Erica went through essential hell for close to 40 minutes, before the man's eyes opened wider.

"NOW!" he exclaimed.

"EXPEL HER MANA! BANISH HER FROM YOUR BODY!" he declared.

"BY THE POWER OF THE LORD, I PURIFY YOU!" he finished, his voice more booming than before... and evoking the presence of God themselves... before he pulled his hand up from her... and familiar translucent crimson red mana coming up with it, encased in his own mana.

He continued to raise his hand upwards, until the crimson mana stopped flowing out of Erica's body, and he used his other hand to cut through the connection of his mana to her... trapping the dark elf mana.

"And done." he declared.

"...." he was silent, before using his mana to forcefully undo the straps, allowing Erica full motion and movement once more.

"Don't. Don't thank me." he said.

"Not like THAT, anyway." he told her.

"You want to properly thank me, you can 2 things right now." he then said further, looking into her eyes.

"The first is to go and help the young one suffering from your sister's cursed mana." he told her. "The second is to try and not evoke the image of your sister like that ever again." he went on.

"Your sister has gotten her claws into one such as Erica in the past. And you unknowingly pretty much quoted her when you said this would 'definitely a learning experience'." he revealed.

"...the last one she got her claws into died horribly."

The man paused when he heard that, and she could see the shock and disbelief in his expression... to the point of being stunned. He looked at her for close to 10 seconds in pure silence, before finally finding his voice.

"...right." he said.

"First thing. It's fine. Just... be mindful of that in the future." he told her. "Your her sister, so I can't expect you to not have some similarities to her, but if you truly want to leave her behind and wash your hands of her, try and stop imitating her. Intellectual curiosity is fine, but you sounded like this one was nothing more than a mere case study in that moment." he explained.

"Secondly... and more importantly... E-Ebony?" he stammered.

"You... I... THAT Ebony?" he asked her.

"She's... she's HERE?" he asked further.

"...." he was silent as Ashleigh said what she did and hastily made her exit. He watched the door, stunned for a moment, before looking over towards Erica. He sat down in the chair that was beside the table, and sighed.

"I know." he said.

"I... I'm glad I was able to help." he told her.

"You... didn't deserve to be suffering like that. I... I'm just glad that it worked." he went on.

"And thank you in return." he then said further. "You caught on quickly to what was happening, thereby making the process smoother and a lot more speedy." he explained.

"...just take it easy for an hour or so."

"Well, that's a side-effect from my mana, sadly." he told her.

"Actually, it's combined. My mana is very strong, so your body is still reeling from it a bit, plus that dark elf's mana leaves a bad taste in ones mouth, so to speak, and your curse was essentially invaded for a bit." he explained.

"So you'll feel bad for a while... but it'll be ignorable after an hour or so. It varies from person to person." he said.

"..." he was then silent, before looking at her in her eyes.

"You're strong." he said.

"You held off against her for an impressive length of time."

He was silent for a moment, before smiling at her.

"My name is Gabriel." he told her. "Or just 'Gabe'." he added.

"And I'm... an angel. A guardian angel, I suppose." he went on, walking over towards the door.

"Anyway, just lay back down and take it easy. Odds are you're feeling a little disoriented and dizzy at the moment, so don't keep yourself elevated for too long. Again, an hour or so, all right?" he asked.

"As for me..." he went on, opening the door, but still looking at her.

"...I'm going to find an empty room where I can disappear without a fuss being made, and let my sister do her work."

Gabe paused for a moment, thinking about her offer, pondering what the answer could be to it. He narrowed his eyes as the gears turned in his mind, before looking at her once again.

"...hm." he mumbled.

"I DO like some of the foods that this realm has to offer." he told her.

"Dinner with you DOES sound like a tempting offer." he admitted. "I'll take you up on that at some point." he went on.

"...just send a prayer up. I'll find it." he smiled.

Gabe just smiled again.

"You're welcome, Erica." he responded, before stepping out of the room, shutting the door, sparing a lingering look towards her, turning around, and then freezing in place when he saw the one that had frozen when she saw and heard HIM.

"......ah..." he stammered.

"I... I..." he stuttered further.

"E... E... Ebony?" he then asked her.

"......Ebby....?" he asked further, his tone more quiet now.

Gabriel was silent again for a moment, his brain trying to process her question, before he finally nodded.

"Y... yes." he said.

"She... she was suffering. From the curse, and because of that damned dark elf." he told her.

"Sariel... she told me about this. She... reminded me of what I am. Who I used to be." he went on.

"I couldn't... I didn't... she didn't deserve that fate." he sighed.

"...I thought... I... you..." he then stammered further, before just giving up.

His mind was a typhoon of emotions and thoughts, and he didn't know what to say to her right now.

"I have time!" Gabriel spat out quickly.

"Plenty!" he told her, before pausing, and clearing his throat.

"Ah, yes." he mumbled.

"I have the time right now if YOU do." he clarified.

"Just... find a place." he told her.

"Here, elsewhere, anywhere." he went on.

"Let's... let's talk."