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Arcio grimaced and seemed to writhe as he stood in deadlock with Ian. Apparently the kid found out his weakness… without the electricity, he was just as vulnerable as a regular demon.

Ian then turned his attention back to the fight, and managed to yank the blade from Arcios’ grip, spun around, and with one swipe, lobbed the dragon demon’s head right off.

Arcio’s body stood still, and after a few short seconds, slowly fell to the floor, limp.

Ian then gripped the blade even tighter and spun around one more time, this time letting go and hurling the blade at William in frustration. He was done with this. These attacks on the innocent, traps or not. This was going to end, now.

William chuckled and sunk into the floor immediately as he avoided the oncoming attack, rising back up in front of Ian and slamming a palm laced with shadow magic into his chest, forcing him back a few feet and skidding to a bit of a stumble.

“I’ll admit, I’m a little pissed that you killed my most powerful servant, but this is where I gain one even stronger.” He grinned as he held a crystal shard in his other hand.

Ian stumbled but easily regained his balance, retaliating with a blast of red energy from the Fists of Asura aimed at William. The half-shadow easily deflected the attack and with a simple flick of the wrist, created a large tendril of shadow to rise up from the ground and knock Ian forward towards him. William’s grin grew wide as he anticipated the timing, and instantly the crystal in his hand grew into a long stiletto, and aimed it at Ian’s heart. With a sickening ‘schlak’ the crystal impaled Ian, and then suddenly shrank after drawing blood. Though, that wasn’t the real case, it was making its way into Ian’s body, infiltrating his entire person on the inside. Ian stepped back and clutched at the now bleeding wound, and a split second later started to writhe and shout out in agonizing pain, struggling with some kind of torture of both the mind and the body.

Then, crystal started to form on parts of his body, growing rapidly to form some kind of armor to cover his body. His resistance slowly ebbed and he moved less, calming down, as it seemed, letting the crystal claim him. His voice fell silent and eventually he stood still, eyes closed, and calm. The Fists of Asura even reacted, the energy surrounding them turning from red to purple.

“You.” William suddenly spoke, and Ian’s eyes immediately shot open, something very wrong about them. His face’s expression changed from one of utter peace to a nasty, malevolent smile, and he slowly turned around to Gilly and his friends. He lifted one arm up, and aimed it right at them. In not even a split second a large blast of dark energy shot out towards them in attack.

Gilly and the rest were fighting their own individual battles with smaller, minor demons. They weren't as strong as Acrio, but they were enough to keep them busy, long enough for William to unleash his horrid plans.

As Gilly sunk her katar blade into the chest on her latest victim, Gilly smirked, and with one finger, pushed the lifeless vessel to the floor. But as the demon fell, Gilly caught sight of William plunging the crystal-stiletto in Ian's heart. Her enhanced human ears heard the entry, and saw the vivid red that flowed from his wound. Sheathing her katars behind her, Gilly quickly made her way toward Ian, leaping and hopping over torn up pieces of the ground.

Before she could examine the wound, his body began to don some sort of armor. "Ian?" Gilly whispered, only a few feet away from the man, but as he opened his eyes, Gilly felt a chill come over her. 'What...what is this?!' She thought, as Ian fired a burst of energy towards her and her allies.

Dodging it, and rolling to the side, Gilly stared at Ian breathlessly, as she felt the vibrations of the attack rumble underneath her feet. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She yelled, getting back up on her feet. 'I don't like this...there's something wrong with him...!' She thought, as she dashed toward Ian. Before he could attack again, Gilly grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously. 'This smile...this damn smile...! It's not him! It's not him!'

"Ian?! Ian, what's wrong with you! We're your friends! I'm your girlfriend! Don't you remember?!"

Ian seemed to become silent and stared at Gilly as she finally stopped shaking. He looked right into her eyes, and showed nothing that was really him. Only a heartless and sadistic void. But, perhaps his actions would say better. He slowly brought his hands to her shoulders, and motioned his head towards hers, as if to kiss her. However, he wasn't going to kiss her. With a single and quick motion he rammed his knee into her stomach as hard as he could and as quick as he assaulted her, let go and then grabbed ahold of her legs, spun around and hurled her across the room.

William raised an eyebrow and grinned devilishly as he saw this. The crystal was working after all, and quite well to even suppress emotions that would normally create 'glitches'.

The altered Ian stood battle ready once more after harming his girlfriend so badly, and then suddenly vanished. He was moving so fast, he was just a blur, and quickly nailed Setsuna in the chest with a flying side kick, sending her crashing into the nearby wall. He then landed, and then immediately flaunted some of his powerful aura, forcing anyone else close enough back with some traumatic force.

Moments passed, and Ian stood among his beaten allies. They were alive, that was for sure, because killing them now wasn't William's order.

Ian then walked over to a dazed, badly beaten, and horrified Gilly, and glared at her right in the eye. "As if I'd truly have feelings for a fithly and worthless half breed like you..." he told her, his voice seeming a bit off as well.

"Ian." William called out, looking very pleased with himself and what had just transpired.

Ian turned his head to William ever so slightly, falling silent once more.

"Come, lets leave them alive for now... it gives them some time to let the fear and hopelessness set in." William then stated. With that said, Ian silently nodded, turned to face him, and oh so casually came to William's side.

The two looked on to thier beaten foes, and ever so slowly sunk into the floor, pleased sadistic smirks marring thier faces.


Even his touch was different. after having the wind knocked out of her. As she flew through the air, she could hear the whine of Masato, and the gasp of Ayame, but it was too late. Ian had made his move of the rest of the alfferent. His eyes, his body, every thing about him. It was different. What was this creature? Was this the man she loved? Clearly not, as Gilly was hurled toward a wall, lies.

Hitting the wall with her back taking the most impact, Gilly could feel the hard cool stone send rumbles down her spine, as she clenched her jaw, but even all the willpower in the world couldn't keep her from uttering a cry of pain. Not just physical pain, but the pain of knowing that Ian, the very man whom she loved, the man that she'd supported all this time, the very man that she was risking her life for, had just done something to her, that he'd pledged he'd kill the very person who did. Ian had hurt her. The protector was protecting no one, only his new master.

"Ugh..." Gilly groaned, managing to get up on her knees, her chest heaving as she tried to regain oxygen and orientation. Looking down at her hands, Gilly could see rivers of crimson flowing down her arms, the source from shoulders, which had taken a massive beating. Her arms trembled from her weight, and her prized beret, her token from the past, lay only a few feet away from her, dusty, beaten, like the heart that crumbled in her chest with every breath she took, every damn breath that inhaled the air of this wretched battle scene.

Her eyes tracked Ian's boots as they approached her, and his right foot crushed the beret. But he didn't notice. He was too focused on landing the last blow on Gilly, on destroying her morale, and shattering the final link that held them together. Raising her head, Gilly looked Ian in the eye, her face grimy, her cheeks tinged with the red of her blood, her hair disheveled, but her eyes were clear, and focused, hopeful. But his words made the flame go out. With those words, her shattered heart turned into daggers, that plunged into the sides of her lungs, and the oxygen was gone. As he walked away, Gilly let out a long, straggly breath, her head hanging low.

The voice of William was muted, as Gilly began to lose consciousness. She didn't want to look up. Because if she looked up, she felt as if she would die, as if she would plunge into a hole, that not even the wings of her heritage and pride could dig her out of. To hear those words, his tongue twisting those words into a dagger, that sunk so far into her very soul...it was unbearable.

But as they were sinking into the floor, preparing to leave, Gilly's head jerked back up, the pain in her eyes prominent, and with trembling legs, raising herself up off the floor. She was hunched over, one hand resting on her bent legs for support. "Iaaaaan!" She yelled after him, one hand outstretched, as if she could pluck him by the brown hair, and pull him back to his senses. But it was too late. They had gone. "No...no, no, no! Please...please don't..." Gilly sobbed, and collapsed to the floor, her eyes pointed to the floor, the tears flowing free now. "Please don't...don't go...! Damn you! Damn you, damn you!" Gilly cursed, and slapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm in love...with you. I was...I was!" Gilly whispered, clasping a hand over her mouth now, as if to forget about Ian entirely. "I...hate you."

As Dark Ian sunk into the floor with William, he did in fact hear Gilly's last words. For a very brief moment, the real him, trapped inside... wanted to say something back to reassure her, that what the controlled him said was in no way true at all, but he was unable... the work of William's crystal kept control over him, forcing a silence.

Seconds later, everything went black....

Ian woke moments later, somewhere unknown. There was nothing but a black void around him as he heard all the things that go on in this... odd reality. all the thoughts... sounds... everything, and it echoed. He wondered to himself, he knew this wasn't... well... it certainly didn't feel real, but maybe... wait... those noises... they were awfully familiar. Was he in a way... in some mind generated reality?

Then a small speck of light appeared in the darkness and immediately Ian tried to go towards it, step after step on what felt to be solid ground. He heard Gilly's voice as she was talking apparently, and had this gut feeling that if he can make it to the light he can break free from this... but then there was a powerful tug and he was pulled back. Turned out he was bound in chains by the ankles... and the wrists... taunted and mocked with the feeling of being so close to freedom... he struggled, pushing himself to go forward despite not even moving any closer due to the chains. Tears began to streak down his face as he so desperately yelled out her name, hearing her in such emotional and physical pain, but no sound came from his lips. Nothing but that agonizing silence mixed in with the torturous onslaught of sounds from what he perceived to be the outside.

He pushed on, refusing to give in. Everything hurt... but he wouldn't stop. Not until something in the darkness approached. What seemed to be Dark Ian... no... the entity of the crystal narrowed its eyes and simply watched him suffer. "You will never be free. You belong to me now..." it finally boomed, eventually taking on Ian's voice... and then more chains lashed out from the darkness and dragged him away from the light, engulfing him in the void...

After an immeasurable amount of time, Ian woke up, groggy, and with quite the headache, as well as a very sore body. "Ugh... what the..." He groaned, and sat up, feeling the discomfort make itself even more known. But.. wait.. where was he? He opened his eyes to see himself in a bedroom. But.. wasn't he...? What... happened to William, Gilly, and everyone else? Then he realized he was in a bed of some sort, sheets, blankets, pillow and all.

"Ian, breakfast is ready!" then suddenly called out a mature feminine voice. Ian froze for a moment. He knew that voice. ...Mom...?

“A strange dream? What exactly happened in it? It wasn't a nightmare, was it?” his mom responded, raising an eyebrow and eyeing Ian with a bit of concern.

Ian shook his head at first before taking a seat at the table. “It wasn't a nightmare, but it was really strange. I dreamt I was some sort of demon hunter at a Japanese high school… and apparently I had a girlfriend who was a half-breed. There was also this talking ninja fox, a 10 year old English teacher, and a lot of other things. It’s completely daft, isn't it? It really doesn't make much sense, but it felt so real.”

“Maybe it was a lucid dream? Those tend to feel very realistic.” Ian’s mom commented as she finished with cleaning up the kitchen from preparing breakfast. She then walked past Ian, but not before getting close to him and planting a kiss on his cheek, and then finally sitting in her own chair next to Ian’s. “But perhaps that dream girlfriend of yours was certainly a cute young dame, hm?” She then teased, holding in a light chuckle.

Ian started to blush a little at his mother’s little joke and glared at her briefly. “M-maybe… but t-that’s not important! It was just a dream so, I don’t really need to think any more about it.” He then looked back down to his breakfast, falling silent. To tell the truth, that girl in his dream was beautiful to him…

“Okay, okay, I know I raised a gentleman, but that doesn't mean you can’t think of a nice girl every now and then. I’m pretty sure you’ll have a girlfriend soon enough.” Ian’s mom replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Your shy streak is just too cute though, I can’t help but tease, dear.”

Right then the sound of a doorknob turning, followed by a door opening signaled Ian’s father had come back in the house. “Alright, Mr. Monterio’s power is working again. Is Ian up?” Ian’s father asked, just before walking into the dining room, and seeing the answer for himself.

“’Morning, dad! So Mr. Monterio’s power went out again?” Ian greeted, followed by a usual curious question.

“Right you are, but it’s resolved. Now, let’s eat. That bit of work built up my appetite.” Ian’s dad replied, and then sat down at the table to have breakfast as well.