Chapter Thirteen

( AN : See the end of the chapter for special notes. )

        After having spent the night camping, Shido and Mukuro returned home in the morning. Of course, Mukuro had insisted to sleep in the same tent as Shido , which while Shido was first reluctant to, but finally accepted in the end. So the night was spent with Mukuro in his arms cuddling with her. And sure , like always, he still didn't sleep, but it was still the best night since the last century. He had given up on sleep a long time ago. He only had two types of dreams . Nightmares and a single particular dream . And even after a century, the dream refused to leave his mind. The promise was not yet forgotten. He still remembered HER voice , HER promise, but HER name…….. was unknown to him. As was her face. Even though he didn't remember anything about her, he knew that SHE mattered to him a lot. His heart ached every time he thought about HER.  He felt a hole in his heart . It was the same kind of sadness that he had the day when he lost all of his family to the polluters.

       He knew it was irrational ; to grieve for someone he didn't even remember. But did it matter ? After all, The Heart has its reasons, which reason knows nothing of…..  It was the main reason he wished to re-obtain his memories as Rhadamanthus of his past life, just to know about HER.  Even if SHE would have long forgotten him and discarded him , he still at least wished to remember HER, to treasure the memories he had of HER.  Still, it was nothing but wishful thinking on his part. Even if SHE would somehow remember him, he had no right to request HER or even the spirits for that matter to stay by his side. No woman , no matter how evil deserved to be forced to stay her life beside him. It was a cursed fate that no one should ever have to undertake. A monster like him should only have one fate , to die somewhere in a ditch alone while choking on his own blood. That was the only acceptable fate for him……

         He shook his head in disappointment. It wasn't right to think about HER right now. Maybe after dealing with the issue of polluters on earth and after Reine and the others would hunt him down out of hatred and disgust , he could finally flee from this dimension and then try to find out more about HER.  Even when he remembered nothing about HER , his heart still longed . Longed to just see HER , even if the only look that she would have for him would be hatred and disgust. Longed to hear HER voice , even if the only words she would speak would be curses and scowls for him. That was all that he wanted. It was the reason why he was actually trying to save humanity. One of the conditions in the agreement stated that if he did manage to save humanity, the Paramount Dao, Lady Maya would herself remove the seal on his memories. The only other way to remove the seal was for it to unravel on its own. And that required fulfillment of some specific conditions that he himself had no idea. So that was his only hope of regaining his memories. Of course, some parts of his past still managed to slip through. That alone was enough evidence of how strong his emotions for HER were . Even if he didn't remember anything about HER , he still remembered HER existence. And the promise. Even if he lost his own self, that promise was the one that he would never lose.

" We will meet again, won't we ? "

" Of course. Have I ever lied to you ? "

" Then let's make a promise ! I promise that I'll always return for you , no matter what happens. "

" Then I too promise, that I'll always be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes. "

            The words still rung through his ears , as if those were spoken just a day ago. Under the Sakura Blossoms, he had made a vow. A vow that he was desperately trying to fulfill. A vow he would do anything to achieve…….

  

          He sighed as he finished dressing up in his costume. He couldn't show his weakness or sadness on his face. He still had to meet up with Nia. Besides, it was wrong to think about another girl before going on a date with your girlfriend, wasn't it ? He attempted to humour himself with his own joke , but as expected, he felt no amusement. Still, there was nothing he could do about it. His life sucked and he had to deal with it. Picking up his cosplay accessories, he walked out of the room and made his way towards the convention, where Nia was going to meet up with him…….

                    ---------------X--------------

Location : The Anime Convention

            Nia was patiently waiting for Shido's arrival. Currently, she was cosplaying as Marion, the female protagonist of the ' Endajǫrð Saga ' series. It was a massively popular light novel series ( which had just gotten an anime adaptation ) which had somehow found a balance between Shoujo tropes and Shounen tropes. It featured a female protagonist, who had to save the world on top of being stuck between choosing the male hero or the Demon king. It was prophesied that the wielders of the two sacred swords would fall in love with each other and eventually defeat the demon king, ending the centuries long war. Of course, Marion soon found that while she did harbor affection for Lucas , the other wielder of the sacred sword other than her , she had feelings for the demon king Abbadon.

          Of course, the series also managed to strike a chord with the male audience as it equally portrayed the two male characters vividly. It showed the internal machinations of the human empire and also the corruption that ran rampant , especially in the church of the goddess. It also showed the lives of the Demonkind, their struggles and problems too. It also showed the humble beginnings of the Hero Lucas , who was a mere farm boy before being thrusted upon such a heavy responsibility ; As it did show the internal conflicts in the Demonic Royalty and the burdens and expectations which weighed upon the Demon King Abbadon.

            It was because of these reasons that the series had garnered massive popularity. The fact that many people around her in the convention were cosplaying as characters from it was a clear indication of it. As she was gazing around her surroundings, a man approached her. He spoke in a tone of familiarity, as he was familiar with her and said, " Lady Marion ! It's a pleasure to see you here ! Would you like to accompany me to this fair ?! " The man in front of her was dressed in the costume of the Hero Lucas. And it was a good costume too. His hairstyle, clothing and small props like his scarf and the replica of the Sacred sword were pretty detailed too. She could tell that he was just role playing and had no improper intentions. Had it been the past, she would have even humoured such a detailed cosplay and act , but not now. She was waiting for her boyfriend and she wouldn't dare strut around with another man. As such, she would politely decline him.

        However, before she could do that, the heavy sound of approaching footsteps rung through the air. The person approaching them had a very calm pace , as if just strolling in a park. As the person came into view , he  spoke in a voice which had a calm and royal demeanor, yet had a tone of superiority and mocking in it as they said, " Well, what do we have here ? While one cannot fault the fly to be attracted by the fragrance of the beautiful flower, it is still one's duty to squash such a bug for daring to soil such a precious thing, don't you agree, Hero Lucas ? " The person who had arrived was of course, Shido. However, he was dressed in a black clothing which seemed to be made out of leather and had a tie with a precious gemstone embedded at his neck . He also had a black Cape and a small walking cane with a red jewel in his hand. The biggest change however, which would have led to someone unfamiliar with him mistaking him for someone else was the fact that he had now black disheveled hair and red eyes. He had an expression of confidence and regality , sharply contrasting from his usual self. This was because, his cosplay was a perfect match for the appearance of the Demon King, Abbadon.

          The person cosplaying as Lucas , seemed to have sensed his intentions and decided to play along with him and scowled and said, " Demon King, Abbadon. I should have known that you would have showed up here ! Tell me, what nefarious plans have you plotted ?! " Shido , smirked and said," Nefarious, you say ? How amusing that you think that. But no, I'm here for no such thing. I'm here to simply escort my future consort. Surely, a just and valiant Hero like you should have no qualms with that ? "  The man acting the role of Lucas gritted his teeth and said, " Consort ! How dare you lay claim to Lady Marion as if she were some object you vile Tyrant ! "

           At this point, multiple people had gathered around them and were watching intently to the show that was being presented in front of them. Nia herself on the other hand, was blushing and trying her best to keep a straight face. No one told her that she was going to be part of a play ! Shido had just showed up in the Demon King's costume ( And she had to admit, he looked pretty fucking hot in that. Maybe she should make him wear that at night ? No Nia ! Get your mind out of the gutter ! )  Shaking her head to get rid of the inappropriate thoughts , she still had to applaud Shido's acting skills. Sure , he had told her that he was part of the drama club, but he hadn't told her that he was so damn good at it !

           Her thoughts were interrupted, when Shido let out a laugh and said, " Tyrant, you say Hero ?! Under my rule , the people are free of suffering ! I've managed to ensure that humans and demons live together in vicinity ! All the way while your kind slaughter any demons that you end up capturing ! Tell me, O valiant Hero, is that Justice ? " The man on the other side , hung his head down and clenched his fists and said, " Yes , I do agree that several nations of the human empire have committed atrocities. However, we are trying our best to change that ! Various laws are being enforced by the capital for this ! But under you the people are clearly unhappy ! They are trying to revolt against your rule ! " As the man said this , everyone quickly understood that he was starting to give his own spin on the story. Nothing of this sort was yet to be showcased in the story. But given the context clues, it was still within the realm of possibility.

            Of course, Shido not wishing to be outdone, sighed heavily and said, " Of course they do. But they're merely unhappy because it's a demon that is ruling them . But have you truly observed their lives rather than just trusting rumours ? They work in fields and markets alongside the demons. They have fulfilling meals rather than being forced to feed on rats and worms for food ! And then at the end of the day, they scuttle to their burrows to plot how to overthrow the king. I have ensured both the safety and the survival of the people ! What more could they ask for ! " The hero Lucas scowled and said, " Perhaps a king who doesn't act like a tyrant and actually forgives them rather than publicly carrying out their executions ?! " Shido scoffed and said, " It is a necessary sacrifice. Those who disrupt order cannot be allowed to be a part of society. Letting a killer roam free in the hopes that he will repent and not commit a crime once again isn't just foolish, it's a sin in and of itself. Besides, I'd rather have a kingdom which curses its king while sleeping in marble palaces rather than a kingdom which sings the praises of its king while dying on the streets.  "

           Saying this, Shido himself paused momentarily. The heavy and somber tone with which he had spoken the last phrase left an impact on all the listeners. The phrase had arose from the bottom of his heart and for some odd reason, resonated with his being. Regardless, he chose not to pursue it. The man playing as Lucas clenched his fists and said, " Regardless….. of what you say , I can't let you do as you please with Lady Marion ! I won't let you treat her as some trophy or object that you can claim ! " Shido sighed and said, " Sinful isn't the blind man who lacks the sight to see the truth in front of him. However, sinful is the Fool who rejects the truth that is in front of him. And you , Hero Lucas, are a sinner. "

          Seeing his confused expression, Shido smirked and said, " You claim that I'm proclaiming ownership over Marion of my own accord. That my claims over her are baseless and unsubstantiated. But contrary to your acussations , my actions are merely based on evident truths. You see, when I was trapped and poisoned by the hydras of Lifthvar Woods , she placed herself in danger and saved my life ! She had no reason to save me , even though having me dead would certainly have ended the war right there , yet she saved my life ! Do you still fail to see the truth ?! "

        Hero Lucas , while confused and shocked by this, spoke in denial and said," That merely proves how much of a kind soul she is ! That she showed mercy to a Demon King like you ! " Abbadon shook his head while smiling and said, " Truly, humans never cease to amuse me. Regardless, then let me tell you a small secret. She accompanied me on a journey through the demon capital itself. She viewed and enjoyed the sights there and even discreetly met the demon generals. Of course, they had no idea that they were meeting with The Hero Marion. But as she said herself , Marion did enjoy her time with us. I think you Humans did have a word for it ?..... Ah , yes ! I believe that's what you call a ' Date ' , I believe ?...... "

            This part, unlike the one before it was  indeed canon. The Abbadon X Marion shippers really did go crazy after this episode was aired. And of course, it was yet to be revealed to Hero Lucas, even cannonically. As such, the man playing as Lucas fell to the ground on his knees to express his shock. Shido , deciding to still be in character, smirked and walked upto him. He then stood beside Nia and wrapped his hand towards her waist and pulled her towards him and said, " Do you now see ? You never truly did stand a chance against us ! However, I shall show you mercy for my beloved's sake and let you live. Leave now ! "

          While Nia was still blushing a bright red , a silence spread throughout the air for a few moments. However, it was soon replaced by a single noise. The noise of thunderous applause by all the people who had gathered around the two person play. The man playing as Lucas got up and bowed in front of everyone alongside Shido who did the same. He then shook hands with Shido and said in a cheerful tone , " That was one intense play man ! You an actor or something ?! " Shido chuckled and scratched his head sheepishly and said, " Nah . I just was part of the acting club years ago. And I couldn't have pulled it off without your help . " The man smiled and said, " But it was still all you buddy. Besides, where the hell did you get this costume ?! It's so detailed and realistic ! I'll be damned to get my hands on it ! "

         Nia herself was curious about this. No doubt that it was a perfect replica of the dress that Abbadon wore and she wouldn't be surprised if this thing cost like two maybe three months of her salary. She knew how expensive certain costumes could get. But for her , this one was certainly well worth the money ( That and a large part of her mind definitely found Shido hot in this getup and she definitely WANTED to see more of this , as unwilling she was to admit that )  Her thoughts were interrupted when Shido nonchalantly replied to by saying, " Oh that's nothing too great. I'm just proficient at House work and sewing so I just made the costume myself. "  Hearing this, the other man was definitely surprised, as was Nia. However, the crowd on the other hand definitely went crazy. Some wanted to take photos with them while some we're even asking whether he accepted commissions.

        Seeing that if he stayed here he would spend all the time of his date on uselessthings , Shido had an idea. He let out a loud laughter as he quickly shifted to the character of Abbadon once again, much to everyone's surprise. He then said, " It seems that the humans have finally surrounded us, my beloved ! However, even I could have never expected them to be so foolish that they would expect to capture us with so little forces ! " Saying this, he quickly lifted Nia in a bridal carry and proclaimed, " Let us be on our way my love ! " He then quickly jumped over the table of a nearby booth after which he quite literally jumped over the crowd in a single leap, much to everyone's surprise. He did fit the image of a Demon King kidnapping a beautiful princess, with the only difference being that in this case, the princess was elated by this experience……

         After they were at a safe distance in a secluded spot , he let down Nia and let out a sigh of relief. Nia however, wasn't going to let him relax so easily and nearly screamed as she said, " What the hell was that ?! You didn't tell me that you were just going to start a play out of nowhere ! And you said that you were only part of the drama club ! But this is full on theatre level acting ! And you acted out the role of the handsome and alluring Demon King perfectly ! " Shido smirked on hearing this and wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her towards him and whispered in a seductive tone in her ears , " Oh ? Did you truly enjoy my form, my beloved ? I'm certainly elated to find that. Perhaps you would prefer if I dressed up in this manner during our …..bedroom activities ? Would you like that ?..... "  As Nia's face flushed red and she drifted off to her Dreamland, imagining Shido's words , she stayed quiet for a few seconds. However, she quickly returned as she screamed  " Yes Please !! "  Of course, as soon as the realisation of her words hit her, she frantically tried to form any sentences to refute her words but was unable to form any coherent sentences. Seeing this , Shido let out a hearty laugh as he was almost rolling on the ground in bewilderment. It was honestly cute to see Nia all flustered like this.

        Of course, as one would expect, Nia was not pleased by this . She pouted to show her anger but it just made her look even more cuter in Shido's eyes. He finally took control of his emotions and calmed himself. He then turned to Nia and said, " I was just joking, alright ? And to answer your question, I thought that it was the perfect circumstance to show a bit of my acting skills. Besides, what good is a cosplay if you can't play the role of the character ? " Nia sighed and said, " Still , I never expected you to be so ….. good. It was a complete departure from your normal humble and calm personality. You really did fit the role of a regal and proud ruler . And did you dye your hair ?! " Shido smirked and said, " That's what an actor's all about. To make your audience believe something that which you are not. And yes, I used one of those temporary dyes and contacts. I do pride myself on making the costume from scratch however. If you want, I'll see your costume next time. "

           Nia huffed in annoyance but accepted his words in the end. Shido then smiled and said, " But that said, , we should get going. We have so much to explore and so many things to purchase ! I'm going to try to get my hands on those limited edition copies of as many mangas as I can get ! " As Nia herself got excited over his words , both of them hurried towards the different booths. Of course, even while they were busy with their purchases, a lot of people approached them wishing to take photos with them ( though it was mostly girls who were fangirling over Shido ) . Of course, Nia annoyed by this, had to literally drag him away from them. Shido did truly enjoy every minute of that experience. After all, it's not everyday that you get to see your cute girlfriend acting jealous and flustered because of you , now do you ? Still, at the end of the afternoon, both of them did truly enjoy their slightly quirky date…..

                  ---------------X--------------

Location : Nihonmatsu , Fukushima Prefecture

          Shido was currently on a date with Kaguya and Yuzuru in Nihonmatsu city. A fair was organised here, hence their reason for coming here. Like tohka in a buffet, both the sisters charged towards the stalls in a hurry. Both of them were eager , perhaps overeager to prove themselves to Shido , to which he simply sighed. As their argument began to heat up, he decided to step in and stop it.

         Kaguya spoke up and said, " Hmm ! You should accept defeat gracefully in front of my dark powers ! You can never even dream to last against me ! " Yuzuru however, seemingly unbothered by this merely stated, " Retort. Kaguya is lacking in both brains and beauty. " Kaguya angry to hear this , said, " I am beautiful ! I have a slender figure that has managed to attract Shido's attention too ! " Yuzuru snickered on hearing this and said, " Argument. Yuzuru believes that it is pity. Besides, Shiori herself has a bigger chest than you. "

           

         It was at this moment that Shido had enough as he stepped between them and pulled their cheeks and said, " Alright both of you. No fighting. And especially no dragging me in your stupid arguments. " Kaguya gritted her teeth in annoyance but accepted it. Yuzuru however just snickered, failing to control her laugh. Sighing, he grabbed both of their hands and made his way towards one of the stalls.

         Not wanting to give the two sisters another chance for bickering, he said that he himself wished to try the game. It was a basic shooting gallery, where three wooden pins were kept in front of them as targets. Making one pin fall gave them a consolation prize, two and a man prize and make all three fall and they'd get two main prizes. To complete the task, he was handed a seemingly metallic rifle which actually used pressurised air to shoot a bullet made out of a soft cork like material, though it seemed to be artificial in nature. Shido took the bullet in his hands and squeezed it a few times while seemingly engrossed in deep thought.

       He paid no attention to the annoyed expression of the shop keeper and instead loaded the gun with the bullet. He then mumbled something as if he was making some calculations and then pressed the knob on the gun , allowing a desired amount of pressurised air to flow through the chamber. He then took aim with a single hand , as if he was using a handgun rather than a rifle. However, instead of aiming at the target , he was aiming diagonally at the sides of the booth. Before the sisters could voice their concerns however, he pulled the trigger and let the bullet fly through the air. The bullet ricocheted exactly nine times , striking different places at angles like the roof , the shelves and so on until it finally struck the targets , not from the front but rather from the side, making it so that all three targets fell with a single bullet.

      Shido smirked as he saw everyone's wide open mouths. He then grabbed two bracelets which were the prizes from the nearby shelf and then pulled kaguya and Yuzuru alongside him as he had already paid the money. After just a few steps, kaguya left his hand and stood in front of him and asked , " How did you do that ?! That was like one of the scenes in an action movie ?! " Yuzuru too turned to him and asked, " Agreement. How did you accomplish it, Shido ? " Shido, smiled and said, " It's simple. Just a bit of Newtonian physics, some basic calculus , crunching the numbers, taking into account miscellaneous things like wind speed, disbalance of the barrel and required barrel pressure and you can predict an accurate path that the bullet will follow. I chose the most optimum path and followed it so that I was able to take down all three targets in a single shot. Honestly, as long as your calculations are correct and you execute it properly, anyone can do it. " Of course, what Shido had failed to mention was the fact that normally one required something like a research grade computer to create a predictive model for the trajectory of the shot and even still required multiple hours to actually get it right. And despite all this , even if one used a sharp shooter, there was always a chance of missing. Of course, when your mind can crunch numbers better than most supercomputers, these calculations are just a matter of trivial seconds.

           Both kaguya and Yuzuru were amazed to hear this. Kaguya spoke up first as she said, " Who knew that you could use something as stupid as maths like this…. " Yuzuru nodded in agreement to her words. Shido smiled and said, " Use it properly, and anything can be a tool. " Or a weapon. Of course, he kept the last part to himself. After all, when you can throw someone with enough force that their body flies at Mach 10 and explodes subsequently due to the sonic boom, you become well brushed up on using weapons. He still remembered how during the war in Italy, how he decided that he was bored that day so he decided not to use any weapons or magic that day. Instead, he killed the entire army of around thirty thousand people by just throwing them in air at Mach 10 where their bodies exploded and their flesh and blood painted their own allies. But hey, on the plus side, he raided multiple wineries and got a shit ton of wines. So what if he couldn't get drunk ? He still enjoyed the taste of wine and alcohol.

       He then turned to the sisters and asked," There's a zoo nearby. Do you want to go there next ? " Both the sisters were excited to hear this and nodded in confirmation. After that, the three of them went towards the zoo nearby. The different animals there were interesting to see, especially for the twins who had never seen them before. Kaguya found the pandas extremely cute while Yuzuru was enamored with the actions of the seals. However, after a while, Shido came across a signboard and halted in his place. Kaguya, who was confused by this sudden action, read aloud the writing on the board. It read , ' Ebisu Circuit ! Come fulfill your dreams here ! '

           She turned to Shido and inquired," Shido . What is that ? And. What is Ebisu Circuit ? " Shido tried maintaining a calm expression, but was visibly failing to hide his excitement as he said, " Ebisu Circuit is a place where we are allowed to rent cars and try drifting. You've seen drifting in films , right ? Well, here you can do it yourself. As long as you have even a learning license, you can try it. " Yuzuru thought for a while then whispered something into Kaguya's ears. She nodded on hearing that and turned to Shido and said, " Well, if you want we can visit it now. "

       Shido was surprised to hear this as he said, " Eh ? No, wait ! It's our date today ! I can't waste my time on things like this ! We have to - " Yuzuru however, cut him off midway as she said, " Disagreement. Yuzuru believes that you too must enjoy this date along with us. And we too want to experience something new. "  Kaguya spoke up as she said in an excited tone , " Yeah ! I too want to see how drifting feels like ! " Shido thought about it for a while before finally sighing and said, " Alright. It's a good thing I always carry my documents with me . Come on then ! "  Both of them smiled as they followed Shido. They had seen the expectant look in his eyes as he stared at the board. They felt it was wrong for Shido to always sacrifice his desires for their needs. Regardless, they would be happy wherever they went as long as they were beside Shido. Besides, what could possibly go wrong ?

          After filling out the documents and following the procedure, it finally came for them to choose a car for the run. Shido without hesitation chose a heavily modified limited edition Mazda RX-8 Spirit R . While both the yamai sisters were wide eyed on seeing the price to just rent the car , he interrupted them and said, " Yes , I know it's expensive, but I assure you it's well worth it ! Besides, I'm paying it from my own money and since I don't normally make too many personal purchases, I have a lot of money saved up. And I can always take up a few additional part time jobs if required. But even if I have to live on water for the next month I'll do it just to ride this beauty ! "  While both of them were still unwilling to accept it due to the price , they still have a nervous nod to Shido seeing his enthusiasm. And he was right in the fact that he rarely spent money on his own needs. So perhaps it was alright for once to let him splurge a bit.

         As the sisters sat in the back seats and were securing their seatbelts, Shido seated himself on the driver's seat. He then turned back towards them and handed them two large white bags. Seeing their looks of confusion, he said, " It's standard procedure here. Many first time riders or their passengers tend to get nauseous. So for that , we have these puke bags. " The sisters scoffed at him and both of them agreed that they wouldn't need it . Kaguya said, " Shido. We are the Yamai ! We hold dominion over the winds ! Do you truly think we would need something like this ? " Shido apologized and said, " Sorry, I wasn't trying to insult you. It's just standard procedure. If you don't want it , then you can toss them outside afterwards. " Seeing Shido's apologetic look, the sisters felt a bit guilty and held on to their bags much to their reluctance. Shido then smiled and turned to the steering wheel as he had an excited look on his face. As the sound of the roaring engine rung through the air, it was almost ecstasy inducing to Shido. He then pressed the accelerator pedal. And with that, to put it simply ; It All Went To Hell.

          The car accelerated at such speeds that the sisters were literally thrown back into their seats due to inertia. Now this particular model of the car could reach a top speed of 170 mph ( 270 kmph ) but took a respectable 5.7 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph ( 97 kmph ) . Not too bad , but fortunately for Shido and unfortunately for the sisters , this was a modified variant. Because of this, they reached 60 mph speed in just a matter of 3.6 seconds. And this particular variant was also capable of reaching speeds upto 360 kmph due to its modifications, a massive difference from the mere 270 kmph that it's other brethren could provide.

       All these factors resulted in a happy Shido who was smiling with a wide grin plastered on his face while the Yamai's were screaming in the back. Unfortunately for them however, Shido thought that these screams were screams of enjoyment and thrill , like the ones that someone has when sitting on a rollercoaster. But these screams were very well in fact screams of pure unadulterated terror. They were so terrified that they couldn't form coherent sentences and had their vocabularies limited to only screams. And if any of them even thought that the situation couldn't get any worse than this , then it was clearly just their lack of knowledge. After all, you don't just come to the country's most famous DRIFT circuit , and rent an expensive super car just to accelerate it at high speeds. That's just the first part. The second part, or the more fun and important part is of course, The Actual Drifting.

             And drift Shido did. The sisters could swear that they nearly spun in circles in a fixed spot for around eight whole seconds. The next consecutive drifts were not any merciful too. Shido drifted the car with such gusto that the sisters didn't even have the privilege of screaming and instead buried their heads in the bags. And once again, Shido unfortunately thought that the lack of screams meant that they had finally become accustomed to the speeds. And so he did the only logical thing that he could do. He increased the speed. His current speed was around 200 kmph , but he cranked it up to 300 kmph. And boy was he enjoying it. There truly is a difference between drifting at 200 kmph and 300 kmph ! And he had no fears of running into other humans on the track too ! ( Not that he would have really cared about had he been alone, as he would have just applied a few simple spells on the vehicle so that it would simply trample the person in front of it. )

            The ride continued for about half an hour before Shido finally stopped the car. With a happy smile on his face he turned back and said, " Well , that was a bla - "  However, he was quickly cut off in between as he saw the sick faces of both kaguya and Yuzuru. He rushed out of the car and he screamed , " Kaguya ! Yuzuru ! What happened ?! Are you alright ?! No wait, I'll get help ! " Before he could rush however, Yuzuru weakly grabbed his hand after removing her face from the bag and said in a weak and shaky tone , " Shido, if we someday get a car in the future, I'm never even letting you in the front seat….. "  Saying these words , she collapsed and the last thing she heard was Shido's screams …….

            After carrying both the sisters to a nearby medical room , Shido was informed that both of them were fine and had just passed out by the doctor there, Shido breathed a sigh of relief. He stayed beside their bed for until they woke up , which they finally did after four hours. As they woke up, Shido rushed towards them and embraced them . He asked in an afraid tone, " Kaguya ! Yuzuru ! Are you fine now ?! Are you okay ?! Should I call the doctor ?! Sho- "  He was interrupted by Yuzuru as she said , " We're fine, Shido . Don't worry about it too much. We just had a bit of nausea because we were not used to the speeds. "

          Shido hung his head and said in a depressed tone , " How can I not worry ? I didn't pay attention and ended up hurting you guys. I was too engrossed in my own happiness that I didn't pay attention to your pain….. "  Kaguya shook her head and placed her hand on Shido's shoulder and said, " No Shido. You didn't hurt us. You never will. Were we caught off guard ? Yes. Did we feel like we were definitely going to die ? Yes . But it wasn't your fault. You don't blame the manager of an attraction ride just because you were unable to handle it. The same is in your case. So cheer up, okay ? "

          Shido let out a sigh and said, " You guys are too kind…… Fine ….. "  Kaguya smiled and said, " Still, warn us next time, okay ? And please take it easy…. " Shido raised his brow and said, " This was me going easy. If I went full throttle, I could have easily drifted at speeds nearing 400 kmph. I didn't do that because that would have run the risk of damaging the car. Not exactly something I'd want to do with a rented car… "

           Both of them had their eyes wide open with surprise. However, they couldn't help but sigh as they were at least grateful that Shido held back. They had seen his sword training sessions and they knew, bad things happen when Shido didn't hold back, either for his own self or for others. Their attention was suddenly drawn to Shido as he fake coughed and scratched his head and asked nervously, " So aside from the driving part , did you atleast enjoy the rest of the date ? I'm really sorry about this…… "  Yuzuru sighed and walked towards him. She then cupped his cheeks and lifted his face and said in a gentle tone, " Admittance. Both kaguya and I enjoyed this date. For us , every second with you is precious. And both of us will forever treasure the memories of today's date. How we squabbled among ourselves, how you acted cool and got us those prizes and of course, how in the end you gave us a heart attack.  But yes , we will always treasure the memories. " Shido's eyes softened on hearing these words as he embraced both of them in a hug. He truly didn't deserve such  understanding and kind girlfriends……

               

                  ---------------X--------------

Time : MidnightLocation : The Head Office, AST Headquarters

( AN : The following part is going to get quite messed up, so a fair warning. It probably is the most messed up thing I've ever written, but I guess that's it. I did put up a warning. Don't worry, it's nothing too graphic, but there is a LOT of violence. )

            Ryouma was currently seated in his chair. He was going through the files , pondering over what to do about the issue of the missing spirits. The organisation, Ratatoskr had proved to be a bigger menace than what he could have ever expected. He sighed to himself as he leaned back in his chair. He was drawn to attention when his wife Osako entered the room carrying two coffee mugs. She handed him one of the mugs and asked, " Still worrying about Ratatoskr ? "  He took a sip of the coffee and said, " Yeah. Both of us have spent countless hours trying to analyze the data but we're empty handed. Just what sort of magecraft are they using to hide the spirits ? "

          Osako sighed and stood behind her husband's chair. She then leaned forward and hugged him from behind, letting her head rest on his shoulder. She then said, " Relax. We'll figure something. Just like we always have. " She was interrupted however when she heard the sound of the door being opened. She quickly stepped back as she heard a familiar voice saying, " Geez. Atleast get a room , both of you. " Standing in front of them , was their daughter , Haru.

        Ryouma smirked and said, " Getting awfully cheeky, aren't ya brat ? " Hearing this, Haru too smirked back and struck out her tongue playfully and said, " Well , I did learn from the best. Isn't that right Mr Takeshi Ryouma  ? "  Hearing this, both the father - daughter duo along with the mother burst into laughter. Ryouma may not always have time for his daughter due to his work , but he always kept a close relationship with her. He was confident that he had raised her well enough that she was far from a typical spoilt brat and was a well mannered girl. He just hoped that she wouldn't be taken advantage of some delinquent boy in the future.

         The moment of tranquility didn't last long however, as his attention was suddenly drawn to the other side of the room where he heard the sound of cutlery striking against crockery. As he turned to the source, he saw a blue haired boy sitting calmly on a chair eating cake while having a joyful grin plastered on his face, as if relishing the taste. While he was alarmed by this, he quickly found out that he couldn't move nor speak. Glancing sideways, he found that both his wife and daughter were in the same situation.

          The boy got up and said while still eating the cake, " Good day, everyone. I'm Rhadamanthus. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Would you like some cake ? It's red velvet.  My favourite. No ? Okay . " As he walked back towards the seat and sat down and said nonchalantly, " Oh, yeah. You can speak once again. " With a snap of his fingers, Ryouma found that he could speak and move once again. While he was disturbed, he was still desperately trying to formulate a plan to deal with the threat in front of him. His daughter however, wasn't that level headed. She immediately began to scream loudly," Security ! There's an intruder here ! Security ! "

         The boy however, wasn't panicking in the slightest as he continued to eat the cake with his fork, savouring every bite. He then turned to them and said, " Oh yeah, no use screaming. I've already set up an array outside, so it'll prevent noise from going out. I guess it has become standard procedure with the number of times I've done it. Besides, even if there wasn't an array, no one was going to come to your help considering that everyone on the top three floors including this and the security room is dead. The doppelgangers of their bodies I've created will prevent any further suspicions from arising. So by all means, scream as loudly as you want. "

             As he realised the implications of the boy's words, he understood that he was in a losing position. And given his confidence and lack of worry, it most certainly wasn't a mere bluff.  So he decided to at least try to reason with the boy in front of him. He spoke up and said, " May I ask who you are ? " The boy smiled and said, " As I already introduced myself, I am Rhadamanthus. I'm currently allied with Ratatoskr and the spirits that you were hunting are actually the women that I love. "

          Ryouma stayed silent for a few moments before finally replying in a calm tone, " So you're here for revenge ? To kill us ? " Shido smiled and said, " I'm glad you figured that out on your own ! Now I don't have to explain to you my motivations, why I'm doing it or how much I hate you ! How wonderful ! " Osako however screamed in a fearful tone , " Kill us if you want, but please let our daughter go ! You're a Magus , right ?! Then you can just erase her memories of coming here and no one will have found out about your identity ! Please, let her live… I beg you…   ! "

             Shido shrugged and said, " Of course I can. Memory manipulation is one of the most rudimentary spells in my arsenal. " Hearing this, Osaka had a smile of relief on her face. However, that smile soon turned to an expression of horror as she gazed at Rhadamanthus. He had a maniacal grin on his face as he said, " But pray tell me, why should I ? Besides, the sins of the parent carry on to the child. So why should I spare her ?! " Osako fell on her knees , weeping as she understood that there was no chance of survival for her daughter.

             Seeing this, Rhadamanthus had a smirk on his face as he loudly said," However ! I am a kind person. So , I'm willing to make a compromise. " Saying this, he placed a gun on the desk in front of Ryouma. He smiled and said, " First, let me explain to you the nature of your current predicament. I'm not using magic to restrain you , but rather I'm using my control over my own body. You see, members of my bloodline can freely manipulate our blood and even create puppet bodies for ourselves. Our cells are more than capable of assimilating and mimicking other cells. As such, without you even finding out, my cells have infiltrated your body and replaced you on a cellular level. Of course, your body's current cells have your DNA but it's just cells that are mine and I can easily change it as per my convinience into someone or something else. As long as I keep your soul trapped inside the shell that you call your body, your nothing more than a puppet for me. You can't scream, you can't even express your thoughts to someone else of I don't allow it , because I have control over every cell of your body . From the neurons that form your brain to the nephrons in your kidneys, I control all of them. And I can even control the hormones that your body produces. Combine that with my control over your brain, I can even evoke certain emotions within you, even if you're unwilling. For example, I can make you fall in love with your own image like Narcissus . Regardless,  as you can see, It doesn't take a genius to figure out that I have more ways to torture you or your DAUGHTER than you can ever imagine. And trust me, I can have some pretty creative ways with my torture. "

          Ryouma tightened his fists in anger but tried to remain calm. He then looked at Rhadamanthus and said, " What are you trying to imply ? " Shido grinned, with the grin stretching unnaturally across his face till the corner of his ears like a Cheshire cat as he returned to normal quickly in a moment and said, " Why it's simple. Take the gun and kill your daughter ! I guarantee you it'll save her from a large portion of the torture. Not only that, I'll even throw in a freebie since I'm so kind and make it so that she won't feel any pain due to the bullet wound and will die in an instant. "

         Ryouma was horrified to hear this. However, the worst part was, he agreed with it. Rhadamanthus grinned once again and said,  " You know that it's the only choice and the logical choice. It is because of your deeds that your daughter has to die at such a young age. At the very least as her father , don't you think you have a responsibility to make her death painless ? " Ryouma knew what he had to do. However, that didn't make it any easier. With a heavy heart , he picked up the gun and aimed it at Haru's head. His vision was blurry due to the tears that streamed down his face. He could still hear the cries and wails of his wife. As the gun was placed near Haru's head, he could see that she was faintly smiling. Whether she was doing it on her own to ease his guilt or it was Rhadamanthus doing it, he didn't know.  He said in a silent tone , barely audible , " I'm sorry. I'm sorry….   " Saying this, he pulled the trigger.

           The sound of the gunshot echoed through the air as Haru's body fell limply on the floor. Blood didn't flow out of the wound . However, her lifeless eyes were more than enough indication of her death. As he fell to his knees Rhadamanthus nodded his head in satisfaction. He then clapped his hands to gain their attention and said, " Ladies and Gentlemen, please may I have a moment of attention here ? As you can see, the body has ceased brain activity. However, due to my preparations, the soul hasn't yet departed to the collective unconscious. It's still inside the shell. "

              He then extended his hand in front of him as blood began to coalesce in his palm. Soon , the blood began to increase in volume after which it took the shape of an object as it solidified. The object was a lantern, like the old school ones you'd find with metallic wire like handles on top. The only difference was that the lantern was made out of solidified blood, which made it look as if it was made of ruby. In place of the glass, semi transparent red film existed, giving it the appearance of tinted glass. Rhadamanthus began speaking again as he said, " As you can see, in my hand is a special invention of mine. Patent still pending ! It's a lantern which houses a small high grade spirit stone at the base. And in this lantern is engraved a special array formation of mine. It's a rather simple yet effective tier three soul entrapment array. "

         He then bent down towards Haru's corpse. As he extended his hand, strange wisps emerged from the corpse. He then guided the wisp towards the lantern. He snapped the fingers of his other hand as a small black flame danced on his fingers. The flame was as small as a lighter flame yet it managed to instill a sense of dread in Ryouma. Rhadamanthus grinned and turned towards Ryouma and said, " As you can see, my hand is what's called an essence flame. It's one of the cosmos's strongest things with the Law of Fire. It's strength even surpasses the flames created by the Divine Authority of Gods. Not only that, it is very well capable of burning souls too. Of course, a large amount of mana or Qi is required in proportion to the strength of the soul being burned , for example a larger amount of energy being required to burn the soul of a god as compared to burning the soul of a human. Of course, I can even choose how quickly the soul burns. I can end the whole ordeal in an instant, or drag the whole process for hours. "

         After saying this, he pushed the flame on the small wisp in the lantern. The wisp began to rapidly flutter, as if it was in pain. Ryouma's eyes widened with horror as he finally understood the situation. Seeing this, Rhadamanthus grinned once again. Ryouma screamed loudly , " YOU BASTARD ! DAMN YOU ! DAMN YOU TO HELL ! "  Of course, his legs refused to move. He was helpless as he watched the monster on front of him burn and torture his daughter's soul. Rhadamanthus spoke in a cheerful tone and said, " Now , now , don't worry too much. Your daughter's soul isn't going to disappear anytime soon. The array formation underneath the lantern utilizes the Law of Life , and as such it'll keep healing the soul. So your daughter's soul will probably be burning for about the next couple thousand years. And don't give me that look ! I am a honest man ! I followed the terms of our agreement to the letter ! I didn't cause her any physical pain ! It was your stupidity that you failed to take torture of the soul into consideration. It wasn't my fault that you suck at negotiations, now is it ? "

         

         Ryouma gritted his teeth in anger and screamed, " GO TO HELL AND ROT THERE YOU SON OF A BITCH ! " Rhadamanthus shrugged and said, " Well yeah, I am planning to go there , but I'll be a while. After all, I'm a Demon God. And Don't worry, as I've heard a my life , there IS indeed a special place in Hell for me. It's a temple, but it's more like a palace.  And as for the last part, sorry but I don't really remember my parents from past life, so I can't really comment on that.  " As Ryouma and Osako kept staring at him in anger, Rhadamanthus merely stepped beside the body of Haru.

          He then smiled and said, " But we're getting off track here. What , you really thought your torture was going to end so easily ? " As Rhadamanthus snapped his fingers, Haru's corpse began to rise up on its own. Not only that, due to the mimicking of the facial expressions, it seemed as if she had even come back to life. As Haru's body stood up straight, Ryouma began to feel a sense of unease, as if a premonition as if something terrible was about to happen.

         Rhadamanthus then turned to him and said, " Well, what you're seeing in front of you isn't actually your daughter, but rather just her body which is being controlled by me. She can mimic her expressions, her mannerisms and even habits perfectly, but she'll be slightly less communicative due to her being essentially what amounts to a slightly fancier version of the voice assistant on your mobile phone. She'll go to college, hang out with her friend's and they won't even realize that they're actually sitting next to a dead body ! Besides, because these are essentially my cells , her body's not going to rot anytime soon. But we have wasted enough time. It's getting rather late now, isn't it ? You and your wife haven't had your dinner yet, haven't you ? Here , let me help you. "

           Saying this, Rhadamanthus once again snapped his fingers. Both Ryouma and Osako immediately fell on their knees clutching their stomachs in pain. Their bodies began to tremble as they felt a sensation overwhelming their entire body ; Hunger. His thoughts began to get clouded as he was losing his rationality. The only thing that was on his mind was ," That he was Hungry.  He had to get Food. " He then looked at his daughter in front of him. Immediately, once again the strange sensation enveloped him. Like a man who was dying of thirst was thrown in a pool of water, he felt the same. A small shred of rationality in his mind was telling it it was wrong , but it didn't matter.

         Like a feral beast both he and his wife tackled their daughter's body to the ground. Both of them began to tear out chunks of her flesh with their teeth and began to greedily devour it, not even bothering to chew the flesh. Both of them kept consuming the chunks of flesh from their daughter while her body twitched and writhed as if it were still alive. Their mouths kept on crunching the bones too , trying their best to satiate the Hunger. But the Hunger refused to leave. The Hunger kept returning, the flesh kept growing. No matter how much flesh they ate, the flesh on their daughter's body kept regrowing. Like Crack Addicts whose desires were never fulfilled no matter how much they consumed, both of them were no different.

           On the other side, Shido was sitting on an office chair, spinning it gleefully while smiling as he played a calm music on his violin. After all, any good Family Dinner must be accompanied by good music, shouldn't it ? He then began speaking, while still continuing to play the Violin as he said," Enjoying the meal , Mr Ryouma ? I went through special trouble to prepare it for you, you know ? "  Seeing that there was no response as both the husband and wife were busy with their meal, he continued speaking and said, " Oh well. I wasn't expecting you to reply anyway considering that you're too busy with your Hunger. But I'll still continue speaking considering that I kinda feel weird of I don't monologue during my torture sessions. Still, this is a far cry from what I used to do back in the days. I used to even give live performances with high ranking government officials as countless people watched the whole session ! Ah, the good old days ! Well , nostalgia aside, if you're wondering about your current situation, not that I expect you to , let me explain. I haven't actually mind controlled you to attack your daughter or anything. I would never do something so inelegant ! Rather , what I have done is essentially crank up your Hunger craving in your brains to maximum. Alongside that , I tweaked around with your brain so that it now associates your daughter with delicious food. And I Do Mean Delicious. Every bite of flesh from her body will make you feel Heavenly satisfaction as if it were a delicacy. I even strengthened your jaws and teeth so that both of you could eat more easily. And don't worry, this isn't a one time deal. From now on, everyday your daughter will return home at night and the Hunger cravings will be experienced by both you and your wife. Your daughter's body will keep regenerating , so don't worry about anyone finding out. Ah , such a great family bonding time Dinner will be from now on ! "

             Rhadamanthus continued to happily play the violin as he watched the family. How fitting. History truly does repeat itself. When the polluters and Gaia cursed the world so that no plant life was possible, the world was thrown into turmoil. The animals too began to die out soon due to lack of plants. As the world began to face the calamity of starvation, humans did something that at the time he could not even dream of. They began to gather and imprison the cultivators to use them like cattle. The main difference between a cultivator and a normal human was the fact that both Magi and Warriors were capable of regeneration ( Though warriors were much better and faster than Magi at it. ) This meant that given enough time, the cultivator could produce near infinite flesh as long as the limbs were left intact. As long as the cultivator could draw mana or Qi from their surroundings, they were essentially an infinite flesh producing machine. Flesh that was nutritive. Flesh that could be consumed by the masses. That's right. Humanity had resorted to cannibalism to ensure its survival. The cultivators were rounded up like cattle and had were imprisoned in ' Flesh Farms ' where flesh would be taken out of their bodies and  then left for a while until it regenerated again, not too different from what is done with sheep and their wool. And while the cultivators did try to resist initially, against the threat of nuclear weapons and standing armies of billions and the entire world against them , they had to surrender in the end…...

       

                This was what Humanity was at the end of the day. A disgusting , filthy existence that would do anything to ensure its own survival. The goddesses, His Family sacrificed their lives for saving the Humanity and this was how they repaid their debt ! By declaring them as threats and trying to imprison and torture them !  And the root of all the problems was the AST ! The ones who had passionately and diligently hunted his family for decades. How could he let the head of this organisation so easily ! Besides ,he was a human. That alone was enough reason for him to squash him like the filthy vermin that they are. Regardless, This was the same thing that humans did in the past. He was just accelerating the process. What was wrong with that ?

   

        As he snapped out of his thoughts, he thought that it was enough considering that half an hour had passed. With a snap of his fingers, the cravings of both the husband and wife stopped. The daughter's body regenerated once again in an instant and the stains on their clothes disappeared quickly. He smiled and said, " Well , Dinner's over. Now since it's late , I think you should head home. Don't worry, I've already made arrangements . And you don't need to worry about your job from now on, considering that the AST will have….. an early retirement I suppose. Don't worry, I've already made arrangements for a clerical job for you and a coffee shop barista for your wife. Besides, you guys will probably save a lot of money considering that your FOOD costs are now going to be covered for the rest of your life. "

           As the four of them made their way towards the parking lot where a car was already waiting for them , neither Ryouma nor Osako spoke a word. Perhaps they were too traumatized by the ordeal ? Eh , who cares ? They're going to do it for the rest of their lives, so they better get used to it quickly. As the car made off into the distance, Rhadamanthus even waved them goodbye. From an outsider's perspective, it would even seem as if he was a faithful butler or a chauffeur, but it was just his twisted sense of humour at work.

            He then made his way into the main lobby of the building. Due to the inscribed Presence Concealment Runes , no one noticed him even when he took out a chair and sat in the middle of the lobby. Ingniting a single essence flame in his palm, he let it dance there for a minute. After that, he flicked his hand . And with that, Everything Burned. The flames consumed the entire building in a single instant. The top floors of a building caught fire at the same time as the basement. Metal didn't just melt but quite literally evaporated into nothingness. The people in the building weren't any fortunate too, as their bodies were turned to ashes before they could even comprehend what had happened.

            However, an easy Death was the last thing that Rhadamanthus was going to give to any member of AST. And while their bodies had burned , their souls were still intact. Rhadamanthus had specifically controlled the flames in such a manner that instead of being destroyed in an instant, it would take hours for the souls to be finally destroyed and be released from the torment. Of course, he had plenty of time today. So he was going to keep them company. Around the chair on which he sat , a boundary of space without fire existed. He took out a large skewer from his storage and put several marshmallows on it. He then placed them in the fire . Rhadamanthus thought that it was boring for a campfire to be without music. So at least some music was necessary. Suddenly, he clapped his hands in excitement as he decided his choice of song. He then summoned multiple clones , each armed with a music instrument in hand. This was his personal Band, ' Danse Macabre ' . They were useful for not just taunting your enemy, but also helped to pass time and starve off boredom.

         As the clones began to play the instruments, Rhadamanthus too began to sing.

Beata MariaYou know I am a righteous manOf my virtue I am justly proud

Beata MariaYou know I'm so much purer thanThe common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd

           

           Rhadamanthus kept singing as the souls around him writhed and cried out in agony. Yet Rhadamanthus paid no heed to them. And he knew that he was far from a ' Virtuous Man ' . But that was precisely the reason he found it humorous because of the irony. Ah, who would have expected a song from an animated movie to be sung in another dimension surrounded by burning souls ? Truly, Fate is a mysterious thing.

And with that, the chapter is finally done ! Sorry for the delay, but once again college has been Hell. But as you may have read, now you know why Shido is disgusted by humans so much. The humans in the past literally resorted to cannibalism for survival. Because of this, Shido thought it would make for a fun torture. And as I have already said before, and I'll say it again. RHADAMANTHUS IS NOT A GOOD PERSON.  He isn't meant to be. He's meant to be a genocidal paranoid maniac who'll stop at nothing to protect his family. That's what he is. And I know the last part of the chapter may have made you uncomfortable, but I'm sorry but that's just the kind of story I'm trying to establish. Sorry for any discomfort. But that aside, as you may have noticed, Rhadamanthus is still having faint memories of a promise. The woman in his dreams will play an important role in the story, but it's going to be a while before she makes an appearance. But I'll drop a hint. She's not from the Date a Live universe. Second hint , about her name, is this : 「 」. Yup.  That's it. Of course, I'm sure that some enthusiast from that franchise must have already understood the true identity of the woman, but try not to spoil it for others. Of course, she has been indirectly mentioned before, and to be fair , she's pretty fucking op. Still, as I said, it'll take a while before she appears.

Once again, feel free to ask any questions or put up any suggestions for improvement.

Word count : 10935 words