio and Jade.

Alphonse had been quiet for so long that Silas had to speak a bit louder to get his attention. “Hey!” he yelled, and Alphonse blinked. “I’m fucking talking to you. You got a problem with me cleaning up the mess you left?”

Yes, Alphonse wanted to say, but knew the answer he had to say. He took a deep breath and gave Silas his cruelest smirk.

“As far as I’m concerned, she’s all yours. Just make her suffer. She’s the one that made Klaus a risen demon. Remember when you executed him?”

Silas groaned. “That was a loss to the possessing community. He was one of the best! Practically right under you. But when he came back, he was too far gone.” He sighed in dismay and shook his head. “Some demons are just so fucking weak. But you came back before she could turn you. That’s what strengthens you the most.” He looked over at Alphonse, who forced a smile. Silas went to clap his back, but his hand went right through his body, making him frown. “Sorry. Anyway. That demon tamer won’t be a problem anymore. By tomorrow, I’ll have her trapped in her own mind, begging for death.”

Alphonse laughed, though it came out a bit uneasy, and he was glad when someone else came to chat them up. His smile faded as his mind drifted into a silent panic.

There was no way in hell he would let Silas hurt Cassandra or the people she cared about.