"You and I are going to do great things together."
Those words continued to echo in his mind as the strange lady slowly released his neck from her cold touch and leaned back, gazing straight into his eyes. He didn't know what to think or feel, so he simply stared back at her.
After a while, though, she took the glass from his hand, turned around, and said:
"You should get ready. Tonight, I plan to begin the succession of the end of an era."
She raised the cup and flung her hair, allowing it to flow in fluid succession. Afterward, she lowered the cup and gracefully walked toward the exit of the room.
But before she could leave, Star quickly put on his upper garment, a simple white short-sleeved tunic, and rushed toward her.
"Wait!"
He yelled, quickly drawing her attention and stopping a good distance behind her. She turned around and looked at him, causing him to tense up for a moment, and after a moment of silence between them, she raised an eyebrow.
"Did you not wish to speak?"
Star sighed and stared at his hands, thinking back on everything that had led to his current situation. The accident... that was the last he had seen the light of the real world, and ever since then, he had been stuck in this strangely familiar new world. At first, he doubted it was real... at first he thought it was a dream... but that doubt had begun to shatter.
He wanted—even if it was only a glimpse—something to prove that this was indeed a dream. He knew of only one blood demon that wanted a revolution and had eyes as striking as those of the woman standing before him.
If this indeed were a dream, then it wouldn't be properly structured. It was going to be free and flowing, ever-changing, and thus the plot, the characters, the story wouldn't remain the same. And if that were the case, then what he was about to say next might either shatter his doubt further or fix the cracks that had already begun appearing around it.
Looking a bit wistful, he looked up and stared at her, gazing deeply into her eyes. He then asked, thoughtfully.
"Why did you save me?"
She raised a brow and then chuckled slightly.
"Why not? Like I said, you are a vessel of the divine; I couldn't leave you to waste."
Star turned around and sighed once more, feeling a little defeated. Though he had hoped it would help with some of the questions he had, he had judged that it could also prove to be fruitless.
She had other motives, and she wasn't going to reveal them to him. However, he had a few more questions he wanted to ask.
With his back to her and his gaze fixed on the wall of the room, he once again asked.
"So... What great things are we going to achieve? How do we proceed tonight?"
Her eyes brightened as she stared at him, bright vigor igniting within them. A wide, sly smile spread across her face as she spoke.
"Well, it seems someone is eager for change. However, you have it all wrong, Star. Just like me, you are now a blood demon, and you, just like me, were forsaken as well by humanity. I do not simply want to achieve; I want to bring ruin... I want to decimate and wreak havoc on humanity... but more than that... I want to bring an end to the gods... the gods that have long forsaken us."
His expression turned grim after hearing what she had to say. He had managed to piece together why she would want a vessel of divinity—and more than that—the memory of the two elf sisters he had seen began to resurface in his mind.
In the original story, it was Essie who had been thrust into the void first, but after that, the author didn't show much of her life again. She was only revealed a few volumes later as someone who had come in contact with a blood demon and now had a vengeful hatred for humanity and gods, just like the woman standing behind him.
However, unlike him, Essie hadn't become a demon and... something else resurfaced in his mind; another part of the original story that made his face grow dark... there was something that drowned Essie in darkness more than anything: it was the fact that she was seeking revenge for her master.
In the end, it was he, Star, who had brought an end to her.
He shook off the thought and turned around to face the supposed Lord and personal Savior of his. There was an awkward, sly smile plastered across her face, and for someone who just made a speech about how they intended to embark on a suicidal mission, she seemed strangely... happy.
"Still, though, humanity is an almost unstoppable force and with many of their divine vessels having awakened, wreaking havoc amongst them isn't something you can simply make happen... But before we talk about that, might I ask what it is meant when you said that you were forsaken by humanity, just like me?"
She looked at him and then turned away.
"It's a tale that I would rather not tell."
He wanted to grit his teeth at her answer, not that it would change much either way. Just from hearing what she had to say, he had his dreadful suspicions confirmed; he was no longer in the real world and wouldn't be returning for a while.
The only thing that adamantly remained on his mind was his younger sister and the thought of what the world would be like for her without him.
He wishfully thought.
'I wonder how Anna's doing... She must be terribly sad right now... I wish... I at least had the chance to say goodbye.'
While he was still in thought, however, the blood demon's voice rang back to its usual playful tone.
"Dusk is upon us. What do you say to a good dinner?"
He looked away with a smile and nodded.
"Anything will do."
She turned around and left after hearing his answer, finally giving him time to properly piece his mind and thoughts together. He walked to the table by the side of the wall and leaned against it, gazing down emptily.
'I barely got to know anything about Essie's master. Back then, she only appeared as a major character in Essie's backstory, and only her objectives were focused on. But still...'
His thoughts trailed off as he stared at the mirror that hung on the wall. The night was approaching, and the light illuminating the room had grown dim, but he could still see his reflection.
For a moment, he stared at the reflection of his ruby eyes, his delicate pale face, and his perfectly toned body. Star was rather handsome, perhaps even stunning. Looking at himself brought him a little bit of admiration, but after a while, he heaved a sigh and closed his eyes.
And then he opened his eyes, a bit stunned. For a moment, he lingered, a perplexed expression on his face, but no matter what he tried, it wouldn't go away.
In front of him was a system display, and his eyes remained on the first few words.
[Name: Kent Starshine]