Footsteps echoing against wet pavement.

Eliza's breath came out in ragged gasps as she ran throughout the city, making her way as far from Gray as she could.

Do not follow me. Please, Gray. Do not follow me.

An unspoken plea. She didn't know what she would do if he saw her like this.

Rain was coming down in a torrent. Enough that Eliza's clothes should have been drenched long ago.

But they weren't.

Instead of being damp from the cold rain, her clothes were still dry.

It wasn't that the rain didn't hit her, but rather because of what happened when it did.

Steam hugged Eliza's body, born from the rain colliding with her unnaturally hot skin.

Her body felt heavy. The strength and speed she should have had was long gone. Even her eyes, which should have allowed her to see through the rain were ineffective.

Footsteps raced behind her, and a frantic voice called out. "Eliza!"

She bit her lip and kept running, even as her body resisted her will.

"Curses. Curses, curses, curses."

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

She was supposed to give Gray the bag and then leave with a calm farewell and a brilliant smile.

It would have been the best way to end it. That way, she could disappear as the final memory of a good friend parting ways amiably.

Gray still didn't know the truth. Alain had tried to tell him back in Rorin village, but she had stopped him. And thankfully, none of the other travelers they had encountered mentioned it.

...The defining trait of the demon race.

Born with inherently unnatural beauty, powerful physiques, and high magical prowess. So long as they lived, it was a matter of course for demons to attain the upper levels of Braveheart in their bodies and magic.

Not only that, but they matured quickly. By the age of ten years old, their bodies would have already reached full maturity.

Eliza had already held her current appearance for over twelve years.

With such traits, the demon race should have been the envy of all others. Maturing faster than humans, who already matured fast in comparison to the elves and Anima. Possessing powerful physiques beyond those of the Anima, who possessed the greatest vigor. Even wielding magic and energy with more finesse than the elves, who were blessed by the world.

Yes, the demons should have been the superior race and the envy of all others.

But there was a reason why they weren't. And that reason was why Eliza was so desperately running away from Gray, even though she wished with all her heart to be at his side.

-Cursed by the world. That was what they called it. The demons were born into this world with superior talents in every field. But to compensate for that, their life was short, even compared to humans.

Twenty-five years. That was the lifespan of an average demon. An optimistic estimate at that.

Those who used their power more frequently would have even shorter lives.

Eliza had been an exception. Possessing her eyes, she had been able to regulate her powers despite using it on a daily basis. To that end, she had managed to live to such an old age.

-But even she had her limits.

When Gray found her, she already didn't have long to live. Two years if the world was generous. One if it wasn't.

That was why she never explained it.

She had already accepted her fate. Born into the Organization to be used. Living as a tool all her life only to be disposed of at the end... her white hair was a mark of that.

Demons did not possess white hair naturally. Eliza had been born with blonde hair, but with continual usage of her power, the color had faded away.

White hair and red eyes. The tell-tale traits of a demon who did not have long to live. The signs of someone for whom it would be a mercy to kill rather than allow a natural death.

Because natural deaths for a demon were anything but.

Eliza grit her teeth and kept running, even as she felt her body breaking from the inside out.

-Painful.

The end to a demon's life was painful. Painful to the extent that even the most hardened criminal would never wish it upon another person.

It was said that a benevolent priest once invented a spell to transfer bodily sensations in an attempt to alleviate the pain of a dying demon by experiencing it himself.

Within the first second, the priest was already screaming for death, and in the next, he had bashed his head against a wall, splitting it open and ending his misery.

An agonizing end, one with pain enough to drive anyone mad.

While her body had yet to go through that extreme level of pain, Eliza could feel that it wouldn't be long before she would be unable to move, crippled by the ensuing agony that marked her demise.

She didn't want Gray to see that. For him, who was kind and naive, parting in such a way was something that she would never allow. Neither would she force him to kill her and end her agony.

Pain.

Eliza's heart stopped. Breathing now was an act of sheer will rather than necessity.

Her legs gave out beneath her, and she was sent sprawling to the ground.

"No. No, no, no. Please, body. Just move a little while longer...!"

She could hear Gray's footsteps drawing closer. With her body's extreme heat creating so much steam, it would be a matter of time for him to find her.

She couldn't let him see that. Either her agony or her corpse.

-Truthfully, it would be a blessing to kill herself. Staying alive and awaiting her body's inevitable destruction was more than foolish, it was an act that could endanger those around her as she became driven mad by the pain.

But she couldn't kill herself.

The agony was unbearable, and lying there against the ground, already bleeding from her crumbling body colliding against the hard stone, the temptation to bash her head in was more than just high.

-But the moment she had that thought, she also imagined Gray's guilt-stricken face as he found her corpse.

She couldn't kill herself. The only thing she could do was wait for her body's destruction.

The body of a demon possessed too much energy, a fact that only grew more true as they aged. At the end of their lives, this energy would prove too much of a burden on the body, and so begin tearing it apart from the inside. Unless they were killed before it happened, this excess energy would cause a demon to be completely deconstructed, leaving behind no traces of their lives behind. Their clothes, equipment... everything on them, everything with them would be erased.

...There were only two exceptions to this.

One was the birth of a Demon Lord. Those who possessed the inherent aptitude to deny the curse of power given to Demons and reformed their body out of sheer will. However, individuals such as those were rarer than an individual possessing a hundred True Runes in one body.

Even in the millions of years since the world's birth, there were only three potential Demon Lords, and only two had ever crossed that barrier.

The first was the Demon King's right hand, who wandered the world in search of Divine Artifacts and the other was a mysterious individual who was said to blend into human society.

As for the third...

Eliza forced herself to her feet, one hand supporting her body by placing it against the side of a building, and stumbled into an alleyway away from the main road. She kept walking, deeper into the dark areas where she could disappear without a trace.

Where her hand trailed against the rock, it made a mark, the destructive nature of her end gradually spilling out onto the surroundings.

But despite her efforts, she couldn't move anymore.

Crippled by the pain of her very being becoming undone, Eliza slumped onto the ground against the wall.

Her breath came out in pained gasps, and she clutched at her heart that no longer beat.

The sound of falling rain and hissing steam. Amidst that, a voice called out.

"...So this is what became of you, Number One. Or should I say, Piercing Death?"

A figure in a plain black shirt and pants. An average looking face that could be found anywhere in the crowd and a harmless smile. It was a stark contrast to his true identity.

Even through the pain, Eliza still grit her teeth and managed to say his name.

"Founder... Simon..."

----------------------------------------

Gray ran through the rain.

Her silhouette was in front of him, but with each passing moment, it grew blurrier and blurrier. A fog seemed to be rolling in, gradually obscuring his vision.

"ELIZA!"

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-Even so, he called out her name.

Chase her.

He had to chase her.

The feelings he thought were unreturned, the words he had yet to say.

He didn't know why she was running away from him-

No, he knew why, and because he knew why, he refused to allow her to get away from him.

-Dying. He didn't know how or why she was, but he realized it now.

Eliza was dying.

"Dammit."

She was dying... no, she was probably almost dead.

"Dammit!"

That was why she wanted to say goodbye like that. He didn't know how long it had been or why, but he knew that she was dying. Because she didn't want to burden him, she acted cold and wanted a clean break. A farewell ending with a bright smile and clear feelings.

-But in that case...

"Dammit, Eliza! Where are you!?"

He spun his head around in every direction.

Her sillhouete was gone now, no trace of her to be seen. The rain poured down even harder, preventing him from seeing more than a few feet in front of him. A torrential downpour from the sky, as if the world itself were telling him to let his feelings just be washed away.

He ran down the road, footsteps causing water to spray in every direction.

His clothes were drenched, his leather armor would probably be harmed due to the excessive moisture, and it was practically guaranteed he would catch a cold from all of this time in the rain.

But he didn't care.

Eliza. He had to find her. He had to tell him his words, even if the result was a painful farewell.

He had experienced it once already. A parting with lingering sentiments left unsaid... the pain it wrought was enough for him to throw his past away and bury himself in the monotony of every day life.

A second time...

No!

He wouldn't allow it.

Gray came to a halt and looked around.

An intersection. The main road split in front of him and to his left side. That was where he lost sight of her. But where did she go?

A wrong decision could cause him to lose her forever. To let his words remain unspoken until the end of his life. To have countless regrets forevermore.

"Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

Where did she go?

He closed his eyes to think.

She wouldn't have gone inside a building, that much was for certain. From her frantic footsteps and slow speed, it seemed that she was hurt. Maybe something was wrong with her body? An after effect of fighting that dragon?

In that case, it was likely that she hadn't gone far.

"Then where is she?"

The footsteps had stopped, buried beneath the roar of the rain. Looking around, there were only two ways she could have gone, left or straight-

No, that's not true.

An alleyway, barely visible between a pair of buildings on his right.

Without a second thought, Gray ran towards it and called out her name.

"Eliza!"

He didn't guess wrong.

After only a few moments of running, he saw her.

Her appearance was awful. Her face was covered in blood and gravel. No doubt it was because she had tripped in her frantic fleeing. Not only that, but the air around her was covered in steam. Her skin seemed to be so hot that it was causing the air to distort around her.

"...Eliza."

Her face was twisted in agony, and her fists were tightly clenched at her side.

"She can't hear you."

A voice, male.

Gray turned towards it to see a man dressed in black walking towards him from within the alleyway.

A face that could be seen anywhere and hide in plain sight. Brown hair that somehow remained dry in spite of the heavy rain. Sharp, intelligent eyes that seemed to miss nothing.

-Danger. A single glance was more than enough for him to tell that about the man before him.

Gray quickly ran in front of Eliza, sword drawn to defend her.

"Who are you? What did you do to her!?"

The man smiled, holding his hands out to the side. A gesture of peace. "I've done nothing more than chat with miss... Eliza, did you call her?"

Chat? A little chat wouldn't be enough to put her in so much agony.

Gray's disbelief must have shown on his face as the man shrugged. "Believe me or not, I don't really care. Either way, she... Eliza does not have much time left to live. Not only that, but I can assure you that her end will be very, very painful. If I were you, I'd be talking to her and not wasting your time with a suspicious man like myself."

"You-"

"Tah-tah. I'll be seeing you around, Mister Gray."

With those parting words, the man walked past Gray, vanishing into the city.

Gray had the urge to run after the man and force answers out of him, but stopped when he remembered Eliza's state.

He put his sword away and knelt down in front of Eliza.

"Eliza! I'm here. What's wrong? How can I help?"

"Gray...?"

A hoarse voice, barely audible beneath the sound of the rain.

"That's right. It's Gray."

Eliza shook her head. "No... why are you...?"

"Don't talk! I'll take you some place safe. There's got to be a church or something around here that can heal, right? Or a hospital? Come on, let's go."

He reached over and grabbed a hold of her, planning to lift her up.

"No, Gray. Don't-"

A sudden and sharp pain.

Gray let out a hiss as he drew his hand back. Looking at it, he saw that he had been burned. Suddenly, the steam made sense.

"Eliza, your body-"

Eliza shook her head and gave a sad smile. "It is no use, Gray. This... is the end for me."

"Don't say that!"

Gray grit his teeth and forced himself to lift Eliza's body up.

Pain beyond anything he had felt before erupted on his body. He felt like he was burning and being torn apart all at once.

"No. No! Let go of me!"

"I won't!” Gray grit his teeth and pulled her close. “We can fix this, I know it!"

"Gray... No, you don't understand. I-"

One step.

His body was on fire, and blood was starting to spill from where he held Eliza. His flesh was splitting apart. Even then, he refused to let go.

"To hell I don't understand! You're dying, and I won't let that happen! Now shut up and let me take you to a doctor already!"

He could fix this.

Right. He could fix this.

It wouldn't happen again. He wouldn't let it happen again.

The last time, he didn't find out that she was gone until it was too late. This time would have been the same, but he had found her.

Would he be forced to watch and do nothing as she faded from his life as well?

No. he wouldn't allow that.

Because of that, he forced his body to move, in spite of the pain, in spite of the blood.

...Two steps.

Eliza sobbed. Whether it was from her pain or his pitiful state, he didn't know. All he knew was that the sound tore at his heart with every moment.

Three steps.

The entrance of the alleyway seemed so far away.

Even so, he couldn't stop. Not until he got Eliza to a doctor or healer. Not until he was SURE she wouldn't meet the same fate as the last Eliza he had known.

"...That is enough, Gray. I will walk on my own."

Eliza's sudden words caused him to almost stumble out of... relief? Concern? At that time, the only clear thing in his mind was that his body was in pain.

"Are you sure you can, Eliza?"

"I am sure."

He didn't really believe her words, but at that rate, it seemed like it would be impossible for him to carry her from there anyway.

Reluctantly, he set her down against the wall.

Almost immediately, the pain and heat vanished from him, along with his wounds.

-Was it an illusion? Either way, his body seemed perfectly fine.

He turned around to look at Eliza.

She was standing there, looking at him with those enchanting crimson eyes of hers. Any sign of agony and pain she had earlier had gone, as if it was all an act.

"...Eliza?"

He was confused. Of course he was.

Was his mind playing tricks on him? Did that man do something to change his perception?

Thoughts like that ran through Gray's eyes as he looked at Eliza who seemed perfectly fine.

She let out a sigh and looked at the skies. "Did you know, Gray? That the very first time I saw the sky, it was just like this?"

"...No. I didn't."

Eliza's tone of voice was strange. But he couldn't place it.

"Gray. Everything was gray. From the moment I was born to the moment I was sent to be sold as a slave. Nothing had ever mattered. And I thought nothing in my life would ever matter."

Gray didn't say anything. Certainly that sentiment was something he understood.

"...then I met you. A person who saved someone like me who should not have been saved. Who could not be saved."

"...Eliza? What are you saying?"

She shook her head, not answering his question. Instead, she said, "When I saw you, I thought it was ridiculous. A man who was so weak he could not protect his own self decided to try and save me, a Demon who did not need to be saved."

She laughed, her gaze taking on a distant look. "Yes, it was laughable. You were so pitiful that I wondered why the world allowed such an unfortunate life to exist. A Failure at your age in both body and magical prowess... to live to your age must have been a miracle in itself."

Cutting words, a backhanded rebuke.

Even so, Gray couldn't find it in himself to respond.

"I thought you were naive. Naive and foolish. To go out of your way to save me, to face certain death for my sake when you could have let me be. Foolish... but there was something about that foolishness I adored. And the days after where you bumbled about like a child learning how to walk were some of the most enjoyable I had ever experienced."

-A pit in his stomach. Her words... that tone of voice was one he recognized. The lifeless and hollow tone that he had once heard every day in his own voice, masking the emptiness within.

"...Then follow me." Words spoken on impulse. "If those days were so enjoyable, then follow me! If we get you to a doctor, there will be plenty of days like that left. So-"

Eliza shook her head and gave Gray a sad smile. "I am afraid that will not happen, Gray. You see, Demons have a short life. Far shorter than most. If we are lucky, we may live to see twenty five years. If we are not..."

She trailed off.

Her words froze his heart.

"...How old are you, Eliza?"

She smiled and said, "You should know better than to ask for a woman's age, Gray. Did your mother not teach you any better?"

"Stop joking around, Eliza! How old are you?!"

"...Twenty-four. I should have had at least another year. I had hoped to have another year. Just another day at your side... another enjoyable moment..."

Eliza staggered.

Before she hit the ground, Gray was there to catch her.

"Eliza! Don't... don't you dare die! Not now. I still need you. You haven't taught me space magic yet. You... you haven't repaid your debt! Until then, you-!"

Eliza smiled. "Do not be silly, Gray. You do not need me anymore. And the debt... I am sorry. If you truly... wanted it repaid. You should have accepted my offer."

"Offer?"

Eliza smiled. "Yes. I asked you, did I not? If you wanted to settle down with me in a village. While... it may have been short. I think... I would have... been happy..."

Eliza's eyes were closing, and her voice grew weak.

"Eliza? Eliza!"

She didn't respond.

Gray panicked, pressing his hand against her neck to check for apulse.

There was none.

Just when his heart had practically stopped from the realization, he felt a pulse.

Gray closed his eyes and quietly thanked whatever gods existed for that.

Eliza was still alive. If she was still alive, there would be a way to save her.

In this world of magic, combined with his knowledge from *****, it would be enough to find a way to save her.

So long as she was alive, it could work.

Right.

In that case, he should get going right now.

Gray opened his eyes and made to lift Eliza up again, preparing to take her away.

He didn't know how he would do it, but he WOULD save her.

This time... this time he refused to allow the world to take away someone he cared for.

But before he could take Eliza away, her eyes opened. Like when they first met, he found himself unable to move, hypnotized by those crimson orbs.

"Gray."

"Eliza."

Her voice was weak.

The rain was still falling. Because of that, he could barely hear her. Still, he strained his ears to do so.

"...Do you love me?"

Gray froze. Out of every question he could have expected, that was not one he did.

"I..."

Eliza looked into his eyes and reached out her hand.

He took it without a doubt. "I do. Yes Eliza, I love you. I love you, so don't die. Don't die. Please... don't die!"

His voice broke.

-A miserable sight. He was a grown man, but at that moment he was crying like a child.

But he couldn't help it.

The second love of his life, who had crept in without him realizing it. Eliza, who had done everything she could to help him, to protect him.

She was dying before his very eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"...Alright. Then I will not die. But Gray, you have to kiss me."

"Huh?"

Eliza's strange request caught him off guard.

"Hurry. If you do not do it now-"

He didn't hesitate. If it would save her, if it would stop her death, he would throw anything away.

A kiss. It was a chaste one, but one that carried countless emotions within.

He held her close, and she did the same to him, as if wanting this moment to last forever.

-But in that world, only nothing could last forever.

She parted from him, staring deep into his eyes. "I love you."

A sharp pain in the back of his neck, causing his vision to black out. His consciousness was quickly fading, despite his efforts to stay awake.

"Eliza? What-"

In the end, all he could do was watch as Eliza got to her feet, leaving him slumped against the alleyway.

"Please, live a happy life."

With those words echoing in his ears, Gray knew nothing else.

----------------------------------------

Eliza stared at the blond man below her, slumped unconscious against the wall.

The pain in her body was gone, no longer burdening her. But it was not because she miraculously recovered. Rather, she had gone beyond the point of no return.

"...I am sorry, Gray. In the end, this is the only way I can repay you."

Her body was transparent. Standing there and watching over Gray, instead of a living person, she seemed more like a ghost- no, a guardian angel.

"Is this how you felt, Lady Sophia, when you entrusted everything to him?"

Sophia, the name of the third potential Demon Lord and the daughter of the first. To save the hero from a distant land, she had granted her very being to him, turning her back on the Demon Land and the Demon King.

Because of it, the hero had gained enough strength to defeat every adversary, becoming hailed as a god upon return to his homeland.

When she first heard that tale, Eliza hadn't believed it.

Love? Such a thing only existed as empty platitudes to deceive and manipulate. As for true love and devotion... that only existed in fairy tales.

But now...

"I am nowhere near as powerful as Lady Sophia, Gray. All I can give you are these eyes of mine and a little bit more strength. They are far from enough to repay you for all you have done. Even so... I hope they can protect you in the days to come… in the days where I can no longer be by your side."

Her body was fading, vanishing into motes of light. Even if she wished to speak, she was no longer able to do so.

With her vision fading away, Eliza stared one last time at the foolish, naive, and reckless young man who had filled her remaining time with color.

“Farewell, Gray."