Many say that Kazan takes the life of those unworthy of living.

They say that once the demon touches your soul, you are forever his pawn, his servant, his slave.

I beg to differ.

I believe that he gives you an option.

Power. That is what his cold grasp on your soul can give you. The exhilarating thrill of blood being spilled. The screams of your enemies ringing throughout the skies.

It is Kazan who gives you this power. But this is not without a price.

Kazan needs a human to be his host. His presence must stay on this earth. I am that host. My consciousness is fading, overwhelmed by his control. But before he takes my life, before he tips the balance of my mortality, another life must be taken.

Life.

Such a fragile word.

"Valufor? Can you hear me?"

Someone was shaking his head. His black eyes, which were almost swollen shut, opened a fraction apart. He felt the blood trickling down his nose.

"What the hell happened to you man?" a Monk said.

Valufor glared at the Grappler as he walked away with his thugs, laughing. Laughing at him. His eyes closed as tears slid out of the slits, supposedly his eyes, in defeat. The Monk muttered a healing spell and the bleeding from his nose stopped.

"Man, I leave you here for a few minutes and the next thing I know, you're getting yourself into a fight. Control your temper!"

"Jay," Valufor whispered hoarsely, "I lost."

Jay widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Yeah, no shit..."

The Monk heaved him up onto his shoulder and carried him out of the bar. He wiped away his brown long hair from his green eyes. Jay breathed a breath of disappointment and glanced at his friend. He went to go find Grandis, who could do a much faster healing than he could. Valufor was always getting himself into trouble. He hadn't advanced to anything yet either. But it wasn't his fault. People were always making fun of him. Of his arm, to be exact. He always wanted to prove himself to people. But is it really worth the beating?

A loud scream interrupted his thoughts. He glanced around, looking for the source of the scream.

Suddenly, a young teenage girl ran out from behind the bar. Following close behind her was the same Grappler that had pummeled his friend. Jay set his friend down, then slowly approached the Grappler. He first let the girl pass then stopped the Grappler in his tracks.

"Hey, what the hell is your problem?" the Grappler said as he jabbed a finger into the angry Monk's chest. He tried to sidestep the Priest, but he just stepped in his way.

"Will Driver!" Jay yelled.

He smashed the Totem into the ground. Golden light spread throughout the ground and grasped the Grappler's feet.

"What the-!"

Jay ducked and dashed forward, delivering an uppercut on his jaw. The Grappler was knocked out before he even touched the ground. He walked over and said a prayer over the limp body and walked to Valufor and heaved him back up onto his shoulder. He turned around, only to face the girl who was running away. Jay would never admit it, but he admired this blonde girl about her appearance. She was pretty tall, suggesting that she was a Gunner.

"Thank you for getting rid of that freak!" the girl said, looking at the body in disgust.

Jay shrugged. "No problem. I'm supposed to be the protector of the weak right?"

The girl pouted and said, "You consider me weak?"

The Monk widened his eyes. "No, no, no, that not what I meant-!"

The girl giggled at his nervousness. "It's alright. My name is Rian. Yours?"

"Jay." he said. "And the unconscious one is Valufor."

Rian smiled. "Jay and Valufor... well, thanks again. Maybe we can meet again..."

Valufor unwrapped the bandage from his head. He rubbed his eyes and lifted off the sheets. He stood up, buckled under the weight of his own body and fell on the bed. He grabbed his Serast Blue and propped himself up. He limped to the door and squinted under the sunlight.

How long have I been asleep? Where is Jay?

He put his hand in his pocket and found a note.

Meet me at Shadow Thunderland.
-Jay

Valufor chuckled.

What an overachiever... alright Jay, if that's what you want...

"OK, explain to me why I'm here? Are you trying to kill me?"

Jay smiled. "Same old attitude. I thought you would feel better with exercise."

"Yeah, right. In a freezing wasteland. Great exercise..." Valufor muttered.

Jay ignored him and charged at a limping Hollow Eye.

"Ducking Straight Punch!" Jay yelled.

The Hollow Eye flew back and knocked down a large group of Zombies.

Valufor sighed and charged. He hacked and slashed at the undead horde, feeling joy and thrill when each attack connected.

Suddenly, his vision turned red. He felt a searing pain in his abdomen, like a knife stabbing his insides. He doubled over and hurled onto the floor.

"Valufor, watch out!"

He couldn't hear him. Everything started to move in slow motion. Blackness eventually conquered his consciousness and fell in a heaping pile.

Grandis frowned at the limp body of Valufor.

"I am sensing a very unholy presence in our midst. It seems to be radiating from your friend here." she said.

"What happened to him? He was fine one moment, then he just passed out!"

Grandis closed her eyes and touched Valufor's arm. She gasped and backed away from the Slayer. The skin where the priestess had touched him began to hiss with smoke.

"Kazan seems to be taking his conscious and slowly morphing it with his own..." she murmured.

Jay looked at her with a very confused look.

"In other words, he's taking control of his mind."

Author's Note: Hey guys! I am so sorry for not updating my Maplestory Fanfic, but I recently got addicted to DFO.

Valufor is about level 17, Jay is level 30, the Grappler is about level 25.

For those of you who do play DFO, what do you want Valufor to be? I want him to be a Beserker, but tell me and I will consider it.

Please review! I might make a second chapter, but I'll see what happens...