"—Haa! Haa, haa..."
His body reformed, the scattered ashes coalescing back into his original shape.
"Ugh."
He vomited violently in the middle of an unfamiliar forest.
Every time he merged with the Demon, his mind felt more mangled, more distorted. It was agonizing, leaving him with a deeper sense of revulsion than ever before. And yet, he had tried so hard to endure it.
"Again... I failed..."
He had gone so far as to fuse with a Demon, specifically targeting them while they were at their weakest.
Why? Why, why, why, why?
Edward wasn't even dead. At this rate, everything he had done would end in vain. The weight of that despair threatened to crush him.
Why, why, why, why?
『Well, you just had bad luck with the opponent, didn't you?』
The Demon’s voice vibrated inside his skull.
『That guy has Onyx with him. The odds were stacked against us from the start.』
"I don't care about that! I don't care! I don't care!"
As he screamed, the Demon began to whisper with mocking gentleness.
『Onyx is the dragon that accompanied the Hero in the past. He’s a Curse Eater; our kind just ends up as his snacks. He vanished after his sister, Menou, committed a taboo and became a Human-fallen, but who would’ve thought he’d be hiding in a place like this?』
A dragon.
If something like that suddenly appeared, what was he supposed to do?
"You said we could win!"
He lashed out at the Entity in his mind.
It was only because there was a chance of victory that he had accepted the Demon, just as his sister had told him. He had offered up his entire body, reaching a point where there was no turning back. To lose after all that was wrong—it was just wrong, wrong, wrong.
『Hey now, don't go thinking I'm omnipotent.』
"How are we supposed to beat something like that!?"
He had been overwhelmed in a direct confrontation. Even when he tried to catch them off guard, his flames were neutralized. His swordsmanship, his magic—nothing had been enough. Even the madness hidden in the depths of his heart, the one thing his sister had ever praised...
"I was even... losing to him in that...?"
『The kid’s a monster, gyahaha!』
"This isn't a laughing matter!!"
He clawed at his hair. No matter how hard he covered his ears, even if he burst his own eardrums, the Demon’s voice continued to resonate nonchalantly in his mind.
Whether his limbs were torn off, his heart pierced, or his skull crushed, he had become something that could no longer die. The Demon would simply stitch him back together. How many times had he wished to simply remain as ash, to be scattered by the wind and vanish forever?
『You’re quite the monster yourself, gyaha!』
"Shut up."
There was no going back. Since he couldn't retreat, his only option was to press forward.
『That’s right, Gelasis. What is it you’re looking for? Besides, that loss wasn't my fault; your heart was just weak. If you keep throwing a tantrum and ignoring your own incompetence, you’ll be insulting that sister of yours—the one who’s worked herself to the bone for you.』
"...Will Sister ever forgive me?"
So far, he had failed at everything. He hadn't secured the Holy Artifact, and he had failed to kill both Edward and Laguna Ver Brave. Everything, every single thing, was a disaster.
『She'll be furious, won't she? Poor, pathetic Gelasis. She won't hug you anymore. No more kisses... and certainly nothing beyond that.』
She would be angry. He couldn't bear the thought of her being disappointed in him. If he lost her love, he would lose his entire reason for existing.
『So?』
So...
『Kill them all, break everything, and take Alicia for yourself?』
Kill them all. Break everything. Take Alicia.
"—I have to make them as miserable as I am."
『Now you’re talking, Gelasis. Kuhihihi, good boy. I’ll give you the means to win against that guy, just one last time.』
"What do I have to do?"
『There’s still one thing you haven't given me, isn't there? Gyaha!』
The one thing he hadn't surrendered to the Demon. There was only one thing left. But it was a precious thing his sister had told him to cherish.
In that wretched house, in an environment as foul as a sewer, he had kept it safe for the day that was meant to come—his soul.
He remembered her words.
"—Gelasis, no matter how hard things get, you must treasure this. As long as you have it, no matter how much you are defiled or trampled upon, we can always move forward together."
"N-No, I can't!"
It was the key to their future. The soul where his precious will resided. He couldn't give it to a Demon.
『But hey, whose fault is it that everything's a failure? Who’s the one who can’t move forward?』
"It's that man's—"
『No, Gelasis, it’s yours. It’s the fault of a loser like you.』
"That’s... but I really did try my best..."
『You tried? Gyaha! You’ve lived for the same amount of time, yet the gap in your basic abilities was that pathetic. That’s just the reality of it, isn't it?』
"Ah, ugh..."
『I went through the trouble of lending you my power, but there’s nothing I can do if you’re just fundamentally weaker. Gyaha!』
The Demon’s voice continued to drill into his mind.
『It only needs to be a little bit. Gelasis, aren't we a Shared-fate Entity? I just want you to be happy.』
"...I understand."
He had already given up everything else anyway. If it was just a little bit, his sister surely wouldn't mind.
"If it means I can win... if I can kill him next time."
『Of course you can, gyahaha! Once you offer it up to a demon's magic, that barrier won't be able to stop us. We can kill him before he even has a chance to rebuild it. Now, say it—I offer my soul.』
Like a puppet, he repeated the words.
"Fine. It's for Sister's sake. —I offer my soul."
In that instant, it felt as though the interior of his heart was drowned in ink. Murky, black emotions flooded his being, but they were accompanied by an intense, surging pleasure that raced through his mind, making his lower body throb and tremble.
"Hyahahahahahaha! Gyahahahahahahaha! Good boy, Gelasis! Now your body and your soul both belong to me!"
『—!? This isn't what we agreed on, Demon!!』
"Aahn? You still have a shred of will left? Are you an idiot? As if I’d actually stick around to fight an Onyx Dragon! Gyaha!"
『S-So that was it...』
"Poor, piteous Gelasis. Don't worry, I’ll enjoy living however I want in this world, so you just sit tight and savor that happiness from the sidelines. Gufu, gyahaha! I really hit the jackpot! A stupid siscon with an aptitude is so easy to play, it's hilarious! Kuhihi, guhi, ahi!"
The Demon cackled with base delight. Gelasis no longer had any control over his own body. He felt as if he had been plunged to the bottom of a dark, crushing sea; no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't reach the surface, falling deeper into a void of nothingness.
What had he done? It was too late for regrets.
"What a truly piteous soul."
A voice reached him.
"To think even the hand reaching for salvation had become so distorted... how grave."
"Aahn? Who are you, old man—ae?"
As his consciousness flickered, he felt the sensation of his body being sliced in two. It was a feeling as if his very soul were being bisected.
"Guaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The Demon’s scream tore through the air. Gelasis didn't feel any physical pain... but his heart was agonizingly heavy.
"W-What the hell are you!?"
"The Young Master does not yet know how to properly dispose of a fully merged Demon."
"W-Wait! Let's make a deal! I'll grant you any wish you want—"
"I have no need for such things. House Brave has always carved its own path. Besides... the kind of wishes a lowly Lesser Demon can grant are surely trivial at best."
I shall partake.
With those words, it felt as if the Demon simply vanished.
But there was no return for him. His heart had finally snapped; his limbs refused to move.
Ah, Sister Patricia. I'm so sorry... for breaking our promise.