The armies clashed, striking each other with flames, water, air, swords and claws. Ignis charged the twins, swinging his blade heavily at them.

They blasted her backwards with a wave of wind and water.

'You can't touch us, Iggy.'

'We shall see...'

He let out a wince - then a gasp as crimson flames spread from the point of impact up his body.

"No! Thiiss booddyy iiss miinnee..."

Ty! You're doing it, you're winning, you're... oh...oh no... AYASE, RUN!!

An instant later, the dueling armies suddenly had huge bloody chunks torn out of their ranks.
Because storming out of the wreck of the building, past Ayase, looking more angry than it was possible to imagine, strode Tyrcestus, glowing with crimson flames that were slashing in the air, back in his old body - and his mind fulled to the brim with rage.

"NO MORE!" he bellowed, and put his fist through a nearby eight-foot demon without looking that collapsed to the ground.
Flames tore at the armies as he roared.
"I AM DONE WITH THIS! ALL OF THIS... THIS... BULLSH*T! EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO HURT HER... EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE... CAN ALL JUST F*CK OFF AND DIEEE!!"

Flames tore off him into the sky, turning the world red...

Malum appeared between the twins, and put his hands on their shoulders. 'Play time is over. You've done what I needed.

Before they could complain, they vanished, along with their minions, then Malum himself.

Ignis, roared with anger. He turned to his men. 'Kill them.' was all he said before disappearing in a pillar of fire.

There must have been a hundred. Two hundred at a stretch.

But in the state he was in, they did not stand a chance.

He ripped through them, roaring and howling, all the anger and hatred and darkness in his heart burning out of him, all his fears, all his regrets, the fact that he FAILED HER AGAIN and AGAIN...

As the flames tore into the sky, and the demons, Martyris moved Ayase over to Trinity, and a swift touch on the arm allowed him to communicate with them both.

The good news? He's back.
The bad news?

Tyrcestus pounded, slammed, punched and hurled strikes that tore demons apart.
Never stopping his screams of rage.

He's completely and utterly mentally shattered from everything that's happened to you two. In other words, you've got him back, but he's also COMPLETELY INSANE!!

The demons started thinning, but his ferocity didn't cease, his attacks never slowed.
What had happened at Darmaku'ul was merely a shadow of his anger now, the anger that was directed at the world, at himself, at the demons before him, the demons responsible for this that he couldn't punish, every single thing bar Trinity...

Although the fact that his body - these hands - had made her cry simply BLAZED inside making him so angry he couldn't think...

Zerron saw another demon appear. but this one was familliar. his heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice.
that's him, the one that took Valen and toutured us.......
his braclet suddenly burst into violet flames, making him realize what it meant.
Valen, I WILL take that demon ******* down and make him pay for all that he's done!
a deep blue fire ignited in his eyes, looking at him, the one who's ruined countless lives and painful torture....
Just before he got a chance, he left with the other two.

"Damned coward..."
Valen's bracelet continued to glow with violet flames around it.


the crimson spark in ty came alive as the demons thinned, waiting for a command.
His inraged so much that it's taken over his mind.
he tried to use the spark that his demon side placed in his head to speak to him
Ty, can you hear me? it's sean.... their both safe.... I don't know why but zerron helped them out, and knowing him he's one of the best people that knows about demons, and how to deal with them.

Sean meant well. Sean was not trying to make the situation worse. Sean was attempting to help.
Unfortunately, right now, Sean was an idiot.

The whole episode of being possessed, the helplessness, the impotent rage, the fear, the hatred of his own body for it's sins, for his own weaknesses, had done once crucial thing to his mind. It had cemented an iron-clad fear of anyone - ANYTHING - in his head that wasn't him.

So as a result, the instant Tyrcestus heard Sean's words in his mind, regardless of the content, he simply exploded, his screams of anger and hate becoming louder and louder.

"OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! OUT! GET OUT!!"
Demons died, they came and they died.
"DIE! GET OUT OF MY HEAD AND DIE! NEVER AGAIN! NEVER! GET!! OUT!! AND!! DIE!!!"
The flames surrounding him were now tearing at the air in a firestorm, ferocious and the color of blood.
"GGGEEEETTTT OOOOUUUTTTT!!!!"
He was on his knees, crying and roaring, the flames tearing the last few surviving demons apart...

Sean left his mind after he said this.
sorry, my friend. I'll leave you alone... just wanted to say hi...
at that moment the red spark died as his demon side realized what sean was doing.

I'm suprized that you did that, but your not to do that ever again... you got that!
I get it, so yell or shock me all you want....that demon's going to pay sooner or later.... he hasn't gotten a scratch on him....always hiding.....
That demon will soon be dead... he kind of ruined a part of my plan.


Zerron saw what was going on, the fire inside of him grew even more.
"that demon is going to pay for his past, mark my words. he's a cruel coward that needs to pay...."

The last demon died in fire, and Tyrcestus knelt alone and angry amongst the ashes.
He wanted to destroy himself, destroy his arms, his accursed... demon...arms...

He gave a loud roar, and his black arms were scorched from his body. No new ones grew. He didn't care any more about himself. He was worthless, more than pathetic. All he wanted now was to find somewhere to die.

Then her voice made him look up at her, and his eyes were completely destroyed. No hope, no light, no bravery, no resolve. He was broken. He could only open his mouth, let out a slight gasp - then break completely.

He collapsed onto his side, curled up into a ball, and began to wail his heart out, the anger gone, only the hatred remaining. He wanted to punish himself for failing her, so much, so completely.

"TRINITY, I'M SORRY... I'M SO SORRY..." he sobbed, rocking slightly, lying there helpless, wanting her to pass judgement on him.
He couldn't even die without her permission... he wanted to punish himself so badly, seek some sort of recompense for all he'd done to her, kill himself to get away from the reality that he'd failed her...

And if she told him she couldn't forgive him for this... he'd burn into ashes looking into eyes that didn't love him where he lay... which was all he deserved...

she moved closer and as she saw the tears in his eyeand him rocking in a ball apologizing to him, she know it was him. she moved closer to him kneeling down next to him she threw herself at him hugging him as her tears stream down her face
"its you...its really you"
she hugged him tighter
"i missed you so much, i miss your touch, your kiss, your love"

He was torn in half.
He wanted to hold her. To do everything for her, to love her, to relax feeling her weight against him, her arms around him, to kiss away her tears, kiss her lips, drive away her sorrow.

But.

Every time, he had failed her, and every time she had just let him back into her heart. Well, not this time. He didn't just want her to punish him for this, he NEEDED punishment. Atonement. Penance. Or the guilt of all he had done would eat away at him and drive him mad.

He needed her to hurt him. To make him pay. He needed it so she knew and he knew that she knew how sorry he was.
He managed to let out a whisper through his tears.
"Grow... claws...please...Trinity...please..."
He loved her with all his heart, and he had failed her with all his might.
She loved him. So she needed to be the one to do this to him...

He could never lie to her.
He met her eyes again, and his eyes held only pain, and fear, and darkness needing to be released, darkness eating away at him like a cancer.

"I need you... to put your claws... into my back... and hold me to you as I bleed... I need you to hurt me, hurt me a lot... I'm sorry but I can't... I can't just be forgiven, I need to release all this, all this guilt, all this HATE, ALL THIS PAIN..."
He was desperate, pleading.

"I can't survive with this inside me, I'll kill myself, I can't take the knowledge of what I've done..."
Tears started forming.
"I hurt Varen, hurt Lucy, hurt Zerron, hurt Ayase... I... I hurt you.... I... I made... you...c...c...cry..."
He couldn't finish and just moved closer in her arms, looking in her eyes.
"I love you. But I can't be with you if I don't get all this out of me. So I need you to stab me and hold me and punish me and love me at the same time and I need you now...more than I've ever needed you...please..."

Tears dripped from his face as he buried her face in her neck, sobbing "please," over and over again...

He looked into her eyes, bringing his head out of her neck, and kissing her ever so lightly.
"I'm sorry my love... my Trinity... but you won't be hurting me, you'll be setting me free..."

He felt her claws press against his back and wanted them to rip out his sin, but he couldn't do it unless she made the stab.
He whispered, quietly to her.
"I know this hurts you... I know you don't want to do this, but here's what will happen if you don't.
I'll think about all this pain, all this guilt, everything I need gone but can't be purged from me by normal means. And I'll kill myself because I'd dirty you with my very presence, and I'd stop loving you and instead hate myself... I hate myself now for being such a failure..."

He met her eyes again.
"Please... please, Trinity, just one motion will set me free... be my angel, be my savior, just one stab and we can be together forever again... I'll do anything for you, we'll be happy again... but I need you to... to save me..."

He pressed his back against her claws, urging her on.
"Please... I love you, don't cry, I'll kiss away all those tears but right now I need you to save me..."
He moved his lips almost to hers, but couldn't kiss her - not yet, he didn't deserve it.
"Please..." he whispered...

His blood ran down her claws, and the pain was intense as all hell.
His neck arched and he couldn't stop himself crying out in pain as he felt his life-force pour out of him, his wife, holding him, and the pain was becoming something so great he was starting to black out...

But with the pain came something more. A feeling of purging, of redemption, of freedom, washing away the darkness in him in a storm of agony that had him howling as she held him there, her claws stabbing deeper and deeper...
Every memory of her came flooding back. Every single one, right down to the darkest and the purest and most beautiful times they'd shared.

And through the pain, the memories dredging it up through all the hate, came the two feelings he recognized in full flow, the desire to FIGHT and to DESTROY the sources of their pain... and then... and... then...

The love came back.
The NEED for this woman, the need to hold her, the need to cradle her in his arms, but he didn't have arms, well f*ck that, he didn't care, he wanted arms to hold his wife, so -

An instant later, flames burned where his arms used to be and cleared to reveal perfectly formed arms. Not caring about the rules of magic he was breaking at the moment, he wrapped them around her and pulled her closer, digging her claws into his back even more and he screamed with the sheer hurt of it - but then he started whispering in Trinity's ear.
"I love you...just a little longer... just... a little... longer.... and you'll set me free for you and I can kiss you... it's been so long..."
He stroked her body, trying to reassure her as he tried to stop the groans and gasps of pain coming out as she dug deeper and deeper into him.
"Do... you remember the... the d... the... dancing...?" he whispered, needing more pain but knowing she was hating this.
"Hold me... tighter... if... you do... please... for me... for us... PLEASE..."

He held her tighter, his back now running red with blood and the ground around them becoming stained with it but he did not relinquish his hold on her in the slightest.

"You love me... I'd never ask you to do this to me unless I needed it... I love you... I love you, I always said I would, I always would..."

The pain was starting to consume him and he could barely think, wanting instinctively to remove the claws in his back but that would mean letting her go and under no circumstances would he do that to her.
"I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry... please tell me you know I'm sorry... " he gasped, kissing the top of her head.

Inside the pain was building to the point where it was do or die, and he'd died enough.
Left her alone enough.

He let out a moan of agony and pressed his body against hers as the pain and anger and awakened ferocious love inside him raced each other to the peaks of his mind, and sensed he was reaching the penance threshold.

"Please... if you forgive me... if you can even stand to look at me... after all I've done to you... kiss me..."
He stroked her hair with trembling hands.
"I don't deserve it but it's been so long... it's been hell, being away from you. I need it, but I can't take it because I can't take anything from you that you don't want me to...please..."

He kissed her back, and it was like a thunderstorm finally releasing a bolt of thunder.
The pain in his back, her taste, her lips on his, the agony and the pleasure steaming through him was too much to take...

Crimson flames, the same kind that had surrounded the ring, the token of his love for her suddenly blazed around them, covering them both in harmless light.
All his passion, all his devotion, all his inner light surged up through him as all the darkness and pain and hatred and fear and guilt bled through the holes in his back.

For a few long minutes he kissed her with more passion than he could have imagined.
Then he realised that he felt... clean. Saved. Pure. Rescued.

He broke the kiss and met her eyes again - her beautiful eyes.
"I love you. I'm sorry for everything I've done, and thank you for forgiving me. I promise, I will spend a lifetime making all you've suffered up to you, I swear it, I vow it..."

Then he smiled at her, with only a slight wince.
"Now here's what's going to happen, my love. Can you please take your claws out of my back so I can kiss you again?"