This chapter is by fat the darkest chapter I have wrote for this fic, but I can say with certainty, you will enjoy reading it.
Also please read author's note at the end and do the poll.
***
First Person
I found myself tied to a familiar chair.
My vision was blurry, but I managed to make out the shape of the room. And it all looked… familiar.
A dark room, lit only by flickering candles, with talismans covering the walls all around me.
My vision finally cleared, and the first thing—no, person—I noticed was a familiar white-haired guy with bright blue eyes, looking straight at me with an expression that said he was not in the mood for jokes.
"Gojo…" I blurted out unconsciously.
"You're back… Rein," Gojo said, in a tone that was different from his usual self.
Just from his voice, I could tell…there was something wrong with him.
Did something happen?
Did I do something that upset him?
What happened to me in the real world?
The last thing I remembered was being dragged inside that Gate..and…then I was here?
My mind was clouded by so many questions I had no answers for. The only thing I could do right now was focus on this moment.
If I were here… and with Gojo like this… I could only come up with one logical conclusion:
Did I fail?
Even thinking about that possibility made my heart beat louder than my senses could comprehend, while an overwhelming surge of anxiety crept into my mind.
Looking back at Gojo again… it only made me more anxious.
"Tell me… did I fail?" I asked, my voice coming out smaller than I'd intended.
For a moment, Gojo said nothing.
Then, he tilted his head slightly, as if giving me one last chance to reconsider my question.
"…You really want me to answer that?" he said at last.
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
His gaze sharpened, and his expression hardened, as if he were about to say something he didn't want to.
"You failed, Rein." He only spoke three words, but they did more damage than I thought they would.
Failing this mission meant… losing Gojo Satoru's template. And I won't lie, his template was one of the best characters tier 1 could ever offer.
Where…
Where did I go wrong?
I saved many people..and even defeated an annoying fraudster…
So where the fuck did I go wrong?
Makima poisoning me… is that what made me fail this?
Was it her?
When he warned me I'd face enemies even trickier than Crom Cruach…
Did he mean Makima? If that's true then..
Man… I want to laugh.
I really am so useless. By failing this mission… I only ended up proving his point..
Proved to him that I was weak.
But since the milk's already spilled… there's no point crying over it. What matters now is how I can resolve this situation.
No matter how many times I've failed before… I always ended up finding my way back.
So I'm sure I can fix this.
"I can still fix things, Gojo…" This time, my voice came out more confident than before.
I looked him in the eyes, waiting for his reaction, thinking he'd keep wearing that serious expression—
But instead…
"Haha…" He let out a laugh before continuing.
"You're still in denial, huh?" Gojo let out a small laugh. "Man… you really are clueless. I should've known."
What do you mean clueless? Be more specific you idiot!
"Is there something you find funny?" I asked out of genuine confusion. Though, I didn't appreciate his mockery either.
He stopped laughing, and his face hardened again.
"Rein…" he began, lifting a hand to his face, fingers pressing against his temple.
"You've singlehandedly doomed the entire human race and the supernatural world as a whole…"
"…and all of this happened because of your affection for a monster who cannot love normally."
I doomed the whole world?
All because I loved Makima?
All because of that stupid poison she put in me?
Her dream is to make a perfect world without suffering…Surely genocide isn't the only way to get there. It can't be.
"I might have been poisoned, but it's not the end," I said, trying to wiggle my hands free from the restraints. "I'm sure I'll find a way."
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
"Besides… my top priority is to go and stop Makima from doing something to Gabriel."
Much to my surprise, Gojo rose from his seat and walked over to me. He crouched down in front of the chair, bringing himself to eye level, and tapped my forehead with his knuckles
"How are you planning to go back?" he asked, voice low. "With your blessing, I presume?"
"…Obviously," I answered.. "I can just use it and-"
"Question," he cut me off without even letting me finish."In the last hour… did you ever check if you can still use it?"
Check…?
Why would I need to check it?
It's a part of me that is always there with me. It's one thing I trust the most, my second trump card, my—
I stopped myself before I could spiral any further.
The fact that he brought this up now made me uneasy. If there was nothing wrong… why would he even mention it? And just like that, doubt started creeping in.
Fine. I'll prove him wrong.
"To put my mind at ease," I muttered under my breath as much to myself as to him.
"I'll check it."
"Properties."
Then, a familiar translucent HUD flickered into existence in front of me. My eyes skimmed through the list on reflex, searching for the one thing I was looking for…
…and then I stopped.
My eyes widened in shock.
The one thing I thought would never fail… just did. Turns out…the blessing was entirely greyed out.
There was even a small (i) icon next to the dimmed name. The moment I put my focus on it, a notification quietly popped up at the bottom of the window…
•••
Blessing of the Great Will — Mandatory Lockdown Notice
Sure, you were granted the blessing, a favor, from the Great Will themself. But don't mistake that for invincibility. You're not superior to the rest of existence. This blessing was never meant to make you untouchable. And to ensure you never forget what it means to be weak, to learn, and to grow, the Great Will enforces a period of dormancy. Once every thousand years, without warning, the blessing will enter a 5-day maintenance in real-world time.
Time remaining: 4 days 23 hours
•••
My mind went blank.
In its present state, my brain couldn't even process a single thought. For a moment, there was just… static.
It seems that after witnessing the sheer absurdity of my current situation, something in me finally broke.
"Hahaha…" I started laughing nervously.
"This is what you wanted, right?" I said, the laugh dying in my throat. "To mock me even further? Gojo?"
I stopped laughing and looked back into his Six Eyes again.
Hearing me, Gojo visibly sighed. He retracted his hand from my forehead and placed it on my shoulder instead.
"Look," he began, voice calmer now, "I don't get anything out of mocking you."
He continued while squeezing my shoulder lightly.
"My only purpose here is, no, was to guide you."
He paused for a moment, as if choosing his next words carefully.
"Sure, you didn't use anything except a Tier 1 character," he admitted, "but the mission is still ongoing, and your blessing is in cooldown."
His gaze sharpened just a bit.
"You can't escape unless you use a tier 3 character… which means you failed the mission automatically."
Then Gojo tilted his head, that familiar mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"And you know what's funnier?" he went on. "Based on the information I've received… this dimension you're trapped in? It's a lot like the Prison Realm. As in, time doesn't exist here physically."
He paused for a second, letting me process his words.
"But, but, but…" he leaned in slightly, grin widening, "the perception of time for all living beings trapped in this domain is drastically amplified."
He raised a finger, almost playfully.
"Meaning? One day in the real world… means two years inside this dimension."
He let his hand drop and shoved it back into his pocket, a lazy grin creeping onto his face.
"In short? You're fucked."
"So try not to go crazy in there, will ya? I'd hate to say I told you so when you finally get out."
I looked down, absentmindedly. All I can say is:
"I see…"
***
So this is the Aging World, huh?
Everywhere I looked, all I could see was a lush forest with countless, impossibly tall trees stretching up around me.
Even the "sky" in this dimension looked more beautiful than the one in the real world.
Meanwhile, I found myself lying down on a bunch of leaves on the ground, staring up at that fake, perfect sky.
As I looked up, I began thinking—
Why does the universe hate me?
I tried getting over all my hardships and never looked back… but with the recent turn of events, I've found myself at a dead end I cannot go past.
I lost Gojo's template…
I ended up getting poisoned by a devil I thought I could change..
My blessing abandoned me at the worst possible moment…
And now I have to spend the next ten years in this dimension…
…alone.
I saved a lot of people in Kyoto without asking anything in return... and in the end, what did that get me?
Nothing I do ever works out the way I wish it would...
I wonder how I am still alive?
Even if I do make it out alive... I will be forced to help Makima with her impossible dream...
...a dream which will cost countless innocent lives.
Tears finally burst from my eyes as I stopped holding everything back.
I'm sorry.
I am so freaking sorry.
I never meant for this to happen.
I only wanted to wear a heartfelt smile after a genuine victory… something I was never able to get, no matter how hard I tried.
And now? My "reward" for trying my best is ten years in a prison I can't escape from, and when I finally get out, I'll have to help Makima slaughter the world.
…So what's the point of me being alive?
If I'm the one she needs to make her dream come true…then maybe the only way to stop it—
…is to remove myself from the equation.
Maybe… just maybe… if I kill myself, I won't have to do what Makima wants me to.
That's the only way.
Technically, it's not betrayal if it's self-sacrifice.
Without hesitation, I jolted upright. Right then, a black halo manifested above my head with a low hum.
I raised my right hand, fingers spread as if reaching for something only I could see…
…and a dagger shot down from the void of the halo into my palm.
I caught it without flinching.
Looking at my hand now, I was clutching a dagger that was forged to inflict damage on the soul itself.
For a few seconds, I just stared at it.
This thing could end everything.
No more Makima.
No more poison.
No more responsibility.
If I did it here, in this prison,…no one would even know how I disappeared. The world would go on without me.
…But then an ugly thought crept into my mind.
If I die here, Makima won't stop.
She's not the type to give up.
I am sure she'll just find another way to make her dream come true.
The world I "saved" by dying here wouldn't actually be saved.
All I'd do is dodge the consequences and dump them onto everyone else.
"…On second thought," I muttered, as a laugh slipped out, "I changed my mind."
The dagger slipped from my grip and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
I realized something.
Dying here would be the easiest way out. It's what an escapist would do…in search of mercy and repentance.
And if there's one thing this fucked-up world has taught me?
Mercy was never meant for someone like me.
If I'm already fucked…
If I've already damned the world…
Then I might as well live long enough to see what it becomes.
If they're going to paint me as the villain anyway…
Then I'll just have to choose what kind of villain I become.
A slow smile crept onto my face.
"I finally get it, Makima," I said, feeling that smile stretch wider.
"I can finally understand your dream..."
"Suffering is an integral part of life... but who decided that?"
I placed a hand over my chest as a sudden surge of adrenaline rushed through me.
"My beloved... I will make sure your dream comes true, no matter what."
"So neither you nor I will ever suffer."
Now all I have to do… is use these ten years wisely.
The one thing I never had before is what I have now.
Time.
I can already imagine it. The day I walk out of this place… I won't be the same as I am right now.
And neither will the world.
***
Third Person
Five Days Later (Real World)
Angel Devil had it pretty rough.
Reincarnated into this world several centuries ago, into a world where angels actually existed, he'd spent most of this life being mistaken for one.
He'd finally gotten a taste of something close to a normal life, enjoying a quietly coveted lifestyle with his new partner. It was the kind of life where he could pretend to be just another person.
And then the Biblical God tore that away and bound him to a Sacred Gear, cursed to live as a sealed entity and used only as a power source.
Though, it was also thanks to that Sacred Gear that he met an eccentric host who, for the first time in a very long time, made his long-rotting wish feel… possible.
Currently, the angel-themed devil stood on a sidewalk overlooking the infamous Shibuya Crossing, watching the tide of humanity flow beneath the giant screens and billboards.
Angel waited.
Waited for someone.
The late afternoon light caught on his white wings, drawing more attention than he would've liked. People stole glances at him, some nudged their friends, while some pointed their phones in his direction.
Most of them probably thought he was some ridiculously rich cosplayer who could afford a movie-grade prop.
Angel visibly sighed. Crowds always suffocated him. If he ever got the chance, he'd happily lock himself in some small, quiet, and comfortable apartment and live the laziest NEET lifestyle imaginable.
"Sometimes," he muttered under his breath, "…living is exhausting."
It was then that he heard him.
"Yo, Angel… how's it going?"
A very enthusiastic and cheerful voice snapped the Angel Devil out of his stupor.
He turned toward the source and sighed.
There he saw him, his newest host, and the closest thing he had to a "friend."
The man in question had platinum-blonde hair, multi-ringed eyes like a certain Control Devil, only this time, his were blue with a hue of gold. He wore a Hawaiian-style aloha shirt and shorts.
(Image)
Just from this man's presence alone, the pedestrians around them couldn't help but stare, marveling at his seemingly supernatural beauty.
The man ignored them.
"You know we were together literally five minutes ago?" Angel replied in a somewhat annoyed tone.
The man in the aloha shirt answered with a grin on his face.
"That doesn't mean I can't say hi again."
"Anyway, here's your Ice cream, as promised. My credit card's in there too, so do as you please…"
He handed over the bag, then straightened up.
"Now, I'll be off," the man added casually.
Angel Devil started a little upon seeing the man come and go so fast. He was used to his "friend's" casual attitude by now, after all, he had known him for six years.
But since it had been only two hours since they arrived back in Japan, he couldn't help but wonder where his host was in such a hurry to go.
"Where are you going?" Angel asked as he removed the ice cream from the bag.
The man, who had already begun walking away, stopped in his tracks.
He turned his face halfway back and replied with a grin,
"Where else? I'm going to meet her."
He finished and then waved a lazy goodbye as he walked away.
As realization hit the Angel Devil, he understood exactly who his host was talking about…
…The one who had been responsible for his death in his previous incarnation—
Makima.
As he watched the back of his host, who was walking away and soon got lost in the crowd, Angel Devil couldn't help but say:
"Such irony, huh? To think a man who desired to change a devil ended up becoming one himself."
"Truly, fate works in mysterious ways."
The man in question was none other than…
…the Devil of Humanity, the one who embodies the fear humans have for other humans…
…the Human Devil, Rein Leonidas.
Now back from the Aging World, stronger and different than ever.
Angel Devil watched his host disappear into the crowd, then let out a quiet sigh and lifted the ice cream to his lips.
"From this point onward…" he murmured, almost to himself, "let me be the one who documents their twisted love story and how they end the world."
***
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Author's Note:
There's still one more chapter until Arc 2 ends.
Anyway, here's the poll.
Poll:
Do you think Rein deserved all the suffering he went through? I am curious to know readers opinions.
Yes.
No (Author, you're a villain. Fuck you.)