"What's wrong?" Crimson asked me.

"I'd like a redo," I replied.

She appeared confused at first, but then she approached me, keeping a respectful distance to listen to what I had to say, her face illuminated by the glow of the street lanterns. Despite the late hour, there were still a few people strolling around.

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

"My mother once told me to avoid unnecessary involvements that could cause me to lose sight of what truly matters to me," I began as I looked right into her eyes, my voice calm and steady to make sure she listened to me. "She told me that, knowing I always had difficulty keeping my emotions stable. She told me that exactly to make sure I avoided taking other people's lives unnecessarily, so that I wouldn't complicate my own life too much. Keeping control of my emotions has never been easy, especially since I rarely felt them in the first place. However... all that rage... All that hate toward the Deities and the world I felt when I lost her is... irreplicable."

I paused to refill my lungs with air while letting the words sink in. "In all my life, there have been three moments where I felt a rage so intense I could see the blood pulsing in my eyes whenever I closed them. One of those three moments being: right now."

"Are you that mad? Listen, I-"

"Crimson," I cut her off as she dared to speak. Even now, she wasn't giving me the respect I demanded. "I am the one talking."

She looked taken aback. Surely, she wasn't used to being silenced like this.

"I don't let people make wrong assumptions about me," I continued. "I never allowed people to have their way with me. But today... I let down my guard too much. I'm new in this guild, and I joined it so that I could get closer to my mother's strength. I want to stay in this guild, and in order to do that, I have to avoid making myself new enemies... So, I tried to behave, keeping a low profile. But this played against my favor. By allowing you to mess with me, I showed a weak side of me. I am ashamed of myself."

I should've guessed this would happen. I should've known it when I looked at her red-hot eyes the very first moment I met her. This girl would do me no good.

"Nobody here thinks you're weak. And..." Crimson paused, noticing my expression darkening as she spoke over me. She seemed somewhat sad now.

"The humiliation I felt because of you in front of my new comrades, in front of Joey... And that insult you whispered in my ear... Because of you, I feel like the veins in my head are about to explode. And always because of you, since I am unable to calm down, I'm going against many of my mother's teachings. That's why I want a redo," I remarked.

Crimson stood silent, without saying a word.

"Speak," I granted her permission.

"What do you mean by a redo?" she asked.

"Fight me," I replied. "Just like you fought me the first time. There is not going to be an injured leg in my way this time."

"Do you intend to kill me?"

"No. I am not allowed to do that. You're the coordinator, after all; that's what I keep hearing about you. Leonard would get angry at me were I to kill you. I just want to humiliate you the same way I felt humiliated."

I was ready to face her, and I was also ready to kill her. I know I could if I wanted to, but I had to refrain myself. Sure, Crimson is strong. But so am I, as well. So far, only during the conversation, I've had numerous chances to kill her, and at a speed she couldn't have reacted to

Overconfidence? No, just facts.

She crossed her arms, seemingly pondering about it... "I refuse."

"..."

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"It's not that I don't want to. I love to duel. But I can't. Leonard forbade me to duel against guild members after I injured someone so badly they had to leave the guild," she explained.

"You fought me before..."

"I was just playing around; you dodged every single attack. What do you think would happen in a real duel? Leonard would definitely find out, word would spread, and we'd both face severe consequences. Think carefully now..."

"You're just making excuses. We could duel where nobody would see us, and recover using potions!"

"No potion could fix you if my spells landed. And besides, now that I think about it, you should be happy about this! Hadn't I dueled with that member, there wouldn't have been an opening in the guild, and you wouldn't be here. You should be grateful," she exclaimed with a smile.

"You're still messing with me..."

"I'm not, Snowflake. I didn't know you'd be so upset about it. I'm ready to make up for it, I mean it."

"And how do you intend to do that? Come on, let's hear it..."

"Like this," Crimson dropped to one knee on the cold stone road, slightly bowing her head as she took my hand, gently kissing it. "I humbly apologize for my behavior tonight, madam," she softly said as she gazed up at me.

"You're not impressing anyone, Crimson."

"That's not true. The people around us are fairly impressed. Many recognize me, and I'm ready to do this in front of everyone in the guild, if that's what it takes," she proposed, still knelt on the ground.

"I don't want that, nor do I care," I coldly replied.

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you to disappear."

She stared at me, probably trying to determine whether I was joking or not. I wasn't.

"If you can't fight me," I added, "then disappear. I shouldn't have asked to go to the dinner. It's on me for being naive. Once again, I placed my trust in a guild member, only to find out it was misplaced. So, go..."

Reluctantly, she released my hand and stood up. "Understood... I shall take my leave, then. Rest well, Snowflake..." she then said, giving a slight bow before walking away.

I stood there watching her go while I deeply breathed in. My anger hadn't dissipated, no. Instead, it had only grown stronger. As I closed my eyes, a dark curtain of pulsating blood obscured my vision.

"I need... to kill someone."

And not to feed it to my demon; I just needed it to relieve my rage.

Though I'd had a little to drink, my mind was crystal clear. Indeed, I was in the Dynamic Zone. All my unnecessary thoughts were gone, vanished, but the need to ease my rage still burned deep within me. And so, I explored the town a little, in search of easy prey, or a couple; enough to satisfy both my demon and my own thirst.

Crimson had led me astray for too long; it was time to get back on the right track, to regain control.

I roamed the city in search of isolated spots where drunkards could wander, Eventually, I found the perfect location: a secluded street where no unwanted eyes would witness what was about to happen.

Here, a man and a woman stumbled along the street, probably headed home after a night of drinking. Nobody around this area except for those two, no illumination, no quick access to passersby's help.

Good.

I crept up from behind; the woman was holding a glass bottle in her hand, it looked empty, but it probably contained beer.

I didn't bother concealing my face or my clothes; not that I needed it. I just went in, swiftly approaching the woman from behind, slipping away the bottle from her hand, raising it high before slamming it into her head. The bottle shattered into shards of glass as she collapsed to the ground. I was so fast the man barely had time to react.

"Bianca."

Just as the man turned around, I cast my spell; the demon came into existence behind me, striking with its claws straight into the man's chest, sending a spray of blood into the air, followed by a fountain of blood gushing to the ground as the demon retracted its claws; everything accompanied and adorned by the sweet sound of his shattered bone and the wet tearing of flesh.

The demon held the man's heart in its claws, chewing it with its 'mouth'.

"Oh, how interesting..." I hadn't noticed before, but despite the blood, the demon's claws remained pristine white; the blood wasn't staining it; it slid right off, as if there was an invisible, smooth barrier keeping them clean.

I left my Dynamic Zone state. I hadn't entered it for such a long time that I felt a bit sore afterward. I stretched out and released a yawn, feeling the stiffness leave my body. It felt good.

In that moment, I noticed that the woman was still alive, groaning in pain on the ground. Using the broken bottle still in my hand, I knelt down and stabbed her neck. In, and out. In, and out.

"Oh, yes... Now I feel better..."

I'm not a sadist like Crimson, but even so, I've always found captivating the way the light fades from someone's eyes as they breathe their last breath. The idea of the soul departing from the body is just so... fascinating.

I felt relaxed, almost peaceful as I breathed in the fresh air around me, feeling the icy sensation as my lungs filled, only to empty them again as I exhaled. And all I had to do now was wait for my demon to disappear. I didn't even feel the need to hide the bodies. I just felt... free. I felt like I had once again control over my own sensations and emotions. Crazy how sometimes one can feel so detached from their own selves.

I checked the surroundings to ensure no one had seen me while I waited for the demon to disappear, but everything was quiet; I couldn't sense anything.

After the long-awaited minute, as usual, the demon raised its claws.

Five.