--What happened here?

--An unidentified demon surrounded by exorcists, I intervened, the demon escaped and I took care of cleaning up, here are the weapons seized from the exorcists~ by the way I can use them without hurting my hands.

The black-haired man covered his hands with a pair of shadow gauntlets and took up the sword of holy light.

*BFFFFFF*

"Interesting...okay, keep the weapons, they might come in handy later."

--Understood.

The weapons fell into their own shadows as did the corpses and the rest of the loot, leaving only an empty, shattered room.

--Souji...

--Yeah?!

"Do you really trust me...or did you just join me to avoid falling into the same place as your brother."

The Sitri heiress asked as she looked at her Tower and her nobility, feeling bitter and powerless, the pieces she had struggled to find and raise, her faithful confidante and her recent acquisition and source of her last sleepless nights. The young woman with purple eyes looked directly into the black eyes like an abyss in the apathetic and indifferent face of the young man.

Madness, bloodlust and an inexplicable melancholy oozed from her body, the Ki and the aura of death around the black-haired man were discordant even for her, since that state was only possible for someone who had come out of a bloody campaign of a hundred wars and a thousand battles, but he had only been submerged on this side of the world for less than a week, unless... a sad and terrifying premonition came to the mind of the Sitri heiress.

"Souji recovered his memories...sooner than expected"

Luckily for the young demon, his fears are still not fulfilled...at least not completely.

--I trust that you are able to lead and command properly during times of war and peace Sitri-sama, I trusted you enough to let you into my head, so like I said earlier I hate this world but I don't hate you~ If you're afraid that I'll betray you and run to that redheaded stripper's breasts...

The black-haired man sneered before taking a drink from the bottle.

--You're quite wrong, I'm a man, a bastard and a murderer but never a dog in heat~ if I want a stripper there's a red light district and drunk Onee-sans all over this damn city and next door~

The black-haired man growled, emptying the rest of the bottle into his mouth and tossing the empty bottle towards a wall behind him.

*CRACK*

--Sona Sitri, listen well, because I won't repeat it... I chose you, Not just because you are a high-ranking demon noble who is a member of the current demon royalty, I didn't choose you just because you are beautiful and intelligent, I didn't choose you just to escape that redhead with more breasts than brains and her ward of childhood traumas she calls nobility, I didn't choose you for any of the possible reasons you could have imagined, I chose you for one reason only...

The black-haired man quickly approached the girl, closing the distance between them to only a few centimeters.

--I chose you as my master, because I know that you can help me to live, to cope with a life that has lost its meaning, to find a decent path to death... you know what my only wish is~ Hahahahaha~

A sad and sick laugh left the black-haired man's mouth as tears flowed from the black-haired man's eyes.

--I really want... to die... I just want to... see her... but... even if I die... I won't be able to see her... Hahahaha~

Sona Sitri watched her tower break in front of her again, laughing and crying as a dozen shadowy tentacles trembled and convulsed around her.

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--Souji...

--Kaicho stay away from him!

The pawn Genshiro Saji ran up and got between his mistress and the black-haired, Rook-supported Tsubasa Yura and the knight Tomoe Meguri, the tomboyish beauty and the cheerful red-braided-haired girl supported the ash blonde, earning her mistress's frown.

"Saji-kun...girls..."

--Kaicho don't get closer to that crazy man...

--Kaicho, I know Souji is the strength we lacked but...

--We don't need it, we won't get stronger, so...

--Get away from him, Kaicho! x3

Being stopped by three members of her peerage Sona could only frown at the growing headache she suffered from. On one side are the pieces that she herself found and polished while on the other is the weapon that I always need and look for, which she gave herself into her hands, only that I never imagine that this marvel is on the verge of collapse.

“Guys, I thank you and appreciate your concern, but stand aside.

Revealing her regal bearing as well as her magical power and imposing pressure, Sona Sitri broke through the blockade formed by her servants and walked towards the black-haired youth who was kneeling on the ground crying while muttering a female name continuously while apologizing.

I'll have to put him to sleep again...

***

Souji's mental space.

--Why did I accept this garbage?!

--Why did I have to come to this fucking world?!

--Because?! Because?! Because?! Because?! Because?! Because?! Because?!

In the darkness, a young man with black hair with brown highlights was screaming with all his might while crying uncontrollably, roaring and cursing all of creation and his own actions, hitting what seemed like the ground, ignoring his broken and bleeding fists, ignoring the very shadows that They self-flagellated and mutilated his body, ignoring all the torture and self-abuse that he inflicted on himself, a product of the guilt and remorse that devastated him.

--I SHOULD STAY WITH THEM!

--I SHOULD GO WITH THEM!

--THEY SHOULD LIVE!

-- THEY DESERVED THIS OPPORTUNITY!

--HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

--BECAUSE?!

In the darkness an azure blue light flashed gracefully as a beautiful maiden appeared, skin white and smooth as winter silk, lips as thin and delicate as cherry blossoms, short black hair, violet eyes clear and sharp as amethyst framed Through simple and elegant light blue framed glasses, the young black-haired woman could only remain silent and hold back a scream when she saw the state of her tower.

This was Sona's second visit to her Tower's mind but there was no comparison, the withered forest did not exist, instead a wasteland of endless darkness where you could barely tell up from down.

--It seems that the seal of "Madness" was opened a bit...

The young woman murmured as she approached her servant.

Some people, after surviving a traumatic event, seal those memories and continue their lives as if nothing had happened, but the wound in their psyche persists, waiting for the slightest trigger for the person to relive the entire event and mentally collapse.

Hyoudou Souji is experiencing a slight collapse due to the fire, the blood and the smell of gunpowder, recalling the most tragic and cruel event of his previous life, the death of his lover, his family, as well as the memories of and the experiences of everyone he has consumed in the last few days, having abused his abilities, he is now paying the price for his arrogance.

Drowned in the emotions of two lifetimes, added to the dozens he has absorbed, he is being weighed down by the full weight of guilt and helplessness.

Sona Sitri arrived next to her Tower and could only bite her lip when she saw her condition, hundreds of both superficial and deep cuts filled her body oozing with blood, her fists were clenched and her face, her eyes had lost their shine and tears of blood black flowed from them, his normally handsome and indifferent face adorned with a half smile was now contorted and filled with unrelenting sadness and infinite helplessness.

--Souji-kun...

said the girl.

--...I'm sorry...

Replied the young man turning to see the young woman.

--Souji-kun...

The girl replied as she hugged the young man who only continued to cry softly while apologizing to someone only his eyes could see instead of the girl.

"I'm sorry...Natasha...I'm sorry...I..."

"Natasha...I...I...can't protect them..."

"Calm down... don't... don't... don't worry..."

The young man cried in the girl's arms, while his trembling and broken hand gently and lovingly caressed the girl's belly, making his heart ache from the guilt he felt at this moment for supplanting the person his servant longed for.

--Natasha... my life... my queen... my love... I miss you... I can't go on anymore... I can't...

The young man slipped from the girl's arms and fell to the ground where he just lay back looking at the darkness above them with a tired face. Both unaware that her pitch-black hair was gradually dying an ash brown and that her black eyes showed a heterochrome of black and light blue.

The identities of two lives were commingling, not more specifically, back to doing what they should, not just a hollow and unstable personality formed from the remains of one life and cultivated with the experiences of 14 years of peace and 2 years of debauchery, but the twisted and solid original personality that endured a life of war, pain, suffering and loss but still maintaining a vestige of honesty, courage and human decencies.

Sona Sitri watched as her Tower lay inert on the ground while tears ran down her face, if she could bear it she knelt down and hugged his head, lifting him up and taking him to her chest to try to comfort him in her innocence as her sister had done with her. Many years ago.

While she was cradling the young man, a terrible and horrendous idea appeared in Sona Sitri's mind, contrary to her morals, contrary to her ethics and her principles, even as a demon, but that idea was at least the immediate solution to her predicaments.