Abaddon hovered over the spot where the demon was encased in amber.

Just as Lailah had discovered, the demon''s cognitive functions were about the same as what one would have seen in a comatose person.

No sort of signals or brainwaves seemed to be transmitted outward either.

It seemed it was safe to leave him like this after all.

"Is that what you''re supposed to look like?"

Abaddon slowly turned around to find Shin staring at him with a look he couldn''t decipher.

"...This is the closest body to my true incarnation that the mortal mind can comprehend, yes." He answered.

"Good, you should stick with that. Feels a lot less intimidating than the other one."

"There is a black hole within my chest and I speak without a mouth."

"So?"

The two men stared at each other for what felt like an uncomfortably long time.

Abaddon was hardly amused and just when he was about to tell Shin to stop staring at him, the human asked a question first.

"Why did you do it?"

"...What?"

"You messed with the circle." Shin accused.

"If I didn''t, then you all would have died." Abaddon admitted."Apologies if that flies in the face of your pride or you feel disgruntled that you needed help from one such as myself."

Shin gritted his teeth.

"...Thank you."

It was a good thing Abaddon''s mouth was sealed shut, because if it weren''t, then it definitely would have dropped open by now.

"....Huh?"

"I''m not saying it again, dickhead."

Abaddon was immediately convinced whatever he''d just heard had to have been an auditory hallucination. He didn''t know dragons could have those, but this was literally the only other explanation that made sense.

"...Truthfully, I knew that circle shouldn''t have worked." Shin pulled his coat back on. "My scans said the demon had greater reserves of energy than what was displayed and we should have been in for a much longer fight.

If it weren''t for your ''assistance'' and that of the dinosaur queen''s over there, then we probably would have lost at least a few of our men."

A ''few'' was being generous.@@@@

Abaddon was bewildered. Who knew auditory hallucinations were so in depth and detailed?

"So from one established leader to another, I just wanted to say... thanks." Shin finally held out his hand.

Visual hallucinations now too? Abaddon was sure he must have become stricken with dementia in the night.

He blinked all three of his eyes at least five times. Shin was becoming redder every time he looked at him. "Would you stop acting like such a surprised dunderhead?"

"This isn''t an act..."

"Forget it.."

Shin walked away in a huff, leaving only a stunned Abaddon behind.

He looked towards the very large four legged lizard behind him for clarification that he wasn''t going insane.

"Did you hear all that too, Ganny?"

Tatiana finally released Valerie. She took a deep breath and started speed walking through the maze of crystals.

Any crystals that they passed still released projectiles, but Tatiana''s black hole ate them of it''s own volition.

With their path no longer facing any real impediment, the group was able to proceed through the maze in record time.

They found what they were looking for in the back of the maze. It was worse than they thought it would be.

All alone within a clearing was an old man of a paler complexion.

He was thin and dangerously malnourished. His saggy skin hung loosely to the bones around his body and looked like they might''ve come off with a gust of wind.

His hair was stark white, but missing in certain patches.

The only clothing he had was a burlap loincloth to cover up his dignity. Dried blood covered the floor around his hands and feet. The nails in both had been forcefully removed with pliers of some sort.

Dark chains plagued his body. Some seemed to be keeping him held down, while a couple were literally embedded within his flesh.

"Dad!"

Valerie ignored any possible danger that could have occurred and rushed towards her father who was a ghastly version of himself.

Usually a heavyset man who had a larger than life personality and a beard made of flame, he now seemed no different from any old patient you might find on hospice care.

His eyes flickered with recognition when he saw Valerie, and he smiled bitterly.

"Taunt me no longer, mongrel... My daughter is much prettier than that..."

"I-I only look ugly because I''m crying, dickhead!!" If Gulban wasn''t literally teetering on the edge of death then Valerie would have punched him.

He blinked his eyes a couple of times and looked at Valerie, and everyone else standing a bit further behind her a second time.

His complexion somehow seemed to get worse. "Valerie..? Y-You shouldn''t be here.."

"Neither should you, old man!" Valerie waisted no time in snapping the chains that bound her father to this hellish prison.

"Listen to me, you hardheaded girl.." Gulban coughed.

"Not until I get you out of here first!" Valerie paused at the four chains that were literally embedded into her father''s sides.

Pulling them out was no doubt going to hurt, and she was honestly squeamish about causing him any more pain when he had already been through so much.

"H-Here, drink this.." Valerie materialized a bottle of vodka and passed it to her father.

Death''s door or not, Gulban would not say no to a good drink.

Once he drank at least half the bottle, Valerie pulled out all four chains at once.

He screamed and choked all at once, but Abaddon appeared at his side to exhale the breath of life onto his body.

The holes closed up, but slower than they should have. Far slower.

Valerie lifted her father up with her powers. "Come on, dad, let''s get you out of-"

I ain''t got weary yet~! I ain''t got weary yet~!

I''ve been in the wilderness a mighty long timeee~! And I ain''t got weary yet~!

I''ve been praying like Silas...! I''ve been praying like Paul...! Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire

I''ve been serving my lord a mighty long time, but I ain''t got weary yet~!

Chills ran through the group as they heard a man''s voice singing all around them.

Suddenly, the crystals lost their colors. And instead, a man''s face was reflected back at them.

But Abaddon and his wives were completely perplexed. They had never seen this person a single day in their lives.

"Who... are.. you?"