Malias's branch of the organization was by far the most quaint of the five, a small handful of cottages scattered about a large outdoor space, with a high fence surrounding the compound. Malias claimed he chose the setup because it reminded him of his home village, though Dark couldn't grasp why the child would ever want to remember that place.

Dark approached the west gate and knocked on the wooden gate. He was surrounded by pine trees made of the same wood; the fresh scent of pine lingered in the air. Patchy, mild sunlight filtered through the needled branches, mottling the dusty ground with spots of gold. A slight breeze whispered through the forest, sending fallen needles scuttling across the ground.

"Who's there?"

' A panel slid back on a small rectangle carved into the reddish-brown wood, revealing suspicious eyes. Dark didn't need to answer, as the eyes immediately flashed with recognition.

"Welcome, Master Dark!"

With a resounding creak, the gates swung open, and Dark strode inside. The other side of the fence looked similar to the outside, with many pine trees crowding the area, but there was less vegetation on the ground, and there was a path worn into the dust by many feet. Dark set down the path, wearing it down a little deeper.

He emerged into a clearing Malias liked to call "town square." A small fountain stood in the center, surrounded by cobblestone, and cottages of varying sizes lined the perimeter of the area. Dusty footpaths lead back into the pine forest beyond the houses.

Dark hated "town square." It reminded him far too much of the town square in Malias's home village, of the fountain where the villagers would dunk Malias in the freezing cold water in a vain attempt to quell his curse.

Even if Dark had only witnessed it, the memory still angered him. How could Malias live with a daily reminder of his past suffering?

"It's my home," Malias had explained to him once. "Even if the people there were terrible, it's all I've ever known. Being out here is scary. It's nice to have something familiar."

His reasoning was foreign to Dark, who hadn't had a home, not since his parents had been killed. How could he? He couldn't sit around when there was such work to be done.

Members of the organization stopped whatever they were doing to bow to Dark, murmuring their welcomes.

"Continue with your work," said Dark. "Could someone tell me where Malias is?"
"The main cottage," replied someone as the crowd, after some hesitation, began to go about their work.

"Thank you." Dark turned and strode to the largest building on the edge on the plaza. It was the only building with two floors, and steps led up to a small porch in front of the door. Dark didn't bother knocking, instead striding into the front room, letting the door slam shut behind him.

"Malias? Are you here?"

"Master Dark!"

Malias's pale face appeared from the landing overlooking the front room. He rushed down the stairs running along the left wall, stumbling to slow down as he turned to face dark, almost falling face first into the red carpet on the floor in the process. "What brings you here early, Master Dark?"

"I was worried about you."

"Thank you for your concern." Malias smiled up at Dark, brushing his messy black hair out of his eyes.

"Have you been coping alright?"

Malias shrugged and rocked back and forth, looking away. "The usual. Nobody really respects me. Not that they should...I'm a terrible leader. But I think they don't trust me. Because of..."

"If they don't believe you're truly a human, then it's their loss," stated Dark firmly. "You need to own your ability."

"If that's what you want to call it," sighed Malias, looking down. "I mean, I know that's what I need to do, but..."
"You are perhaps the greatest asset we have in out battle," said Dark, placing his hands on Malias's shoulders. "I understand how you feel, but the sooner you embrace your power, the sooner you'll gain respect. You'll gain more confidence. Remember, your mindset is crucial. The angel thought he was cursing you, but his foolish cruelty will prove to be their undoing. Whether you call it a curse or not, you must live with it, so you must own it. It is a formidable power, and you can do great things with it."

The words, so familiar, came out easily; after all, he had said them dozens of times before. Every time he visited Malias, the kid seemed to pull the same act: feeling inadequate, unwilling to use his power. So every time Dark replied with the same words, repeating the same advice over and over; what else could he say?

Malias smiled hesitantly, looking genuinely uplifted. "I guess you're right."

The same reaction. A familiar sense of uncertainty rushed over Dark. He said the same thing every time, and, yet, Malias never changed. It was the same lack of confidence, the same fears. Did Malias discard his advice every time? Did he not want to change? Was it Dark's fault? Should he have been saying something different?

Sometimes it was frustrating, advising Malias over and over again and yielding no results. But Dark couldn't lose his patience; if the lack of progress was really his fault, then he couldn't punish Malias for it. Perhaps Malias just needed more time. The abuse he'd suffered at the hands of his family couldn't be easily undone, after all. He was stuck in a rut; but would a stronger push finally break them free of the cycle?

"The sub-elites are being really helpful, though," added Malias.

Dark instantly snapped to attention. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," said Malias. "They give me a lot of good advice, and everybody's a lot more willing to listen to them."

"They aren't interfering too much, right?" pressed Dark. "They're still letting you make decisions? You feel like you can trust them?"

"Y-yeah," stammered Malias, clearly disturbed by Dark's intensity. "Everything's fine."

Dark relaxed somewhat. "Good. Even so, I'd like to talk to them later. Is that okay?"

"O-of course, Master Dark!" Malias nodded fervently. "Do you want me to find them now?"

"No, I have a different plan."

"What's that, Master?"

"Follow me." Dark exited the house, always keeping Malias in the corner of his eye to make sure he stayed close. Dark lead Malias onto one of the paths winding into the forest, following it for a minute or two before the forest once again opened into a clearing. This space was largely undecorated, just a large, empty space roughly rectangular in space. A few people were sparring with various weapons while more watched, but most of the space was empty.

Malias walked up to Dark's side, looking a bit nervous as he regarded the field. "Why are we here, Master Dark?"

"I'm going to test how much you've improved," stated Dark. "Could you please clear the field?" he called.

A few people cast him disgruntled glances, but, upon seeing Dark's face, they scurried off the field, lingering on the edge as they eagerly watched to see what happened next. Dark strode into the center of the field, followed by a more hesitant Malias.

"This is your chance," Dark told Malias. "Show me you've grown since the last time I was here. Show these people that you are worth respecting."

"I'm really not," mumbled Malias. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Just a quick fight," urged Dark. "No weapons. I won't try to hurt you. You just have to show me what you can do." Perhaps this would finally push Malias into action.

Malias mumbled a bit more, but reluctantly stepped back and rolled up his sleeves. He was a skinny kid, not very tall and without much presence. But it was often the most unassuming of people that held the most danger. Or, at least he could, if he put in a scrap of effort.

Patience, patience, patience. Dark exhaled slowly, watching Malias with narrowed eyes. Just dodge. Don't hurt him. He's only thirteen. Cut him some slack. Dark crouched slightly, read to fend off an attack."Whenever you're ready."

"R-right." Malais shifted uncomfortable before taking a ready stance. His eyes flicked to the people lining the field, watching him with critical eyes, and a clear expression of fear settled on his face.

"Don't concentrate on them," Dark snapped. "I'm your opponent."

Malias tore his eyes from the crowd and fixed them on Dark. After a brief grimace, he opened his right hand, facing the palm upward. An amber glow shone from his palm. A puff of fire appeared in his hand; Malias had summoned it--his curse, his power, his ability. He seemed to physically recoil from the fire, but at least he was using his magic. The glowing fire brought out the reddish tint in Malias's brown eyes, giving him a fiendish look, but those eyes were still tinged with uncertainty.

That's a good start. Now attack me!

Malias took another moment to collect himself before rushing straight at Dark, flaming hand raised to strike. Dark neatly sidestepped and watched as Malias, unbalanced as his attack hit empty air, fell face first into the dusty ground.

Resisting the urge to strike while his opponent was down, Dark took a step back to let Malias recover. Clumsy. I need spend more time teaching him hand-to-hand combat.

Malias scrambled to his feat, face as red as his flames. He snuffed the flame in his palm and took a few unsteady steps back, eyeing Dark thoughtfully. He was clearly making a conscious effort to not look at the crowd; that was no good. In order to truly show his skill, he needed to forget about the onlookers.

Malias moved again, this time changing his approach. Fire sparked in both his hands as he walked in a circle around Dark, growing closer with each circle. Dark watched him impatiently, resisting the urge to jump out and strike himself.

Finally Malias lunged forward, going in for an attack with his right hand. But Dark saw through the feint and easily deflected Malias's second attack with his left hand, sending Malias once again tumbling into the dust.

Malias jumped to his feet even quicker than the last time, but, instead for going in for another attack, backed up, regarding Dark with thoughtful eyes. Dark noted with satisfaction that Malias finally seemed completely focused on the fight.

Malias took a long, deep breath, relaxing his shoulders and closing his eyes. Dark frowned at him in confusion; relaxing his stance like that in a fight--what was he doing? Dark was tempted to strike Malias down there and then to teach him a lesson, but he resisted the urge and simply watched. He needed to give Malias a chance to--

A wall of searing flames sprung up inches from Dark's face. Dark stumbled backward, only to find another wall of fire burning behind him. He was surrounded by a ring of crackling flames twice as tall as he, and the ring was rapidly shrinking.

Caught between shock and pride, it took a moment for Dark to regain his senses. He tapped into his magical power; having been suppressed up until this point, it eagerly surged up to embrace him. He pinpointed Malias's magical signature, burning stronger than Dark had ever sensed it before, just outside the ring of fire. As easy as one might pinch out a candle, he snuffed the power.

The fire vanished as quickly as it had appeared, revealing Malias's shocked face. Dark jumped a few steps back, suddenly feeling energized.

"Show me what you can do!" he urged, loosening his hold on Malias's power.

Malias noticed the change immediately, and, frowning as he focused, started after Dark, palms glowing. A ball of fire grew in front of him, building until it was about half of Malias's size. With a wordless shout, Malias hurled it at Dark.

Dark grinned, feeling wildly exhilarated as the fireball hurtled at him, sending wild sparks flying through the air. He jumped to the side, leaving a good amount of space between him and the fireball--he didn't want to get burned by a stray tongue of flame.

But Malias, eyes now practically glowing with red flame as he utilized his power, was fully immersed in the battle. Mid-jump, a wall of fire sprang up behind Dark, right where he was planning to land. Dark's magic, wild and frenzied now that Dark had used it, rushed to his fingertips, begging to be used. Just a twitch of his finger and he could muffle Malias's power, he could extinguish the flames.

But he couldn't. I need to see more! Dark subdued the urge and kicked out his leg, catching the ground and falling somewhat ungracefully on the ground. Flames danced in his vision, close enough to heat his face, as the fireball slammed into the wall of fire above him, sending stray tongues of flame flailing through the air. A stray spark landed on Dark's face, burning his skin as he rolled away from the fire. He jumped to his feet, and, regaining his balance, charged at Malias.

Malias's red eyes widened as he saw Dark racing at him. He staggered backward and frantically chucked fireballs at Dark, each one getting progressively smaller. Hyper aware, Dark dodged them all, determined to bring out the best in Malias. Clearly he preferred ranged combat with his magic, but how would he respond to a close range attack?

Dark, now close enough to attack, loomed over Malias, swinging forward a straightforward punch. Malias jerked to the left, dodging the attack by a hair. He stared at Dark's fist with wide eyes, but his gazed cleared immediately, and, with intense focus, he launched a punch of his own.

The attack landed soundly on Dark's left cheek, as Dark had purposely slowed down to give Malias a chance. It was a weak attack without much impact, but it burned. Pain speared through Dark's face as Malias's red-hot fist struck it.

Malias immediately staggered backward, eyes wide as he snapped out of his trance. "I--I'm sorry. A-are, you okay, Master Dark?"

Dark ignored the pain and assumed a battle stance. Pride and excitement burned inside him--he couldn't let this end just yet. "I'm fine. Keep going."

With some reluctance, Malias resumed his attacks. Dark tried everything he could to push Malias to his limits and get him once or more absorbed into battle, but it seemed that after burning Dark, Malias had lost his motivation, the timid boy he was. Each of his attacks grew increasingly weaker despite Dark's desperate efforts.

Still, even Malias's halfhearted magic was leagues above anything Dark had seen him do before. When had this happened? When was the last time Dark had tested him? Certainly not in the last few months. Had Malias been practicing? His skills in actual combat were still laughable, but the caliber of the fire magic was impressive. The amount he could control; the speed the fire moved; the complexity of its movements; all of it contrasted so harshly with Malias's repeated refusals to accept his power.

Dark dragged the battle on, eager to see what else Malis was capable of, but it seemed the boy just wasn't willing to try anymore. Injuring Dark had proved too shocking for him. It was a bit frustrating.

With that mindset, how will you ever kill an angel?

Eventually, Dark forced himself to accept that their battle was going nowhere. Continuing would only be a waste of time and energy. Even so, he couldn't relinquish the thrill of a good battle just yet. "Once last attack!" he shouted as he dodged a bolt of fire. "Then we can finish. Take your time to prepare--I want to see your strongest possible attack."

Malias lowered his arms and ceased his attacks. He frowned, uncertain, as his eyes drifted to the burn wound on Dark's cheek.

Dark frowned. "Don't hold back!" he demanded. "Don't worry about hurting me! Remember, I can cancel your magic if I wish."

This seemed to assure Malias somewhat, because he took a step back and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.

Dark noted the rapidly growing power of Malias's magic, and ever so slightly tightened his grip on Malias's power, just in case he needed to snuff it out quickly. Malias gathered his magic for almost a full minute; though the crowd murmured to each other in confusion, Dark could sense the wild inferno building up inside Malias.

Malias opened his eyes, and the world turned to fire.

Searing heat pressed in on all sides as enormous walls of fire leapt from the ground from all sides. Tongues of flame licked the sky, and the fire surrounding Dark was so close it barely gave him room to stand. Then the sky became orange and yellow and red and the fire leaned in, creating a flaming roof that plummeted down toward Dark as the fire on his sides pressed in.

The moment the heat hit Dark, he reacted, clamping down on Malias's power. It caved under pressure, and the almost unbearable heat withdrew as the flames evaporated into air. But this time Malias's magic didn't extinguish so easily; the entire field was still covered in knee-high, crackling flames.

Malias stood on the other edge of the field, swaying as he struggled to catch his breath.

As Dark increased his pressure, the flames slowly dwindled to nothing, and Malias fell to his knees as Dark managed to completely subdue the magic.

"And we are done," announced Dark, striding over to Malias. He held out his hand, pulling Malias to his feet when he took it.

Malias, face even paler than usual, was too tired to even look relieved. He staggered after Dark on unsteady feet as Dark headed back to the center of the field. Dark placed a hand on Malias's shoulder.

"Good job," he said, beaming with pride. "You're doing amazing with your magic. You always sounded so uncertain about using it; I certainly hadn't expected you to have advanced so far!"

Malias smiled weakly.

"Though your combat skills need some work," continued Dark, "that was an excellent battle." Excellent it was. How long had it been since he'd felt such an adrenaline rush in battle? How long had it been since he'd enjoyed himself so much while fighting? Recently it had become dull, just a necessary duty in his quest for justice. But most of his battles ended quickly, in death and bloodshed; did he really have to enjoy that? Perhaps, then, he should've engaged in these small sparring matches more often. He hadn't realized how enjoyable they could be.

"Look at them, Malias." Dark gestured to the crowd surrounding the field. They gazed on with wide eyes, still struggling to process what they had witnessed. After this, none of them would regard Malias with disdain or disrespect once again. "You've showed them what you're capable of."

Malias, apparently too tired to talk, scanned over the crowds. A pleasantly surprised smile crept across his face as he beheld their expressions.

"Now is the time to cement this moment into their memories so they'll never forget it." Dark seized Malias's wrist and held it up in the air, raking over the crowd with burning eyes. "This is the leader of this base!" exclaimed Dark, gesturing at Malias with his other hand. "This is your leader--you've seen what he's capable of. And I assure you, he and I are as human as the rest of you--there is no reason to doubt his loyalty.

"He has proven to you without doubt that he possess great power, and it more than worthy of being your leader!"

Dark stared at the crowd, daring them to challenge his claims. But he saw only shock and respect in their eyes, and, slowly, hesitantly, someone began to clap, then another, then another. Soon the entire crowd was clapping, filling the empty field with the rumble of applause.

Malias took in the scene with wide eyes, hardly able to understand what was happening. Dark smiled slightly at the boy's disbelief.

"That," Dark said, "is how you win over your subordinates."