"Their rewards will come shortly. I applaud your consideration for your allies, but you should accept what I have to offer now. It is most shrewd to take the largest bite of the sweet fruit when it is available."
Hugo saw that this conversation was going nowhere fast, and so he began devising a scheme. It appeared to him as if the young boy before him was attempting to press him for more resources, instead of willingly take what he sought to give.
'But I don't have to give it to you physically, boy. The Demon Killing Method will find its way to you...'
"Then I don't think I can accept such sophistry, mister. Why should I take the most opportunities from my friends, as if they wouldn't be able to find out?"
"You are quite right, then. May I ask you something, then?" Hugo sported a slightly troubled expression, one so deep that those looking at him could feel the complex mix of sorrow and irritation washing on their skin. Though behind this front was a sly grin, Bie's guard relaxed a bit when the man before him stopped trying to coax him.
"Ask away, mister. I would like to refrain from any favors, though." The mannerly smile revealed a sharp glint as light bounced off of Bie's mouth. His eyes remained closed, the crescent moons completely waxed as his eyelashes embraced, and his overall bearing was composed.
"What do you think about the demons? Of what they've done here?"
"...It's tragic, but it can't be helped. We can only fight to keep going."
"So, you would not mind if they attacked your loved ones?"
Bie's eyes opened, the irises freezing over slightly as his muscles began to stiffen. Yet and still, he kept his posture and answered accordingly, determined not to be lured by the old man.
"They have loved ones, too. Do you ask your meal a question before you eat it?"
"So you view them as food, huh. That you have the right to consume them, that you are above them. Were the years of suffering undergone by everyone just a labor to set up your dining table?!"
...
Silence. Bie paused, his chest beginning to heave as oxygen greeted his lungs. Although he wasn't one to be bothered at every word, he had to admit that his words would have some fault to them. But what really dug into his skin was an assertion that he WANTED the demons to tear through the land. That he had wrought it...when he was merely a traveler.
"Your silence is insolent. We hunt demons, and that requires the denial of their presence. Where is your vitriol! Where is your anger! It's almost as if they have done nothing to you..." Hugo paused, his eyes slightly opening as a red ray squeezed through the gap between his eyelids.
"It's almost as if you don't belong here. Like a monster from another world, or maybe-"
"Are you insinuating that I am a demon." Bie's voice had an unsettling flatness, a chill almost lowering the temperature of the room. Hugo remained unshaken, but Casmere was starting to feel uncomfortable.
And so the tall, hunched over man took a step forward. His back straightened as his stature seemed to extend, and it was if Bie was looking up at the horizon. His face was aglow with crimson light, and all the shadows seemed to settle wherever he stepped.
"Do you hate demons?"
"Why should I."
"Do you hate demons?"
"How annoying. Asking the same damn question, over and over like a broken record. Walking over me and looking down on me, putting me on display with your calculating eyes. Let me ask you, what do you want from me, bastard?"
It was evident that Bie had lost his cool, his white rows of teeth gleaming with a hint of savagery as he defiantly stared upwards with narrowed eyes. Teeth gritting together between lips curled into a half snarl half frown, his eyebrows creased together as the dijon yellow portion of his hair curled upwards as it wiggled around.
As the two's eyes met, Hugo's sly grin emerged on his face. He succeeded.
"Do you hate me? Too bad...you will know soon enough what it means to be a devilish angel..." In his eyes were runic script, and Bie's vision was filled with red. He dropped to the floor, Casmere rushing to catch him, and the room was soon left empty.
--
-...The higher being is forcefully implementing The Demon Killing Method. You will be unable to escape the Red Space until it is finished.
The whispering beckoned Bie's consciousness to arise from its slumber, and the boy opened his eyes. Beneath him was a firm red liquid, that was somehow both above and below him.
When he sat up, he felt a sense of weight pulling down on his back. Looking around, he realized that the red liquid was a vertical plane, and the properties of gravity at their core were shifted in this place.
"...What an *sshole. Well, time to see how I get out, ugh." Bie stood to his feet, stretching his limbs a bit before trying to get used to the odd perspective shift the changed angle gave him. As if scaling a wall, he first bent low to the ground and climbed on all fours until he was comfortable with that.
From there, he would raise bit by bit until the feeling of disorientation left him. Soon, his steps became measured and efficient, and it wasn't long before he was walking as easily as ever.
His nose crinkled due to a deep smell of rust permeating the area. There was an odd floral tinge to it, though it seemed to be opening his sinuses even further so that the abominable rust could permeate him completely. Although he could choose not to breathe, Bie soon found out that doing so changed absolutely nothing, and instead made the rust smell intensify even faster.
As he walked forward even more, reddened foliage began to rise from the mahogany pool. He didn't question how he was stepping on liquid as if it was a solid, instead choosing to observe the new wildlife. The trees exuded a solemn, higher vibe, yet there was undeniably a massive hint of death ever the same.
The trees grew taller, the grass grew longer, and a crimson disk hung in the pitch-black atmosphere. Golden pearls and pale stars flitted about, and more flowers sprung from the pool. It seemed as if he was in a wonderland for the dead, the beauty of the place calling out to him due to his undead properties.
If anything, he was still completely pissed off that he was forced to come here. Each footstep slid over the dense liquid, and soon, the red color faded into a mix of white and gold. The dijon yellow part of his hair soon filled the sky, and the disc turned completely white as well.
Noticing the changes, he looked down and realized his body was transforming into white dust, bound together so that only particles would fall off of him from time to time. Immersed in the implications, the whole world dissipated into a white plane, and he felt a strong desire willing him to look up.
And floating there was a golden sigil, so bizarre and abstract that it gave off the feeling of looking at a kaleidoscope. In Bie's mind, the whispering intensified so quickly that he couldn't even think.
Instead, he was filled with the will to touch it. As he walked towards it, he could feel a sense of concern coming from the Remnants, the Ephemeral Component, and Ekulech. Somehow, there was another emotion, and he didn't know where it came from.
But it was too late to consider, seeing as he had already touched it.