God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

In a world of darkness and desolation, there could only be hollow chills and shadows.

As he walked down the empty road, these were the thoughts playing through his mind.

Things like this had to be thought through carefully, whatever the case may be.

The road he was on stretched from the gates of the Temple of Sands down to the main road filled people. Since it was quite long, it would be a while before he got to the main road if he continued walking at this pace.

But Cain didn't mind. He wasn't in a rush either way.

The soft wind hit him again, reminding him of where he was.

Although the chill didn't affect him much, he could still feel it.

"How uncomfortable..."

The words floated off his lips like parting clouds.

Cain continued walking forward, slowing down his pace even more.

Turning his head, he looked to the side.

Green leaves sprouted out of the cracks in the roads, and the shriveled bushes had soft buds jutting out alongside their thorns.

With the exit of Balangol's presence, life was slowly returning.

'In a way, the Celestials are similar to the Devils.'

Both beings reshaped the landscape and the native creatures in their image using their power.

The Devils made use of their Devil Essence and the Celestials made use of their Divinity.

One was just a tad bit uglier than the other.

Cain let out another chilly breath.

His mind was filled with a lot of things.

There were so many things he would have to handle in the coming times. He was going to be very busy moving forward. Such was the burden that came with power.

Reliance.

The lives of many now relied on him because of the blood he could spill.

He remembered what Ashur had told him a fairly long time ago when all this had just begun;

"Gather powerful and trustworthy comrades who will accompany you on your journey to the peak."

Following that advice had gotten him here. In his quest to gather reliable and trustworthy comrades, he had grown a small army.

'But will it be enough?'

He had no clue.

For what was to come, he had no idea if they would be enough. The horrors they would have to face couldn't be defeated by just perseverance and synergy.

He took another step forward.

However, something was different this time.

Instead of moving forward, he realized he was falling.

But by the time he realized, it was already too late.

"Ah..."

The darkness pulled him in deeper, and within moments, it swallowed him.

The Evernight wind licked the dry, cracked road, sweeping through the gaps between the buildings before rising into the sky.

However, there was no trace of the lonesome young man left behind.

***

"You need to stop doing this." Cain said, his tone annoyed as he sat up.

He was in a world of shifting darkness and shadows.

It was a familiar world.

"Why go through any hassle when I can always just pull you in? Makes things less complicated for you and I."

Evangeline's magnetic voice came from everywhere within this world of darkness.

Cain let out a sigh.

Although he trusted her, he still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable everytime he was here.

For what it was worth, he wouldn't be able to defend himself properly should she decide to attack him in this place.

He shivered. The enemies she had dragged into this place surely were unlucky.

Cain looked around, trying to spot her in the darkness.

Suddenly, he felt a presence approach him quickly.

He turned around, only to find himself enveloped in a sweet fragrance.

The force pushed him back to the ground, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

Two deep red orbs stared into his eyes.

Fragrant hot air was spewed onto his face.

"What was that for?" Cain said softly.

Evangeline replied matter-of-factly,

"What, I'm not allowed to embrace you anymore?"

Cain blinked, "You were never allowed to embrace me in the first place."

"Says who?"

Cain was stumped, unable to reply to that.

He smiled wryly.

Evangeline sat up, straddling him in place.

Glaring down at him, she spoke, her tone calm and measured,

"I see you received my gift. A word of thanks would be much appreciated."

Cain went silent.

He was indeed incredibly grateful. The timely information she provided had given him a lot of time to create counter measures for the devilish 'bioweapons'.

"Thank—"

A soft dainty finger pressed down on his lips, silencing him.

Cain felt something stir in his loins.

'This situation is...'

Evangeline leaned forward, her voice barely above a whisper,

"I don't want empty thanks. That is shallow."

Cain raised a brow, "Then what do you want?" He mumbled.

A sly smirk appeared on her lips as she leaned forward.

Thanks to his incredible vision, Cain could still see clearly despite the darkness all around.

He saw the blush creep up her porcelain neck till it reached her cheeks,

"How about giving me your body..."

The atmosphere and the situation was rather provoking.

As a man, Cain would be lying if he said he didn't feel anything.

No, that wasn't it.

He was at the brink of losing his mind.

The soft body straddling him. The delightful fragrances. The subtle movements. Her slightly strained breathing.

They were more than enough to drive any man mad.

But...

Restraining the beast within him, Cain sat up, gently gripping Evangeline's waist to prevent her from falling.

"Even if you want to do that, I don't think now's a good time."

Evangeline raised a brow,

"How so?"

Cain swallowed strenuously,

"This... Isn't that considered moving too fast? Isn't there a process to those things?"

Evangeline stared blankly. Then, she let out a chuckle that quickly turned into a full blown laughing fit.

Her laughter was pleasant, not like the wonderful summer sunshine, but like light night showers of the autumn.

Cain couldn't help but let out a chuckle himself.

'How comfortable...'

Evangeline finally let out a sigh. Gazing into Cain's eyes, she spoke with a small smile,

"I think this is only fair. After all, you allowed Susan to embrace you. I believe you both also shared a kiss the other time."

Cain froze up,

"You saw that?"

"Always assume I see everything." Evangeline said casually.

Cain didn't know what to think anymore.

"Listen. I—"

Once again, the soft finger pressed itself against his lips, forcing him to stop speaking,

"I don't want to hear any of it. I have always known you were a perverted rascal."

Cain grimaced, "That's not true!"

Evangeline shrugged, "Then why are you going around kissing girls?"

Cain frowned, "It's a bit more complicated than that."

Evangeline's bright crimson eyes shone. In the ambient darkness, they were like the entrance to help itself.

She nestled herself even deeper into him.

Cain let out a sharp hiss as he tried to pull back, but was unable to. Now, their bodies were so close, everything was touching.

Since they both were wearing casual clothes, there was practically nothing between them.

Feeling her warm body pressed up against his, Cain, for the first time in his life, felt a complete lack of control of the situation.

Her whispers were like the tempting calls of a Devil,

"I've been thinking about this for a while. Our lives can come to an end at any time, Cain."

She gaze captured him completely.

"What do you mean?" Cain finally managed to get out.

Her body shifted again. Even through the haze clouding his mind, Cain could still see clearly.

Her body language, the flushed ears and cheeks told one story.

"Since we can die at any moment, wouldn't you want to experience true pleasure before you do?"

Cain gently grasped her shoulders.

Sucking in a deep breath, he said the first thing that came into his mind.

"I do!"

It was like a bucket of ice cold water was dropped over his head.

The heat from earlier vanished, and he became familiar with the cruel chill once more.

"But I can't. Not right now."

Evangeline went silent.

Cain stared at her. Her expression didn't change at first.

Then she sighed,

"You are still as stubborn as ever, aren't you..."

Her lips curled up into a smile. One that seemed rather genuine.

Cain felt his heart speed up.

Giving into the pleasures of the flesh was something he yearned to do. But he could not give himself that satisfaction yet.

"Trust me. I want to do nothing more than to tear off your clothes right here and now. But until I tear down the Devil Tower, I cannot be allowed such joys."

Evangeline chuckled, "In other words, I am your victory prize. Is that it?"

Cain grimaced, "Well, when you put it that way..."

Evangeline chuckled again,

"Well then, all the more reason for me to support your goals, isn't it?"

Cain let out a sigh of relief internally.

"However..."

Cain felt the heat return instantaneously.

He felt something wet and slippery invade his lips.

It was quick and managed to leave only a lingering trace before he realized what had happened.

He stared blankly, his mouth agape at Evangeline who slowly and seductively licked her lips.

She met his gaze and shrugged,

"Now we're even..."