"Ambrosia, that old bat has been quiet for some time now, thanks to you, Cain." Sitting on the floor in the large tent at the center of the camp, Cain stared down at the spread of wild fruits and berries, as well as the plethora of Mutant Beast meat, each one just a few degrees away from being completely raw.

He glanced up.

Although Roc had a cold look in his face, Cain could tell the Mutant Beast leader was happy to see him. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

It was rather evident seeing the speed with which he had his tail wagging.

Cain cleared his throat as he picked up a berry,

"It would have been best to meet the two of you together here."

Roc shook his head and leaned his head back a bit,

"Although we have decided to call a momentary truce, you must be aware that fundamentally, our natures are conflicting. If we stay in the same place for too long, we will both be pushed beyond the edge until we can’t take it anymore."

Cain nodded then paused as he briefly considered what step to take next.

After some time, he glanced up,

"For now, I can start by creating a spatial anchor and setting it up right here. However, doing so is going to take some time and resources."

Roc nodded, "I understand. I will be giving you your privacy of you so need it then."

Cain gave him a nod, "I appreciate that."

Silence...

Cain raised a brow,

"This... What are you still doing here?"

Roc cleared his throat,

"Well, you aren’t done eating yet, so I assumed you aren’t doing anything serious for now. Am I mistaken?"

Cain sighed and shook his head,

"No, you are not."

A victorious look flashed in Roc’s eyes as he raised his nose,

"Good. In that case, we might as well finish our conversation before I leave you be."

Cain chuckled, "What else is there to say?"

He could tell the humanoid Mutant Beast had something in his mind. Seeing as he had done a good job in holding back until now, Cain decided to reward his patience.

"I cannot tell what you are, Cain."

Cain raised a brow,

"That’s... quite an interesting way to put it."

"You do not smell like the other humans. If anything, you have a faint stench to you. One that is rather familiar and frightening, but I cannot quite place it just yet."

Cain shrugged, "Why not ask your god for these answers?"

Roc snorted,."How can I bother the great Sentry with such trivialities?! Surely, you just!"

Cain smiled bitterly, ’Then why bother me instead?’

Eventually, he sighed.

His expression turned serious for a moment,

"To tell you the truth, even I don’t know what I am. I guess I am still human, but my body began to mutate once I absorbed the Devil Essence."

Roc’s eyes widened,

"Devil Essence. I believe those that are influenced by it become thralls to the Abhorrent race. What makes your circumstances different?"

Cain shrugged,

"Most that are subjected to devilish corruption do end up as thralls or {Zombies}. However, there are a few odd cases that can harness the element of corruption. Some harness it enough to possess special organs like {Devil Eyes}, while others simply learn to preserve their state of mind and turn the corruption into power instead. Makes sense?"

Roc placed a hand on his chin, brows fully furrowed into a contemplative frown,

"So you mean to tell me your body adapted perfectly to the devilish corruption?"

Cain shrugged,

"It’s more like it changed the nature of the corruption itself. I am very certain there is not even a sliver of Devil within me. Rather, I have unwittingly become something else. A Demon."

Roc’s eyes widened in shock,

"A Demon?!"

Cain frowned, "Why do you seem so surprised?"

Roc’s expression of shock turned into one fo horror and reverence,

"Even a beast as lowly as I am possessed some level of knowledge, all thanks to the great Sentry of course. I know of the races that exist within this universe. I also know of the existence of Demons."

’This is interesting. Roc evolved from a mere beast in Urbus to a creature that possesses such knowledge. Did he perhaps seek it from the system, or did Sentry provide him with it?’

"What exactly do you know about Demons then?"

Roc cleared his throat, his face hardening,

"According to most of the legends, Demons are beings born of corrupted blood. Offspring of Devil and something else. This means their naturally born talents and strength far exceed what should be normal. This is, of course, the most common way by which Demons are born. Of course, because of how unlikely it is for a Devil to become involved with creatures of other races, their existence within the universe isa rather rare sight."

Roc sighed, "Of course, they have appeared many times in history, and it is said, that with the birth of a Demon, there is always a great upheaval afoot. This is quite interesting indeed."

His eyes glowed as he stared at Cain intently,

"A Demon, huh..."

Ignoring Roc’s fervent stare, Cain bowed his head in thought a little,

’That pretty much aligns with what I know myself. I guess I really might be special after all.’

"And then, there are Angels..."

Cain frowned and slowly raised his head.

Roc had a strange, oddly uncomfortable look on his face at the mention of the word.

"Angels?"

Roc nodded slowly,

"If Demons are being with the blood and Essence of Devils, then Angels are beings with the blood and Essence of Celestials. Two sides of the same coin, they are..."

Cain was silent for some time.

This was the first he had heard of such creatures.

Cain suddenly shivered. For some reason, he had a feeling he would be hearing that name very soon into the future.

’What an awful premonition.’

He spent some more time chatting with Roc as he finished up his meal.

Once he was done, the Mutant Beast leader did as he had promised and left him to his own devices.

Now that he was alone. Sort of.

Cain sucked in a deep breath,

"Let us begin, shall we..." He muttered to no one in particular.