Sorin woke up.

He blinked his eyes, expecting the familiarity of pain... but there was nothing. He was dead, that was a fact that he knew very well.

Sorin was a firm believer in the Gods, not once doubting the existence of the afterlife. Perhaps, he didn't have the time to think if he was going to heaven or hell.

He was prepared to face both, either way.

Sorin slowly regained his senses as he eyed the place he was at. He looked around, it was a beautiful landscape bathed in warm rays of sunlight, and the gentle breeze brushed across his skin.

Was this an illusion?

He walked around the fields for a long time, not feeling any sense of tiredness "...Maybe because this isn't my mortal body anymore." he mused to himself as he placed a hand on his chest.

—The soft squelching sound of a sharp blade entering his insides suddenly entered his mind and it made him stop.

"I-It's done, it's done..." he whispered to himself.

When he opened his eyes, the scenery changed; he was met with a familiar place.

A small, dingy orphanage. The building's wooden walls immediately reminded him of his childhood. A place filled with bittersweet memories before he became a saint. Th

『Greetings my dear Saint.』

A feminine voice echoed throughout the plains, it sounded otherworldly and ethereal. Sorin couldn't help but shiver at the sudden presence.

A figure with long locks of blonde hair that looked similar to the golden rays of the sun itself stood in the distance. Long white robes covered her body, and the curves of her body were inhumanly perfect as if she was a sculpted statue.

However, Sorin did not feel any trace of divinity from her. It was as if she was an empty slate.

"Who are you?" He asked.

The woman chuckled at his question before walking closer to him, her movements slow and elegant as if she was merely taking a stroll.

『So many questions and yet you ask such a simple one. I expected more from you, my beloved Saint.』

She smiled at him, golden eyes crinkling like that of a cat's. The woman turned away from him, looking at the orphanage

『I've been watching you, my saint. From the moment you were thrown away in this miserable place.』

Her words dripped with an unknown charm and Sorin could trace the hidden sharpness hidden behind her sweet tone. His heart thumped in his chest, a sensation he was surprised he still had.

『Humans are such predictable beings, aren't they?』

She purred at him, the tone of her voice now filled with malice. At that moment, realization struck Sorin—

"You're a demon." Sorin tried to take a step back, but he found himself stuck. As if the very ground itself was pulling him down.

『Now, now, don't compare me to them~』

A hint of playfulness was evident in her voice but Sorin felt the entire place shake, a malevolent aura coming from the woman. It was so strong, it felt as if the air was taken away from his lungs.

Her long blonde hair was swept by an invisible wind, and Sorin's eyes widened at the sight–

Two long vertical scars marred her pale back. It was pure black and jagged like something was just ripped away from her skin. Sorin knew what they were... her wings were torn away from her body.

She was an angel.

『Oh~ My beloved Saint, I've longed for this moment ever since you were born. I could finally introduce myself.』

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She twirled around to face him, a wide smile plastered across her face.

『I'm Lucifer.』

Sorin's breath hitched.

Sorin's mind reeled as the revelation washed over him. Lucifer—the fallen angel, the embodiment of darkness and temptation—stood before him, her angelic beauty twisted and marred by the loss of her wings.

The weight of the realization bore down upon Sorin, leaving him speechless and vulnerable.

Lucifer, is a name synonymous with humanity's everlasting suffering. A name that represents the thin line between good and evil.

"What could such an unholy creature like you want with me?" Sorin asked. His voice was laced with confusion and hostility but he wasn't a fool; he knew that he couldn't attack the demon.

『I have my mark on you, my dear. The moment you were born, I've watched you and waited for you.』

[Mark of the Divine Angel]

The mark that gave him the status of a saint. Sorin's mana and divinity were stronger than most humans, it made him carry such a heavy burden. But it was a burden that he was willing to bear.

The weight of humanity's survival was once on his shoulders.

『You are my chosen one.』

"Why should I trust you?" Luke retorted in defiance, he couldn't believe what she was saying. He questioned his entire existence, whether all of his actions were controlled to please this demon.

Was he merely a puppet of the eternal conflict between the Gods and demons?

『Because I can offer you another chance~ I know what you want most.』

He almost laughed at her words. Sorin had lived his life with an unwavering loyalty to the empire, all he wanted was for the people to be safe... for humanity's peace.

But is that really all?

Sorin wasn't so sure himself.

He doesn't know want he really wanted.

『It's freedom, my beloved saint. The freedom to do what you want, to fulfill all your deepest desires. You want to escape the shackles of your fate.』

Sorin's expression fell at her words "Freedom." he echoed.

It was such a foreign word on his tongue that it felt so wrong to say. The memories of his past flooded his mind, all the pain that he had endured felt so useless in her presence.

『Such a cruel thing isn't it? Let me show it to you, my beloved saint.』

Sorin watched as the scenery changed in front of his eyes; the old orphanage warped into a sinister image. A memory he desperately tried to erase at the back of his mind.

It was all red. A crackling and hissing noise filled his ears as flames flickered around him. The flickering tongues of fire consumed the entire building, casting an eerie glow of crimson on his surroundings.

It was an inferno that greedily devoured everything that he ever held dear as sparks and embers flew around the air. Sorin's entire body trembled at the sight.

『Death does not choose between those who are good and evil. All living beings are bound to it someday. It is a fate that all of you were meant to have.』

He could see shadows at the corner of his eyes, crawling towards him. Their voices echoing inside of his head screaming for his help. He wanted to heal them, he wanted to use his divine magic to soothe their suffering.

But there was no one there.

『You don't have to suffer the same fate, after all, you are my chosen one. I want you to be free from mortality. Everything that you consider human, I can take that away. 』

Her golden eyes were focused on the blaze surrounding him, her lips curled into a small smile as if she found the sight to be beautiful. The light casted a glow on her face, highlighting her beauty.

Sorin could hear his old friends screaming in agony, innocent children who were taken away so fast. Their lives gone in an instant. The despair he felt was heart-wrenching as he thought of their smiles and laughter—

Their names that he had etched in his heart so that he wouldn't forget the suffering they endured.

『You can take revenge on those who have cast you aside, those insect-like humans that turned their backs on you the moment they deemed you were a threat 』

"A-A threat?" Sorin's voice quivered, it was barely even a whisper.

『Ah yes!』

Lucifer clapped her hands as if she was delighted by his question, she tilted her head to face him. Sorin couldn't tear away his eyes from her.

『You were the Almighty Saint, an image of hope for humans but Sorin~ You were too kind! Too forgiving! Your ideals were not the same as them and they despise you for that. They despise your influence.』

Sorin blinked, confusion filling his mind– he simply acted upon the teaching of Gods. It was expected of all humans to live in that way... wasn't it?

『Especially that mage, he was so envious of you that he resented you and started the uprising.』

"Kieran." The name of his old friend left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, it felt like bile was threatening to rise up his throat.

"Do you think you could sway me, Lucifer?"

The demoness laughed.

『I'm not here to tempt you, it's simple enough. I don't see you as a plaything. After all, my mark has already been ingrained so deep in your soul.』

"Enough with the mark! Enough! I'm sick of living to fulfill someone else's desires and expectations!" Sorin yelled in frustration.

For the first time, he was finally able to let out what he truly felt. The thought that he had pushed away and rejected. But now he was able to say it but no one would be able to hear his true feelings– only this demon.

"I am not a pawn between Gods and demons."

Lucifer's eyes twinkled in amusement as her smile only continued to widen.

『There it is! That fire! This is why you were chosen. You are an extension of me, my dear saint. I've grown tired and wary of the gods, and what they did to me.』

Her words no longer dripped with malice, only a sense of melancholy that Sorin couldn't understand.

『Through the freedom I offer you, maybe I can find my own liberation.』

She paused for a moment.

『Because if the Gods truly were kind and unconditional beings... why would they open the gates of hell? Why would they let creatures of eternal damnation roam your land?』

Sorin pondered at her words. He wasn't one to be tempted, he could easily tell if someone was trying to deceive him. But he couldn't feel it from this demon. Not once he felt any animosity from her.

It started with a short question, one that he asked to simply satiate his curiosity.

"What do you want me to do?"