It had been a while since the attack on Eternal Nightmare. Caius had laid low since then just taking a small request here and there to get by while ordering his underlings to handle his business in the meantime. In the meantime, he had been studying Fire God Slayer magic to regain his power since his lost his old magic. Though he learned it quick by being a god slayer previously, it was still incomplete. Luckily, he had gained all the god slayer texts to finish mastering it. Once he had done that, he would be in full form and could return back to the guild and help out Odin.

Caius was in the outskirts of town at a small bar. It wasn't very popular so it was just him and the bartender currently in the building. Caius ordered a glass of whisky and was sipping on it thinking of what his next move would be for now.

The night was young, yet still it was as ominous as ever. Oak city was the place where people felt comfortable enough to embrace their sinful nature but not to relish in it. Khalfani smirked as they moved about the city of Oak. They were prepared to risk it all to protect this new Rune in their pocket, but even more than that, they were prepared to sacrifice whomever they needed to to acquire more power. It wasn't that they were evil in nature. No...it was that they were finally giving into the darkness that resided inside of them. The chaos that bubbled within. It was for that reason that they moved along with Rune Knights trailing behind them. They were the prince of Desierto back home, here, they were not only a prince but also someone the council considered Crime Sorciere. It wasn't a privelege they acknowledged, but it gave them some very nifty perks. As the Knights trailed behind them a group broke off and ran to the doors of the small tavern. About fifteen remained behind the Transceded. Tonight, they would bring in one of the most infamous mages in Fiore. Surely this would be a great way to get back at their father for nearly killing their brother. Maybe it would create more trouble for the eighteen year old. More than likely though, Odin would simply see this as Khalfani feeling rebellious. Nothing would sever their bond, and that's exactly why this had to happen. Khalfani pushed open the doors of the tavern with a smirk, standing bout 15 meters behind Caius.

"Hello Caius! You sir, are under arrest. Please don't resist, I'm merely here to claim the bounty on your head."

Khalfani wasn't here to start any trouble. They assumed that someone like Caius had already understood that a bounty as high as his meant eventually someone was going to come and claim it. How couldn't he? The truth of the matter was that Khalfani was not fully prepared to take this man on. They had no access to the magical abilities they had before and they were practically naked. If Caius wanted to he could beat the shit out of the prince and send them on their way. However, they trusted that Caius would make the right decision because the next person that came around to claim the bounty on their head may have not been so nice. The Prince wore a long opened robe, golden chains dangling around their neck. Their earrings hang low to their shoulders and Anga flew around in the sky without a care in the world. She couldn't actually help her master fight, so she was useless. Perhaps it wouldn't get that far anyway. The Rune Knights were on guard, afraid, practically shitting themselves but remained brave. They probably feared being called cowards by their peers or letting the people of the country down. Khal showed no fear as they approached the dark haired man. Nothing but confidence radiated off of them. Even in this moment, they were ready to improvise, ready to fight.

The doors swung open so Caius turned to see who was walking in. Unfortunately, it was a dark skinned man that was looking for him. And not in a good way. Caius' deeds had given him quite a hefty bounty in Fiore and many had been seeking him out to claim it. Because of this, his movements had been easier to track for those looking for him. It probably was part of the reason that the guild got invaded as well. Odin, Caius, and Erebus were some of the most wanted men in the country. It really was a pain in the ass.

Caius finished off his drink and stood up from his seat. He faced the man and sized him up. Besides looking like a pretty boy, he didn't seem like much. No weapons or armor that he could see on him. Still, the world of magic was a mysterious one. He still had to be on guard. Caius just put his hands on his hips and asked him one simple question. "Who the fuck are you?"

Caius truly was a beautiful man. Khalfani's eyes danced around the Nightmares body before they finally found their way back to the mans eyes. He towered above men in this city, a true demon. It was clear that this man thought he was something more than he had really been, and that's what made this meeting so interesting. Khalfani was a being more aligned with divinity and before them stood a man more aligned with the element of evil. Oh, how it turned him on so. Perhaps Caius was prepared to put up a fight. If this was the case, then Khalfani of course would oblige. After all, they didn't know what to expect. They were aware that Caius had run away from their brother and his comrades before but would he do the same now? In a sense, this was payback. The Rune Knights lifted their weapons towards the Eternal Nightmare mage, shaking at the thought of what Caius may do. It was a shame he hadn't recognized who Khalfani was. "I'm insulted, Caius. Normally I'd buy you a drink and take you home for the night so you can have your way with me and all that, but tonight we'll keep it kosher. My name is Khalfani, I'm the child of your guild master." They said. That gentle yet ominous smile remained attached to their face. "Look. If you come with us peacefully, nobody needs to get hurt. This is long overdue and you know it. End this, Caius. Turn yourself in, leave with a clean slate and maybe just keep it more discreet when you get out, hm?" Khalfani suggested with a shrug. They sighed moving their hair out of their face as they took small steps forward.

Khalfani. He had heard that name before actually. Based off from what he heard of his reputation, he was a mage that was currently in Crime Sorciere. Also known as The Transcendent. The real shocker was that he claimed to be a child of Odin. Caius did remember Odin speaking of them while he was in the guild so he wondered why he would be capturing one of Odin's best men. Perhaps greed had gotten the better of them. Still, he had a good point. The past 2 years, Caius had been sloppy. Attracting too much attention which had got him and his guild in trouble. This could be a chance to change it.

Caius pondered for a moment before thinking about it. He still had fire god slayer magic to train and he knew people on the inside that could smuggle the texts to him. This way, he could complete his research and then use it once he had broke free from prison. It would be without the hassle of people trying to attack him when he wasn't at full power. The other thing was if he was Odin's son, he more than likely would take it easy on him. No need to risk a full on death match. Caius had made a decision.

"Ah Khalfani. Odin did mention you a few times. I excepted you to be all bones like him. Instead I got a pretty boy." He joked. "Fine then. I'll surrender and let you turn me but you will owe me a favor. And if we're doing this, we got to make it look real. I got a reputation to uphold you know.  Hope you survive this."

Caius held his hand out and formed a magic circle. A black flame sphere would appear out of his hands and fire forward at Khalfani . When it was between them, Caius snapped his fingers and caused it to explode the max 32m diameter distance which incinerated the bar and the bartender. The explosion would be enough to engulf both the mages as well. His plan was to injure both of them with this attack so when he was turned in, it looked like a struggle. The attack Caius prepared was deadly but a mage capable of taking down an X rank should be able to recover after it. If not, then it just wasn't meant to be.

spell:

Look at that. Khalfani waved their hand as Caius complimented them. A pretty boy indeed. Who could deny that? Khalfani had experienced all types of people from all over the world and nobody had rejected them. It was a blessing in disguise to be so desired. Yet, the people they always seemed to desire the most always played hard to get, much like how Caius was doing now. Khalfani turned to the Knights and nodded as as they slowly began to move forward, but suddenly Caius spoke once more, hinting that something incredible was about to happen. Khal's eyes widened in confusion, but then it all made sense. The demon raised his hand and a magic circle appeared in front of him. Soon after, a ball traveled towards the Chaos controller. Dammit, they thought. Surely this wasn't just some baby spell. Khalfani also had to make it look like they actually struggled and luckily the Knights would be here to prove that a struggle actually happened. Caius wanted to make a show. It was understandable but that meant Khal's beautiful face would be injured in the process. Quickly they attempted to lunge out of the way, the Knights too slow to really react and boom, an entire explosion of darkness and fire engulfed the building. They were all too slow. The explosion pushed the Transcendent back, damaging them significantly in the process and all the Knights in the building were cooked alive. The Knights outside of the building were safe enough but everything else was done. The Knights were in awe, but the bruised prince grunted and got them back on track. "When he comes out, arrest him. Stay alert, fools." Khal said. "This is his way of surrendering." Khalfani faced the building with a smile, waiting for Caius.

When the flames subsided, the building was gone and half the rune knight cavalry with it. Caius wasn't immune to his own magic but he did have the fire resistance from god slayer and darkness resistance form being a demon. His wounds would be minor in compared to Khalfani's damage. It would at least be good enough to show that there was some type of struggle between the two of them when he was turned in. He didn't want to make anyone suspicious by coming in perfectly healthy.

Caius walked out the ashes of the building to see Khalfani with burns all over him but he was still standing. That was good. Explaining to Odin that he incinerated his son would be complicated and it also proved his rank was high enough to make the story believable. . Caius raised his hand and formed a black and purple magic circle but cast no spell. It was just to make a threat. "Alright you knight fucks. Anyone asks there was a big battle here. Khal got the upper hand and turned me in. Do that and we're cool. If I hear anything different, I will find you and burn your children. I can and will find you." The knights were shaking at the thought and reluctantly agreed. Caius walked up to Khalfani and tapped him on the shoulder. "Alright pretty boy let's do this. "

Kaz held the slip of paper in his hand and tucked it away. He knew the general location of the man he was looking for. At least that was the word around town anyway. He still had contacts within the knights and heard of a small rustling of troops moving. Kaz sighed and rushed toward the location, a group of knights had the building surrounded.

"Too late," he murmured to himself, but an explosion rocked the area. The bar burst into pieces. Kaz covered his face from the debris. The knights outside were justled but not killed. Kaz hadn't known about the ones inside. And the A man stood, burnt from the impact but withstood the powerful assault. Someone on the side of the knights?

From the fires of the building, Kaz's target emerged. Khalfani yelled at the knights that the man was surrendering. When Caius emerged he reinforced that with an elaborate story. "A pretty aggressive way to surrender. I can understand it though," Kaz spoke and walked closer to the group.

He pulled out the slip of paper in his pocket, "Caius, Devastation threat level. And a Deamon." he tucked the paper away, and looked at Khalfani. They had met once before at the meeting of guild masters. "Good to see you again. As bold now as you were when we first met," he said in a friendly tone.

He rose his hands, "don't worry I won't be long and I'm not here for the bounty. I just need to ask Caius a couple of questions. And of course, I'll go along with whatever story suits you both best."

If Kaz was allowed the moment he would ask, "Caius. I've already spoken to your guild master. And I simply want to know...Do you know why or how you became a deamon? Sorry for being so curt. I just don't want to take up much of your time."

"Sure." Khalfani dusted themselves off as they nodded towards the Knights. They remembered how they had first signed up to be a rune knight for Odin's sake, slowly climbed the ranks before disappearing. They were a child when that happened. They knew very little about this country and had placed all of their faith in will into the Lich who had brought them in and protected them. Under Odin's care Khalfani was able to do virtually anything, at least in oak. The cultists were the first to know that Khal was Odin's kin, now there were probably a lot more people who knew. Khalfani had used the knights and gave info to Odin but as far as anyone could tell, they weren't actually as affiliated with the former Lich. Khal went out of their way to avoid going to Eternal Nightmare's guild hall, because there were eyes everywhere. The Prince had whisperers in the shadows who could gather info for them, so they were more than sure that others had the same. After all, when you became someone notable, you had no choice but to be involved in politics. Khal being the prince of Desierto didn't help much with that either.

Caius wanted to make sure that when this day was spoken about or written in the stories, he went down with a fight. The people here though would know that it wasn't the truth. All that mattered to the Demon of Nightmare was that the masses didn't think he was some punk who went down without a fight. The officers seemed confused at what was happening at first. Mostly afraid though. Caius' reputation was one built over a span of time, before even Khalfani could even maneuver through the world on their own. The officers wondered why Khalfani hadn't retaliated and for a moment they were skeptical of the foreigner leading them. Khalfani could feel it, but it didn't matter. Their speculations would amount to nothing because this would end with Caius in custody of the government. What they would do to him was up to him, but hopefully it wasn't the death penalty. They slowly shuffled towards the Demon known as Caius, slowly moving around him and putting cuffs onto his wrists if he would allow them. Khal followed suit and trailed behind officers, slowly closing the distance between them and Caius until a voice came from some odd feet away. The prince turned to see Kazimir, the guild master of Fairy Tail. The Transcended merely smiled at the Vampiric master.

Hm? They thought. The last time they had seen Kazimir he was still human. Now, however, it seemed he had embraced the darkness and become a vampire. The Fairy admitted that he wasn't here to take in Caius' bounty. With a nod Khalfani allowed the two to talk, meanwhile the Knights had been placing cuffs onto Caius. "Make it quick, please." Khal said softly. They wanted to get this done quickly. However, they would be there listening the whole time. Kazimir was taking a big risk by publicly asking Caius the type of questions he was asking. It'd make the Rune Knights think the two were friendly with one another and most likely spark some rumor. Though, it didn't seem like Kazimir cared anyway.

Caius held his hands out to let the knights do their job and cuff him. Right as they went to apply them, Caius jumped scared them by acting like he was going to hit them. The knight fell down as Caius laughed and told him to stand up. The second time he would allow them to put the cuffs on so they could get on with their business. He had some magic to learn. They lined him up and would start to march to the jail but then a voice interrupted them.

Turning around, Caius saw someone who was bad news. It was Kazimir of Fairy Tail. Caius didn't know him too well but he knew by his reputation that he was an extremely powerful mage. Caius raised his hands to show he was cuffed. "If you're here for the bounty you're a little late buddy. Though you can fight Khalfani here for it. That would be fun to watch." To his surprise, Kazimir was just here to ask him questions after speaking with Odin. Caius just shook his head. Maybe this was karma for leaving them during the guild fight. First his adopted son and now this Fairy Tail mage. Couldn't a man just go to jail in peace.

The question Kazimir wanted to ask was a simple one. Why did he become a demon? Caius just shook his head at. Of all the things to ask it was something so simple and unexpected. Not the usual ones he got from good mages like "why did you kill my wife?" or "why did you burn that orphanage down?" "You traveled all the way to find me just to ask that? Man what a giant waste of time." Caius cackled. It wasn't really anything special but he figured he would oblige him to get this process moving. "But fine if you want the short version I was on a request and fell into an enemy trap. The trap transformed me into a demon and it felt pretty good so I stayed that way. Anything else you want? My height and weight perhaps?"

"I'm afraid no combat for me today. As long as you're going into custody, all is well," he remarked at seeing the dead bodies within the burned building. It was unfortunate to see people that were just doing the best they could, burned alive. Even now Caius managed to keep his wits and humor in the face of heading off to jail. Something that Kaz knew, the devastation level bounty holder would most likely break out of. Someone, as revered as Caius, would probably have no trouble doing so.

Kaz rose an eyebrow as the man began to cackle. An omen that he would likely hear the same story from him as many others. "It may be more helpful than you think." Kas responded and stepped in a bit closer.

"What kind of trap turned you into a deamon? But no I don't need your measurements...well unless your demonic transformations changed them somehow?" The trap seemed curious. Kaz wanted to dive a little deeper into it, but given how offhanded, Caius made his transformation seem, he doubted it would lead anywhere. "You have no supernatural urge to accomplish a task? No message from the one that turned you explaining why?"

"The fact that it was nothing special is actually pretty helpful to know." It would certainly fit the pattern that had been established. Kaz stood absorbed in the conversation.

The conversation about becoming a demon would pursue for a small while. Khalfani was indeed interested in how curious Kazimir was, though they couldn't pretend that they weren't annoyed. Kazimir had a grandiose reputation, one that perhaps proceeded him. Many considered him an honorary kingsguard and it was a known fact that he was indeed a Wizard Saint. So why did he want to learn about demons? Did he want to become one? Khal strolled behind Caius as the knights walked with him, his hands in cuffs. The one who had been scared stood to the ground and scoffed. Even apprehended they all knew that Caius was a threat. The prince turned away to chuckle. As much as Khalfani hated working with the government to turn in Caius, a friend to their father, they needed the money and they needed the trust of the king and council. This was a strategic play on their behalf. The conversation between Kazimir and Caius became more interesting when Caius mentioned just how he was transformed into a demon. Apparently he was lured into a trap and forcefully turned, but he ended up enjoying his new form so he remained that way. If it was anything like being a vampire, Khalfani fully understood why Caius hadn't changed. When they were a vampire, they'd be lying if they said they hadn't enjoyed the power it gave them. They felt like the strongest being on earth. It was of course the effects of being a vampire and wasn't actually true, but Khalfani could understand the sentiment of wanting the power of darkness. Caius was a mysterious person despite how straight forward he was. Being a Demon more than likely effected how chaotic he was, but the Transcended was sure that he was just that chaotic anyway.

Caius frowned at Kazimir. He didn't give into the temptation of fighting Khal for the bounty. There went his entertainment. It seemed the answer that he gave wasn't good enough for Kazamir as he prodded for more information. Caius just let out a frustrated sigh at the sheer ridiculousness of this. Even the knights were looking like the wanted to move this along. Maybe he should just break out and kill them all. At least then he would be able to just walk to the jail himself.

Taking a deep breath, Caius just decided to answer it honestly. But it was trying his patience. If he wasn't satisfied after this he was going full barbeque on everyone. "Let's turn back the clock. It was a few years ago. All I had to do was go to a church in the woods and kill a priest right. I'm thinking easy money. I've killed priests for free. When I get there, a bunch of cultists come out of the shadows and a ritual symbol appears on the floor. Apparently they need 100 sacrifices to summon this demon and I'm one of many they've lured there. Being me, I dispatch them easy but..."

Caius shrugged his shoulders. "Oh no looks like the cultists count towards the ritual too. The symbol activates from all the death and a demon pops out. I wound him in battle and that crazy mother fucker tries to take over my body. He destroys it and reforms my body into a demon. But jokes on him. From his wounds in battle, I was able to take control by forcing my magic power on him from the inside and destroying him. Now I can do this."

Darkness energy would start to form around his body and he would start to transform. His eyes turned red with orange irises and his hair went from jet black to pure white and extended down to his waist. Black horns and wings sprouted from his body as his skin started to turn dark. Caius had fully transformed into a demon. The thick, evil aura filled the area that would cause overwhelming pressure for those not prepared. Some rune knights even passed out from the fear. "There are satisfied now? If you got a ruler you can take my measurements. I got a spot you measure first right here." Caius said grabbing in-between his legs.

Spell:

Kazimir ignored the frustrated sigh that Caius let out. Odd to think the man was in such a hurry to head into jail. But he was holding up their time, so the wind mage could understand a bit of frustration at prodding at the man's past. Fortunately, Caius complied.

With crossed arms, the wind mage listened intently as he was finally getting a real answer from the daemon. Information that he could actually act upon. "mhm," he softly replied midway through listening. Cultists hanging out to ambush someone on a mission to assassinate a priest? It gave Kaz more ammunition to ask deeper questions but those wouldn't be in line with what he really needed to know. So he held back the need for self-indulgence.

"So you overpowered the demon," he replied more to himself than to Caius. It was an impressive feat. And to think that a demon could be summoned so easily into earthland. He wondered if the same would be true today? Perhaps he would need to track down that cult. Kaz then cocked a brow as Caius began a demonic transformation. Kazimir placed his hand on the back of a falling knight to ease them to the ground against the immense evil pressure now coming from the Deamon.

"Yes, thank you." Kaz answered and stepped closer to the Deamon. He made eye contact as Caius taunted the mage with a lewd gesture. All the while Kaz looked over the evil wings and contemplated the aura in those few moments.

"So similar. I wonder if there is any more meaningful difference between a daemon and a nephilim." implying that there was little to no difference in abilities between what he had as a Nephilim and what was before him now as a daemon.

"You've given me all I need. I'd suggest in the future though, avoid acting so crude. It makes you seem less menacing. In the meantime, if you decide to break out of jail, I'll track you down for some more questions," he ended with a smile and turned to Khal. Caius' form was still menacing. Not many could achieve that rank of daemon easily. And certainly not without hard-fought battles and bloodshed on the way.  

"Thank you for your patience. I hope that It wasn't too inconvenient for you. I look forward to speaking with you in the future about your goals. But I won't hold either of you up any longer." Kaz gave both men a bow and turned to walk back down the path he came.

"One day my questions will make sense," he waved back before returning to the darkness and dashing away.

Exit

48hrs

Kazimir walked up to him after he transformed and inspected him like he was some type of zoo animal. Apparently he had some type of research where it was for comparing demons and nephilim. Wasn't it obvious? Demons like darkness and nephilims liked light. It was that simple. Caius just rolled his eyes at Kazimir and let him do what he wanted. Though if he touched his wings everyone was about to die.

Once Kazimir was finished, he thanked him for his cooperation and would make a remark on his attitude. Caius didn't care. He really wasn't trying to be menacing but rather just working on his plan to wipe the slate clean so he could be more careful in the future. Though because of Kazimir, Caius might visit Fairy Tail and take out a few mages for this little stunt he pulled. Once he was gone, it was just him and Khal with the knights. "Alright boys let's do this."

--exit--

Khalfani wasn't at all interested in the conversation the two men were having. If it wasn't clear by now, they didn't very much care for anything other than the money they were aiming to secure from Caius' bounty. Working for the government of Fiore put a bad taste in the Prince's mouth, but this was all a means to an end. Literally. Demons, gods, vampires, Kazimir had been curious about the underwordly entities, most likely because he was aiming to become one. It could be that the Lion was watching the fall of the Fairy tail guild master. This could have been the start to his journey into hell. The thought alone was enough to make the Desiertan royal crack a smirk. Eventually all people embraced the darkness. It was the fastest, most potent way to secure power. If Khalfani hadn't been chosen, born into political power, they would have went down the same route. Alas, the people of Desierto weren't fond of them when they had been a vampire. Oddly enough, vampirism was a big part of the country's history, especially concerning the rulers. Khalfani sighed as they strolled behind the Demon named Caius, unable to block out the conversation even if they wanted to, they overheard. Caius was trapped and accidentally turned into one of the Abyssal creatures. Now though, he wasn't exactly a demon- at least no fully. He was like Knuckles; a Daemon. Which meant that his powers weren't as vast as before.

Suddenly Caius turned into a monster and the rune knights went on guard. Khalfani simply raised an eyebrow. If the Eternal Nightmare mage really wanted to, he could really break out of these hand cuffs, but even after transforming he remained calm and cooperative. Khal raised their hand calming the Knights down, but to no avail. Now on guard they followed Caius with their weapons drawn, some of them shivering and gulping, sweating in fear, others frowning and eager to shoot or slice him up. Caius had far too many enemies for his own good, something Khalfani would have never allowed for themselves. It was foolish. The whole world knew him for his monstrosities and he probably would never be able to escape the shadows of his misdeeds. It was clear he didn't care either way though, so there was that. One thing that stuck out to Khalfani was Kazimirs thought. He wondered if there was any meaningful difference between a daemon and a Nephilim. The Demi-human squinted. Of course there was a meaningful difference. Once was from the Abyss and shunned by Illumin and his followers, the other was embraced by Illumin and shunned by the Demons.

It struck Khalfani as a pretty silly question, but they remained quiet nonetheless. Finally Kazimir was ready to leave after attaining all of the information he had received from Caius, who didn't mind giving it to him. Khal knew Kazimir and Odin had some sort of friendly relationship but it was interesting to see Kazimir and Caius kinda share a friendly moment. In any case, Kazimir took his leave, leaving Caius alone with the mage dubbed Crime Sorciere and the rest of the Rune Knights. Finally, Caius was ready to be transported. With a nod Khalfani turned to the Knights and gave them the okay to take him away. They were obviously worried that he wouldn't cooperate, but Khalfani would walk with them at least until they were out of Oak city to make sure.