@[thejazzcat](/user/show/10005285) _You're_ awesome! :wink:

@[NeedControlling](/user/show/1223696) Aww, thank you! I appreciate your _energetic_ reply! :blush:

@Anonymous Thank you. My apologies for the late notice on the comment length- I should have done so sooner. But yes, it would be monumentally and tactically foolish for Eddie to not go prepared. And unlike before, he now has no emotional connections to any converted individuals that could be exploited. Forlorn may try but will likely fail. After all, Collin isn't exactly real anymore (though he is and was the truth of the matter), thanks to the overlords actions. Magic enhancements will likely be a necessity if he wishes to not be converted. Even if he can't be with Collin, he will escape. I believe in that at least. And I do suspect the demons will face some trouble. They aren't out the woods yet, and the with the beastfolk geared to be in opossition to them (alongside the north and likely south in time)- they will be penned. Eventually, should things go well- I can see their fortunes reversing. Nobody can stay on top forever, and without the suprise element the demons had in taking the east, they will eventually slip up. Eddie as it stands has no vulnerabilities to exploit, is still relatively intact, and has not been exposed to any demonic influence. He will likely manage to escape. It will be a difficult venture, but I suspect he will. I believe that his love for Collin should he remember will let him realize forlorn is not Collin, and he will reject him- and in doing so, save himself. Or he'll just see forlorn as an enemy (just another demon) and act accordingly. The grandmaster may provide said enhancements, but the necromancer king may also attempt something. He wasn't in the dungeon, so he's still around somewhere. He's up to something

@Anon Ouch, why are you guys so cruel to poor forlorn? Can't our depraved hedonistic demon prince have his perfect happy ending by imposing death of personality on a man his human self loves and wants to protect? (Jk, I am so happy that my story could generate such an insightful conversation, so thank you.) Just a question, if the Grandmaster had always had the means to nullify pleasure and corruption, why had he not used it for Collin earlier? It would save them so much trouble. Who knows, maybe the Eldritch Arobreal can do something? It makes really satisfied to see Eddie go from being a character no one talks about into someone everyone is rooting for. Now, I'll be back to pondering what emotional distress I could inflict on him further.

@[Pcm](/user/show/10039396) Maybe the side affects is too great to handle, and only someone with a strong will could wield it? Oh, with the progress of the story, how long will you take to make the last two chapters? I think the ending ends with demon successfully conquer East, and every demon celebrating it by hosting a party. I rather trust that Eddie will leave the East, and Forlorn could do nothing to stop him.

@Pcm I'd argue that said enchantments may only be developed after the invasions out of necessity. There may have been rudimentary methods available before, but with the demons gaining a one upon things, the survivors will need to play hardball to catch up. I could see enchantments that dampen or even remove sexual desire outright becoming popular for military forces to prevent then from being converted. Genetically speaking, such a method has been used on certain fly species as pest control- the males lose any interest in sex once the method is applied. Also I honestly suspect that the grandmaster trusted Collin wouldn't succumb because well...magic prodigy healer. And technically he didnt...unfortunately I don't think anybody expecting a literal reality shift to lead to demonization. But that's two for two now of protégé loss. Forlorn at this point would inflict what Eddie's abusive father tried to do. I think he can figure out how to live without Eddie in light of that. The east at this point is utterly lost, but with active resistance groups in the north and west and eastern refugees, the war against the demons is just beginning. The demons will ruin themselves eventually- hedonism by its core is never sustainable. One day, they will overreach, and that will be their end. Unfortunately, till that day, Collins family will be a source of horror for the world for years to come. I only hope their downfall comes eventually. I can pity them a bit as they are essentially unknowing slaves to the demon overlord....but they are still dangerous. One can never forget that. Ironically, this all likely means gil and his family will all stop being so unhinged as they can't afford to anymore. The arboreal seems associated with plant life, and isn't a sapient entity like the others, so in regards to growth or stasis, there might be something it can help with. ...hasn't Eddie gone through enough already? Now I'm scared again.

@Anon Yeah, with how dark this series is, it's going get even darker by the end of it. The ending is entirely predictable, Eddie failed to saved the King and his son and demonfied by Forlorn somehow, and the demon family having a celebration inside the king's castle, with all having a seemingly good ending, except it's not. Maybe Grandmaster also been demonfied, too. Knowing Pcm, this is what the series would end with, every demon having a grant party of orgy with each other, and the demon overlord will celebrate along with them. Unless Pcm have another idea in mind, I think this is mostly what the ending will be. To be honest, Eddie could have a recurring role in the next series, should he be a human, and may have a huge role in it if Pcm think it's possible. He may escaped the demonfied Forlorn and the rest, but have a deep emotional scar on him that will never leave, and Forlorn will keep on trying to find him no matter what, wanting to rejoice with his past lover. For me, I rather give Eddie a chance at escaping, then to have him ending as a tragic character who in the end, demonfied and lost himself from it, proving his father's point. It's will be really evil and terrible for someone to just write a character too full of past trauma, and ended up not having a good ending in the end, being someone who isn't him, and lost all his will by his past lover. To Pcm, maybe forgetting about his past and reborn as a true demon will be a happy ending for Eddie, but in the end, we as the audience, could only find it tragic for this unfortunate character.

@Anonymous Look, all I said is, I want to see a hope spot for the demon family redemption in this series, there's none of that in these chapters, maybe there's one, but it squashed almost instantly. I want to see a realistic hope in the end, that could potentially ends the demon's reign and save the family, it may take time, but with this hope still there, it will happen eventually, and the hope I mean is Eddie's escaped, with how many likely scenario for him to escape, I wish that in the end he did escaped, and tries to find ways to stop the demons. Having one last person that could potentially purify Forlorn be demonfied, will end any hope of seeing the demon family regains their individuality, leaving the story in a bitter note. Considered me selfish, but that's what I want to see in the end, and I hope that you would consider it, Pcm. The demon may won in the end, but Eddie could escape, leaving a potential hope for this tragedy.

@Anonymous With how things are, Eddie may take on a grieving, but leadership like role akin to how the grandmasters is if he escapes and suceeds the current grandmaster. But unlike him, he will avoid the prior grandmasters mistakes. The demons potentially getting the king and Aaron are a disturbing and likely possibility. I feel little pity for the king as his adultery was one of the things that endangered the kingdom to the west, but Aaron deserves none of what may happen to him. It's unfortunately very likely the whole of the east will become demon country. The north and west will become major refugee centers and the bastions of human/non demon shifted civilization. In the coming series, gils sons Hans and Marky, survivors like potentially eleven and Eddie and others like Jason could form a network of diverse perspectives from royalty to commoners to military grappling with the sudden changes. Gil in particular, alongside the entire royal family will have to face some uncomfortable truths- their reckless actions will no longer be feasible, and there will likely be increasing questioning of the primal beast by the coming generations (such as Hans). As for the east, they will likely celebrate, but in time their doom will come. The demons could easily fracture amongst themselves if hellish realm politics go off kilter, and in general their entire model is not sustainable. Eventually people will learn how to combat them. The demons we see for the most part were tailor made to convert the east. Forlorn may become the greater global threat however as hes implied to be the most appeling to targets- and I can imagine should Eddie escape he's going to probably try to keep finding him- like a twisted situation of a lover wanting their partner. Maybe there can be a cure for the demons, but that will not be for a long while yet. Collin being converted was a massive setback for such, and I can't imagine any of that happening in the lifetimes of the current characters.

@[MrSirTurtle](/user/show/910203) I think nobody said they were disappointed? I certainly am not disappointed, I praised the writing on its high quality, I just said that it feels like it's going in a downer direction because the story is taking seriously how Alex is affected emotionally – in turn emotionally affecting me _as a reader_ . All this to say that I think it's very very well written, just going in a darker direction which is absolutely valid.

@[MrSirTurtle](/user/show/910203) I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm finding the comments really constructive, I don't get the feeling other readers are disappointed in the writing, but maybe that it has moved in a direction that they did not expect to be so dark. I will continue to stick to my vision without compromising my writing style too much. I am learning though! This is my first ever story, and I really wanted to give these characters some dimension. I might have made them a bit too real that it pulls readers out of experiencing it as a fantasy. I'm glad it has resonated with others, regardless. Thanks for your support :)

@[TheSatanScully](/user/show/917743) I don't think he really feels anymore guilt or sadness. Alex describes him not looking genuinely sorry

@[Reader](/user/show/780823) Yeah, I guess I didn't properly convey my thoughts. I didn't mean that Rob had guilt and sadness, more that the chapter conveyed Alex's plight with the type of _care that makes me as a reader_, feel guilt and sadness. This story is very much doing the whole bit about the idea of whether power corrupts or if power reveals, this chapter is very much the point of no return for them.

@[TheSatanScully](/user/show/917743) I fear I let my own experiences seep too much into the writing in this chapter. I'm a psychologist by day and am learning to write by night. My writing will likely always have a heavy psychological element to it because it is just so ingrained in how I think. The general response from this story is really interesting to me, because (at least to me) there are stories on here that are so much more extreme (see: Edlam's amazing works), but I might have humanised Rob and Alex a bit too much for people to enjoy it. I am still learning to strike the right balance between what's hot and what's engaging. It's tricky because I LOVE the internal dialogue, the changes in the way we think as situations change. But I do want others to enjoy the ride as well! I do have a vision for this story and I plan to see that through. I have lots of ideas for other stories to tell, so if this one is not for you, I might be able to entice you with others! Thank you again. I appreciate you taking the time give me some feedback.

@[Whisperlouder](/user/show/2186797) Oh by all means, don't take it as a complaint, I am genuinely enthralled by your writing and the plot as a whole. I thought of it too about what you mention about you being a psychologist, and I actually think that the fact that you so successfully have gotten such a response due to your characters feeling so vibrant and alive is nothing but high props for that! I also totally get you about that balance, I had a story I posted on the site sometime ago that essentially boiled down to a psychologist predating on his patients, and while my first 2 chapters got a mostly positive reception, the third one – seeing as It used the real life 12 step plan for addiction mostly associated with AA and rehab as the framework for the brainwashing to take place – affected some readers and got a far more mixed reception.

@Anonymous It is a trope that really gets me going too. Hope you liked it!

@[Lavender Lad](/user/show/10019272) Thanks so much for reading and for your feedback. I'm very much finding the balance between writing things that are hot and writing material that is also engaging. It's clear that I need some work to find my voice and strike a balance that others enjoy too. Having said that, I try to consider any and all feedback, but also try to stick to the vision that I have in my mind. I try not to comment too much because I'm scared I'll give too much away, but I have a conclusion in mind. I hope you continue to enjoy, but if you decide that it's not for you, that's OK too! Thanks for taking the time to read it up to this point :)