Raynare hovered above me, her black wings fully spread, a victorious grin twisting her face into something grotesque. The magic circle behind her still glowed faintly with an emerald hue, and the sphere containing the rings of Twilight Healing pulsed like the heart of a dead beast—cold, but not yet still.
And then, as if tossing away an empty sack, she hurled Asia's body toward me.
The nun flew through the air without resistance, landing in my arms like a broken doll.
"She's of no use to me anymore," Raynare said, her voice sweet and cruel, dripping with mockery. "But look on the bright side… now you get to play the hero. Too bad you're far too late."
My breath caught in my throat.
This... Asia... She's dying because of me.
/Asia... This is my fault.../
Her body trembled faintly, her lips barely able to move. But even then, she tried to speak.
"I-Issei… you're here…"
"Of course I am." The words slipped out before I could think. Low. Firm. Too firm for what I truly felt.
My chest ached. I was on the verge of breaking down.
/Seeing her like this… It hurts. I want to cry…/
Without thinking, I embraced her—not out of pity, but because something inside my chest had begun to burn. A fire that wasn't mine. A fury older than me.
Raynare laughed.
My heart was pounding like a war drum, a heat I couldn't name spreading through my limbs.
"Oh, how touching. Want to cry too? Just like the first time? Remember? Oh, but you couldn't even scream back then."
My fists clenched.
Something inside me snapped.
I was furious. I wanted to kill her—this bitch who smiled at suffering.
/Raynare… You don't deserve forgiveness. You never did./
The pressure in my chest morphed into an echo. A voiceless scream rising from deep inside my soul.
No.
/Not again. Never again./
I won't let her—
/Raynare… I won't allow it./
"You're not taking another life, you goddamn crow."
I growled, staring her down, my voice laced with hatred.
My arms burned—literally. A heat that threatened to burst into flame.
---
/For a long time now, I've been trapped in my own body, just a spectator.../
"Hey, what the hell are you supposed to be?" I asked, just trying to buy time.
Donasheek blinked, clearly thrown off.
"You don't recognize a fallen angel? What kind of ignorant demon are you?"
"Hey! It's my first day, cut me some slack."
He hurled another light spear my way. I ducked and rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging it.
Pushing off with my legs, I spread my wings and launched myself into the air, flying straight at him. He was slowing down—his magic was taking a toll after conjuring so many spears.
"Try this on for size, birdbrain!"
/It feels strange… He's so confident. So sure of himself. He's not the Issei I remember from that story.../
/To everyone else, I was always a joke. I didn't deserve what I had. That's why they made stories where I was miserable.../
/But him… He understands me somehow./
/He always moves forward. He gets stronger to protect others.../
/In his place, I would've only been chasing girls. Beautiful ones, sure, but…/
---
"And that's what happened, Gremory-sama."
Only Rias was in the club room with me. I told her everything. Didn't even hesitate.
One thing I didn't mention… was the Twice Critical. I didn't bring it up.
/I wish I could help you. I wish you didn't have to go through all this because I'm stuck with this power…/
/Ddraig's fire… his flesh… I can feel them etched into my soul. But you… all you have is my pathetic body./
"Hyoudou, catch."
Suddenly, Azazel spoke and tossed a small orb at me. It smacked my forehead before I could react.
I winced, grabbing it. The orb felt smooth, almost like glass, with swirling mana lines pulsing inside.
"What the hell is this?"
I shook it like a snow globe.
"A Twice Critical. Now quit playing and swallow the damn thing."
/Now he's not completely alone… That's a relief./
/I hope you can do it, my friend. You can be so much more than I ever was./
"You're a fascinating one, Issei."
An ominous pressure pressed down on me. I nearly collapsed, but the gear Azazel had given me activated, stabilizing me just long enough.
I raised my head. I think I was glaring. Not intentionally—but something inside wanted to fight back.
"It's rare to see someone your age with such a… calculated outlook. I expected much less from you. Seems I was wrong. I'll have to be careful with you."
Blah, blah, blah.
He could talk all he wanted. He didn't know I had a shortcut to him if he got too cocky.
"I-I'm just… r-rational," I muttered, barely able to stand.
"Pawn, don't get any funny ideas."
/Rias' brother… he's being hostile./
/Why? Did I never seem like a threat to him? Was it because I was just some pervert obsessed with oppai?/
/But him… He's different. Smart. Strategic…/
---
As we walked toward the church, Asia finally broke the silence.
"Um… Issei, do you always do this?"
"Do what?"
"Help strange girls find churches?"
She giggled softly.
"Only if they look just as lost and dressed like they came from a Vatican movie set."
I smirked. Sarcastic, but not enough to scare her off.
She laughed, shy and sweet. Her laughter didn't sound like it belonged to this world. Or at least, not the one I'd been living in lately.
"Any reason you ask?"
"Well… I'm not used to boys being this kind. At my church… most kept their distance. They said I was special, but it never felt like a compliment."
That caught my attention.
"Special? How?"
"For this."
She raised her hands toward me, gazing at them with soft melancholy before turning her eyes back to the path.
"They said I could heal with them. That God gave me this gift… But sometimes, it makes me feel more like a tool than a person."
I stopped walking. Not from surprise. From anger.
Not at her—but at what they made her believe.
"You shouldn't let others decide your worth just because they don't understand what you have."
"You really think so?"
She asked it softly, as if expecting no answer.
"Absolutely."
/Asia… You suffered because of my failure.../
/I couldn't save you from Raynare the first time, and you died for it…/
/I want to say I'm sorry so badly…/
---
"Well, well…" came the voice I dreaded. Smooth. Cruel. Familiar.
She hadn't even turned to face me yet.
"I figured you'd show up eventually. Look at you… right on time to witness the end."
I froze.
Asia was suspended in a magic circle, her body rigid, her breaths shallow. Her face… serene. Too serene. Like she didn't even know what was happening.
My blood turned to ice.
This was my plan… I allowed this.
I could've fought harder. I could've pushed further. I could've saved her.
Tears rolled down my face.
I was genuinely angry—with myself.
"LET HER GO!" I roared, aiming my weapon straight at Raynare.
She finally turned, eyes glowing, lips curled in mockery.
"Too late, darling."
A bolt of emerald energy crashed down on Asia.
And I felt it.
That tug on my soul.
That hollow pull.
That… loss.
The Gear—Twilight Healing—was being ripped from her.
/ASIA!!!/
/NO… NO, THIS CAN'T BE…/
/YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER! SAVE HER, DAMN IT!/
/Damn it… It's my fault./
/I should've helped… Should've spoken to him more. Let him know he's not alone…/
/He's doing what he can…/
Asia trembled again. Her lips moved. Weakly.
"I-Issei… you're here…"
"Of course I am." The words escaped, just like before.
/A-Asia…/
/She's hurting because of us…/
/I want to cry…/
---
Her body was still warm. But so fragile.
Even holding her felt like it might break her further.
A dull roar built inside my chest.
/No more./
No more loss.
No more silence.
No more helplessness.
"Raynare…" My voice shook—not from fear, but fury.
She turned slowly, grin still plastered across her face.
"Oh? Gonna cry again, 'hero'?"
"No. Not anymore." I rose, laying Asia down gently. My hands burned—but not with fire. With rage. With something ancient. Something that wasn't just mine.
/Can you feel it?/
Yeah…
/It's you. And it's me./
A crimson glow crept up my right arm. My heartbeat thundered. It wasn't adrenaline.
It was will.
"You're not hurting anyone else."
Raynare stepped back, her grin faltering.
He'd spoken in plural. But he was alone.
Still, she chose to ignore that chill crawling up her spine.
"And what are you going to do? Punch me with those fists full of promises?"
She laughed.
But her laughter died the moment a sharp clang echoed through the air.
Crimson mist erupted from my left hand. The lines of the Twice Critical on my right gleamed like dancing fire, reacting to something ancient.
"No…" she muttered, eyes narrowing. "That's impossible."
The red gauntlet formed, metal sliding over my arm with a thunderous groan. Runes glowed, alive and burning.
[BOOST!!]
[BOOST!!]
The dragon's voice. Deep. Timeless. It rumbled even in this incomplete form.
Two gears—so different in nature—synchronized as one.
"You…" Raynare stumbled back. "You're not the same one I killed."
"No." I breathed in deep, standing tall as something inside me clicked into place.
"I'm not him anymore."
And then I charged forward—not as a Pawn.
But as someone who refused to be crushed again.
---