ARC I — "ASHES OF THE FAITHFUL"
The city was silent now. Smoke curled through broken streets, and alien patrols lay motionless in the ruins. Kurotsume stood on a shattered rooftop, his aura dimmed to a faint shimmer. He looked out over the horizon where the crimson sun began to rise.
"They won't send patrols anymore,"* the demon said, voice echoing softly in his mind. "Now they'll send someone who matters."
"Let them,"* Kurotsume replied calmly. His tone was even, cold. "I need answers before more blood."
He knelt by the alien commander's body. Beneath torn armor, something pulsed — a strange, cube-like core inscribed with symbols. They glowed faintly when Kurotsume touched them, and for the first time, his aura reacted on its own, whispering with unfamiliar voices.
"Those marks…" the demon's tone shifted — cautious. "You shouldn't be touching that."
Kurotsume narrowed his eyes. "You're scared of this."
The demon chuckled lowly. "I don't fear… I remember."
The cube began to hum. The city around him melted into darkness, and the sky bled red. Kurotsume blinked and found himself standing in a vast, ancient temple — pillars carved with spiraling runes, statues of beings with both alien and human forms.
"What is this place?"
"Memory," the demon replied. "My memory… and yours now."
Kurotsume walked slowly, the echoes of the temple following him. At the center stood a black obelisk inscribed with glowing letters — the same ones from the Book of Lies.
He reached out. The symbols rearranged themselves, forming words in his mind:
"They descended as gods… but they were born from the void between worlds."
Then — that same whisper from his past, from when he was still Adrian.
"They are not gods… they are aliens."
Kurotsume froze. "That voice… back when I read the book."
The demon's voice darkened. "You finally hear it clearly, don't you?"
"That was you."
"Not exactly," the demon said. "That was what remained of the last ruler — the one they called Azrael."
The name echoed through the chamber.
"Before the aliens came, this world was ruled by entities bound to both light and shadow. I was one of them — the last guardian of balance. But the aliens came with lies… claiming divinity, rewriting history."
"And you?"* Kurotsume asked, stepping closer.
"I rebelled. Just like you. And for that, they sealed me away — inside this world, waiting for someone who could break their chain."
Kurotsume's eyes flickered red. "So that's why you chose me."
The demon chuckled softly. "No. I didn't choose you… you summoned me. When you read the Book of Lies, you heard the truth — and your mind opened the seal. That's when the countdown began. Thirty-five hours."
Kurotsume's expression stayed unreadable, but his jaw clenched faintly.
"So my rebellion wasn't chance… it was fate."
"Fate," the demon murmured, "or consequence. You carry my power, but you also carry the echo of the last ruler. The aliens fear that voice more than anything — because if the truth spreads, their reign ends."
The temple began to crack, light piercing through the darkness. Kurotsume turned as the world faded back into the ruined city. The cube in his hand crumbled into dust.
"Azrael," Kurotsume whispered, almost to himself. "I'll remember that."
"Do more than remember," the demon replied, his voice now a mix of pride and warning. "Uncover everything they've hidden — and when the time comes… choose which world survives."
Kurotsume's aura flared briefly, then settled. He looked toward the alien citadel glowing faintly in the distance. His voice, calm and razor-sharp, cut through the silence.
"So the gods were liars. The rulers were erased. And the truth was buried."*
He smirked slightly. "Guess it's time I start digging."
As the wind swept across the broken city, Kurotsume vanished into the shadows, his resolve sharper than ever.