"So, uh…not that I'm complaining, but why am I here?" Grover asks as he raises his hand.
"We needed you to get us here," I answer as I turn to face Grover. "The Chairman only teleported us here using your Wormhole, so we don't actually know how to get to the Temple of the Almighty Torch by transport or by foot."
"Ah…I see," Grover replies as he lowers his hand.
"I understand my part in all of this, with my Demon Seal Eye…I just don't know what your part in closing the Portal to Hell is," Ella continues as I turn back to face her.
"What else did my dad say?" I ask.
"Just that your Air Control is a precursor to a much stronger Cursed Ability, that'll allow us to close the Portal to Hell for good," Ella explains. "And that by taking a hold of your father's katana…you'll know everything that we need to know."
"Alright…" I sigh as I reach to behind my back (to where I used to keep my katana) and grab a hold of the hilt of my dad's katana, which I now use as my current sword. "Here goes nothing…"
And then, I draw my dad's katana.
***
"WOAH!" I cry as I frantically look around.
The second I drew my dad's katana, I find myself standing, well…not where I was standing before, outside of the Portal to Hell. Instead, I find myself…"
"In my bedroom…?" I softly ask as I look around. My eyes then widen with realization when I understand what's happening.
"Feels familiar…doesn't it…?" A voice asks, causing my eyes to widen even further.
"WHO'S THERE?!" I cry as I spin around to where I heard the voice, seeing a figure who looks exactly like me, sitting on my bed. Well…exactly like me is a bit of a stretch, not like the last time I was "here" in my own mind and met the half-demon clone of myself. Instead…this dude just looks sort of similar to me, like he could be my brother. Whoever this guy is, he has my same black hair, blue eyes, and pasty skin, and looks just like a fourteen year old me.
"Who…who are you…?" I ask. While I don't know who this guy is, I can tell one thing; that he feels…safe and familiar, like he's family.
"Have you ever heard of the name "Aether" before?" The dude asks with a smirk.
"No…?" I cautiously answer, causing the guy to sigh.
"Have you ever heard of the first ever half-demon?" The dude then asks, causing my eyes to widen. "The one who first sealed all of demon-kind away in Hell?"
"Yes!" I answer. "Growing up, we were always told that he was the "first" Pro Slayer, I only learned that he was a half-demon fairly recently."
"So they teach you kids all about me, just not my name…" the dude grumbles as he gets off of my bed and waltzes over to me. "I'm Aether-" the guy continues as he stops before me. "The world's first ever half-demon."
My eyes widen. "WHY ARE YOU IN MY HEAD?!" I cry as I jump backwards a step, pointing an accusing finger at Aether.
"LET ME FINISH!" Aether snaps back, before sighing. "I'm here because that katana in your hands holds the final remnants of my Cursed Power, which I struggled to keep intact there as I waited for you to come along. More specifically; for you to meet that girl with the Demon-Seal Eye," Aether explains as he points to my dad's lantana clutched tightly in my hands.
My eyes widen. "Who…who are you…?" I softly ask.
"Why…I already told you who I am!" Aether answers with a cheeky smirk.
"No, but…" I stammer. "Who are you…?"
Aether's smirk melts into a sad smile. "I'm…"
"Your brother, Luis. A half-demon, just like you."
My eyes widen.
"More specifically, your half brother," Aether continues as he begins pacing back and forth across my room. "We share a dad but we have different moms. Duh, because we were born thousands of years apart from one another."
I'm silent.
I just stare at Aether, my eyes wide with shock.
"It's alright, I understand, it's okay to be conf-" Ather begins to say, but I cut him off.
"Holy crap my dad is old!" I cry.
"THAT'S YOUR MAIN TAKE-AWAY FROM THIS?!" Aether snaps before pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
"I have some questions for you," I say.
"Go ahead," Aether replies.
"How is your Cursed Power still lingering in my dad's katana after all these years?" I ask. "I thought that I felt something other than just my dad's Cursed Power when I first wielded it."
"It was my katana first," Aether answers. "My Cursed Power is so strong that it still lingers in that blade after all these years, after a decade of me constantly pouring my Cursed Power into that katana."
"How are you so strong?" I ask.
"My Cursed Ability; Apex Curse Master, allowed me to take control of the Cursed Power in the atmosphere by mixing it with my own," Aether answers. "So it's not so much as my Cursed Power being strong, it's more like…it's potent."
"Why didn't dad tell me about you?" I ask.
"I dunno," Aether answers.
"Why weren't we taught about you?" I ask.
"I don't know," Aether answers, growing ticked off.
"Why don't you kn-" I begin to ask, but Aether cuts me off.
"You don't seem phased here, do you?" He asks.
"Well…I've learned a lot of really crazy shit recently," I answer as I awkwardly rub the back of my neck. "So learning that I'm the brother of the first ever half-demon…isn't too surprising these days."
"I suppose you do go through some shit being related to this family…" Aether sighs as he crosses his arms.
"You said that you were waiting for me to meet Ella, what do you mean by that?" I then ask, steering the conversation back on track.
"Originally, when I first created Hell and sealed demon-kind inside of it, I used my Apex Curse Master to take control of all of the Cursed Power in the atmosphere," Aether explains. "The more Cursed Power I took control of, the stronger I grew. Until eventually, I even found myself stealing faint wisps of Cursed Power from the future. And in the future, I saw that the Portal between Earth and Hell would slowly break apart over time. So, I sealed some of my Cursed Power on my katana and gave it to dad, in hopes that one day the katana will reach your hands, so that the two of us can speak."
"Wait…created Hell?" I ask.
"Oh, right, you don't know about that," Aether replies. "Demons aren't from Hell, they're from Earth. Hell is what I created to seal demonkind inside of, and I created the Nine Circles of Hell to govern Hell, so it doesn't grow out of control."
"Good job with that," I grumble. "The Nine Circles of Hell attacked us when the Portal to Hell was opened. We were forced to kill them."
"Stupid demos didn't do what I told them to do…" Aether pouts as he turns away from me and crosses his arms.
"Hey, can I ask you one more thing?" I then ask, causing Aether to perk up again.
"Sure," Aether answers as he turns back to face me. "What is it?"
"Why me?"
Aether pauses.
"I beg…your pardon…?"
"Why me?" I ask again. "Opening the Portal to Hell…being used for Death's or King's plans, and now…having to close the Portal to Hell back up again," I ramble. "Why is it always me? Why is it always my duty to do these things?"
"I'm not surprised you feel this way…" Aether replies as he turns away from me and sighs. "You probably resent me for forcing you into all of this trouble." Aether then turns back to face me with a small smile. "You want to know why you're the one who has to close the Portal to Hell?" Aether asks, causing me to nod. "Alright, here it goes…"
"Because you're the one who falls in love with the girl with the Demon-Seal Eye."
"R-really…?" I stammer as I blush creeps across my face.
"No, not really!" Aether laughs. "Well…sort of. The reason that you are the one who has to be the one to close the Portal to Hell is because you're my brother, and since you're my brother, you're also a powerful half-demon and have the potential to use my Cursed Ability; Apex Curse Master, to seal the Portal to Hell. Remember how dad said that your Air Control is a precursor to a stronger Cursed Ability? This is what he meant. My Apex Curse Master allows me to take control of the Cursed Power in the atmosphere by emitting my own Cursed Power out and mixing it with others. Your Air Control does the same. You emit your Cursed Power into the atmosphere, take control of the world's Cursed Power, then give it to the girl with the Demon Seal Eye," Aether explains. "And of course; the stronger your connection is with that girl, the easier it'll be to share your Cursed Power with her, hence where my little joke came from. The catch is; that with all of the really powerful demons dead, there's not enough Cursed Power left on Earth to take control of. You'll need to go into Hell in order to do this. Basically, Luis-"
"If you can use Apex Curse Master…then you can become God."
I feel my body instantly begin to grow incredibly dizzy. "Woah…" I say as I collapse to the ground.
"I know, this must be a huge shock for you," Aether replies. "And an even bigger burden."
"Up until now, I was able to keep up with what you were saying-" I begin to say as I push myself off of the ground. "But now…now we're talking a little too far-fetched here."
"I understand," Aether replies as he places a hand on my shoulder, steadying me. "But don't worry…"
"Dad and I are with you all the way."
"I know…thank you…" I reply with a small smile.
"But there is one thing that I must warn you," Aether continues. "If you merge your Cursed Power with that of Hell's…it'll come at a price…"