Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest

-----

"So that's what happened…" Albert sighed. "I can't believe you sold me out like this, bastard."

It was the next morning, and Albert had final woken up from his slumber. Rose and Josuke quickly explained to him what had happened, and how Hellberos sold him out for a couple of souls…

"Yep, he literally just sold you out, I can't believe it myself." Rose sighed.

"But it happened." Josuke said with a pissed-off glare, crossing his arms.

"Oi, Hellberos, come out for a minute." Albert sighed.

FLUOOSH!

Suddenly, his aura condensed into the appearance of an entity made of Demonic Flames. Hellberos manifested himself before all of them. He often acted cocky in front of them, but now he was quite afraid.

"A-Albert…" Hellberos sighed. "I… I am sorry."

"Yeah? Saying that won't get to me, even if you've never apologized for anything ever before." Said Albert angrily.

"I was wrong, okay? I was just wrong! I-I… Well, I was just tempted. I am a Demon after all! I embody sins." Sighed Hellberos.

"Don't try to get away from this by just blaming your own race now." Rose said.

"You were greedy and cocky." Albert said. "We have been together for so long and you sold me out for a couple of souls?! I thought we were partners… I thought we were like brothers."

"Albert…" Hellberos felt very guilty. And the divine chains wrapping around his body didn't help in making things any better.

The demon slowly started to realize how much he meant to his vessel. He was not just a tool for Albert to gain power, but the young man saw him as a friend, as his brother, even.

"I was always alone… You were always the only one at my side. Don't you know how it feels that you've betrayed me like this? I could have… died, and you would had done nothing about it either? Would you had laughed at my death?! Even after everything…" Albert sighed, gritting his teeth.

"G-Geh… Please calm down! You're getting all dramatic now!" Hellberos sighed. "Ugh! You humans are such drama queens! It's not like I can ever betray you ever again! That priestess witch woman used some power on me, now look, I am all wrapped in these chains. If I ever betray you I'll probably get killed for real…"

Another reason why Hellberos saw his relationship with his human allies as "fleeting" and "meaningless" was due to his old age and his idea that he was immortal. That while his life would continue all others would end soon, making everything pointless to him.

But against Elayne, he finally learned he could get killed, for real. This… awakened something on him. Just like how all humans learn to appreciate life because they will one day die, he began to do the same, realizing that the bonds he had made… may not truly be meaningless.

"I was just detached…" Sighed Hellberos. "I learned about my own mortality. And… about the horrors that are invading this world, the entities that desire it. I've realized that I cannot let these aliens take over this world I want for myself either! If you don't believe I've changed, then I'm going to show it to you over time, just you wait!"

"Sigh… Well, I'm stuck with a bastard like you even if I didn't wanted to, so its not like I can do a thing about it." Albert sighed. "Though I am beginning to think I won't be giving you any offerings in a while, so you can learn to be a bit of a better bastard!"

"W-What?! But…" Hellberos complained.

"You're all stuffed with souls that guy gave to you and you're asking for offerings now?!" Rose said angrily.

"Aggh…" Hellberos sighed. "Well, even before you've been starving me! I am a demon; I need to eat souls and good sacrifices! But you're all goody-two-shoes, so it's hard to satiate myself."

"Huh… Ungrateful bastard." Albert sighed.

"Well, Hellberos, that might be changing soon." Said Reagan, that appeared on the hotel room where everybody was resting.

"Boss!" Said Albert. "I…"

"Ah, don't apologize about it, it wasn't your fault." Reagan said. "It was this bastard's fault."

"Ungh…!" Hellberos sensed a powerful Dark Aura coming from Reagan, that even intimidated an entity such as him.

Reagan quickly took out a piece of white-colored stone, which emanated a powerful aura of phantasmal essence.

"This is a piece of the giant bones left behind by those Undead Monsters." Said Reagan. "The one left by the giant skeleton that you guys told me about are especially powerful. Does it looks tasty?"

"Agh! T-That's a bone?! It has so many souls- no, it doesn't have any but it has… It is something similar to their essence." Said Hellberos.

"I see, just as I thought." Reagan nodded. "It seems these items possess something that Necromancers often refer as "Nether" and "Phantom Energy", the second is what composes 50% of a soul. I suppose the remains of these Undead Monsters can feed you well, Hellberos."

"I-Is that so?" Hellberos was surprised. "…I never thought about it that way."

"Also, this." Reagan also showed his subordinates a Magic Crystals. "It is rare for Magic Crystals to naturally form inside monsters, but every single monster, even the Undead we defeated with the military's aid held these. With varied sizes, but all of them were packed with Mana… This and other materials from monsters might give us the advantage we need, if we could craft armor and weapons…"

"Actually, someone had already begun doing that…" Rose sighed.

"Huh? Ah… Don't tell me…" Reagan sighed.

"Yep, Elayne already was done with it." Laughed Rose.

"Hah, that lady's quite cunning… She didn't revealed any of her secrets to us… Just how wary is she of us?" Reagan sighed, sitting over a chair. "I don't want to force her but we really need her in our side."

"There's no need to force her." Rose said, crossing her arms. "And I won't let you or anybody extort her either. But… I know she will do the right thing to protect this country and our people, especially her family. She did everything just for them after all."

Rose's faith in Elayne was quite staggering, but Reagan decided to trust her.

-----