The words rang through the throne room for what seemed like an eternity before the four generals finally moved to execute their orders.
They moved like shadows, quickly darting towards their prey with nearly indiscernible movements, completely cloaked in darkness.
Gerid barely managed to fend off the slash aimed at his throat, but the collision left his Warhammer shattered and useless, sending him to his knees. Raiden faired slightly better with the help of Aesteroth, but he was quickly sent sprawling down the steps. The force of the blow ripped the Holy Blade from his grasp, and sent it clattering across the hard floor. Esther tried her best to aid from afar, all the while trying to protect the now defenseless Ariana, but her shots could not match the speed of a high ranking demon.
As these events transpired, the Demon Lord's eyes never left Eris, who heaved a heavy sigh.
"Aesteroth, answer my call." He spoke the words quietly, as if mumbling them to himself.
The effect of these words was immediate, as the Holy Blade on the floor began to emanate a magnificent blue light. The explosion that followed forced both human and demon back, killing the General closest to it in the process.
The sword was left floating alone at the base of the stairs.
Eris walked over to the Holy Sword, casually grabbed it by the hilt, and pointed it at the four baffled demons before him.
"The rules are simple. Step forward and you die."
Unsure how to react to the events that had just transpired, and the boy before them, the Demonic Generals shifted uncomfortably in place, but none of them dared make a move until ordered to do so.
"I'm glad to see that even you can be forced to react when pushed into a corner, oh great King of the Void." The Demon Lord smiled gleefully and clapped his hands. "But doesn't this break the rules of your kind? The ones that forbid you from interfering with the affairs of the world?"
"Not entirely." Eris retorted. Cocking his head to the side, a sign that he was annoyed. "Because you did not start this war, I could have chosen to ignore it for another century or so, but you decided to use it a means to mask the Awakening. And that, Cain, is something that I cannot ignore."
The Demon Lord's smile faded and he proceeded to unsheathe the long sword at his waist.
"If that's the case, then it seems a fight with you was inevitable from the beginning. And here I thought that I had the upper hand this whole time."
Eris simply nodded his head, and without any hesitation he arced Aesteroth upward before slamming the blade into the stairs before him.
The blow exploded the steps upon impact, sending shrapnel spiraling in every direction and a bright slash of light directly at the Demon Lord.
The two Generals closest to the slash moved in to protect their Lord but were immediately turned to ash as the light tore through them. The Demon Lord seemed to fair the same, as the light ripped through his sword and cleaved his chest in two. As the light faded, Eris turned to look at the last remaining Demonic General, but he soon realized his folly.
The body that had been cut in half slowly changed its appearance, morphing into the form of the Demonic General that had escaped the initial slash. The real Demon Lord had traded places with him and was now darting behind Eris, charging directly toward Noel.
In his arrogance, thinking himself in complete control of the situation, Eris had forgotten about the many tricks in a demon's arsenal. He swiveled around and made as if to perform the same attack as before, but he was too late.
The Demon Lord now had a dagger pressed up to Noel's throat.
"Put the dagger down and you might make it out of this alive." Eris snarled, feigning confidence when all he felt was terror and panic.
"I know that I cannot beat you in one on one combat, and that even if my entire army was here they would not be your match, but even the all mighty King of the Void has a weakness, and you brought her straight into my arms. I always thought you were smarter than that Eris."
Eris's mind scrambled for a solution, but there was little he could do without bringing harm to Noel as well, and if he was too slow, the dagger would pierce her throat before he could do anything.
"All right. You got me." He said calmly, laying Aesteroth down on the floor. His eyes flicked between Cain's nervous face and the dagger he held. "What do you want in return for her going free?"
Cain looked up, and caressed his chin with his free had, as if he had been asked a difficult question.
"I want you dead, but, as I am aware of the impossibility of that request, I will settle for knowing that I have taken from you the one thing you care about the most in this world."
Immediately understanding the meaning behind his words, Eris hurled a bolt of Holy Power at the Demon Lord, but once again, he was too late. Cain's dagger pierced into Noel's throat just as he was turned to dust.
Eris froze in place, watching as blood gushed out from the wound, there was so much, too much.
Noel's weakened body hung in an upright position for a moment before slowly crumbling to the floor. The room was silent apart from her pained moans and gasps.
She reached her weak, trembling hand, forward, which Eris darted forward to take.
"It's all right, I'm here now. You're going to be fine." He mumbled, fighting through the emotions that were supposed to be impossible for him to feel.
Noel released her hand from his grasp and placed it gingerly upon his cheek, her gaze seemed to soften into a calm expression, one that mirrored acceptance.
Eris chuckled to himself softly, and without another word, he placed his fingers upon the wound and began chanting softly in a foreign tongue. A warm light began to emanate from his body, and life slowly returned to Noel's face.
After a short while Eris finally removed his hand, revealing a grisly scar, but the wound had closed completely. The light slowly began to fade, and he helped Noel to her feet.
"How did you do that?" She whispered, her fingers making their way to where the wound had been only moments ago.
"That doesn't matter now. The only thing that matters is that you are safe." Eris said, revealing more than he intended with the tone of his voice.
If Noel noticed, she stayed silent about it, as she turned to face the others who seemed to have collected themselves and were making their way over to the pair. The expressions on their faces ranged from regret to anger to amazement.
"I would like to say that I am sorry for lying to you all, but the reality of the matter is that I am not." Eris said slowly, looking each of them in the eye as he spoke. "You were all fools to think you could fight the Demon Lord on your own... But I suppose you made the trip here a slight bit more enjoyable, and for that I do owe you an explanation, unfortunately it seems our time together has come to an abrupt end."
Eris raised his hand, holding it out for everyone to inspect. The color had completely faded away from his skin, and small cracks and fractures had appeared on its surface.
He turned and smiled at Noel. "The price I payed for saving your life. But hey, look on the bright side, you have inherited my title and some of my powers. You are now the Queen of the Void. If you need answers or guidance, go to the old lady at the base of the Great Willow Tree. She will explain everything to you."
Noel made as if to speak, but Eris raised his other hand to silence her.
"For using you all in the way that I did, I think that it is only fitting that I present each of you with a parting gift." As he spoke, Eris shrunk to the ground and produced a small leather pouch out of thin air.
"For Raiden, I return to you the Holy Blade, but this time I will impart to you full ownership. It will be up to you whether or not she accepts you."
Raiden simply nodded his head as Aesteroth materialized at his waist.
"For Gerid, I present this Void ring. It will allow you to transport you clunky Warhammer with greater ease. There are also a few things within it that you will find useful in time." Eris chuckled, though the movement only accelerating the fracturing of his body. "I know that a ring is the perfect present for a man such as yourself."
Gerid struggled to bring a smile to his face, but he could not hide the sadness in his eyes. All he managed was a weak, "Thank you."
"Ariana, follower of Thea, I grant you the Holy Power bestowed upon me by the Gods, and the highest level sigma of their faith. It will brand itself upon you back when the time is right."
Without waiting for a response this time, Eris turned to face Esther, who he handed the leather pouch in his hands.
"In there you will find an infinite supply of arrows, produced from the Void I once controlled, and a bow which I have named Drangleike. Treat him with care."
Eris sighed heavily as she took the pouch from him, his eyes returned to rest on Noel. "And with that, my time is just about up. The others will laugh when they hear about this, but my wish has finally been granted, and I can finally enjoy an eternal rest."
With his final words said, Eris's body crumbled away into nothingness, his mark on this world reduced to a small trace of light, the gifts he imparted, and the memories he left behind.