Pain was nothing knew to him. Once he had been a commander of a vampire army and fought in countless battles against the foes of his grandfather and Council of his people; he was their puppet, their good little soldier, their loyal servant. Pain was constant – death always lingered and yet he survived every single time. He was hailed as his home’s greatest warrior – funny, how they mistreated him so severely after his ‘fall from grace’. Any time he thought back to that moment, when he was branded as a traitor, the scar on the left side of his body (literally the word ‘traitor’ in Italian was branded onto his skin) itched and burned, just like the moment the hot iron was pressed against him. It was all in his head, a phantom sensation, and yet it felt so real.

There was no doubts, however, that the pain he was currently feeling was real though. Every time the other tapped on the weapon buried in his chest, the vibrations and even the slightest of shifts shot through and viciously bit his nerves, causing him to unwillingly flinch and release a strained groan from his tightly closed mouth. His eyes fluttered shut a moment, the vampire attempting to completely ignore the stinging by focusing on his breathing – something he did not need to do but now came naturally to him with all the effort and training he’s put in to over the last seven decades trying to perfect it so he would look normal to humans. When his lids opened again, dark brown hues glowed a deep shade of crimson red. It wasn’t out of anger or threat as it normally would be, the vampire decided it was best to tread cautiously now given the other’s own threat.

“The words you speak, it seems to me as though you have an…unresolved issue with the fate of death.” The vampire’s head cocked to the side a little and his eyes narrowed at his assailant. “I’m curious, are those words suppose to be directed towards me? Or is this a confession from somber thoughts and experience?” A pause. “Are you preaching to me, friend?” So much for treading lightly – but then again, the vampire argued that if he downplayed or even lied about anything and the other knew it, then punishment would be inflicted nonetheless. Ethan didn’t really see any way he was getting out of this unscathed, so why not be honest? 

“Pray tell, just how is this suppose to ‘work out’? What is it that you want from me – a stranger?”

^{“If you were simply a stranger, I would have no use for you, but as it stands, you’re far more than simply that.” His right hand moved to rub at his chin for a few moments, “Death can be cheated —- given enough time, you can outlive it, and eventually embrace it with open arms. However, that’s not why i’m here.”}

^{A slight grin pulled at the demon’s lips for a few moments, “I need someone who can help me with a project —- you won’t be paid and you might not even live through it. However, I do believe someone like you will suffice.” Even if he didn’t, there was a major chance that Ky’lar wouldn’t be able to test his theories again, but it was a chance he had to take… especially now.}

_{“If you wish, I could kill you right now, but no, I don’t think i’ll waste someone like you. Far too much to offer me, don’t you think?”}