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Rin Setsua sighed softly as he stabbed the Nimble Dragon Sword into the ground before him, then sat down before it. Much had happened lately—much of it exciting—but he knew that he needed to take a moment for this before throwing himself back into the thrill of it all.
“Good grief…first, Setsu Mushou, now you. It seems I must continue to unburden myself to swords marking the graves of my favorite toys.”
He leaned back and took a reflective draw on his pipe.
“I meant it, you know. The memories I have with you are some of my most cherished ones. As I remarked to Mushou shortly before we found your Void Junction, I’ve found of late that enjoyable prey has grown vanishingly rare. Perhaps that is Shou-dono’s fault—it seems that Seiyuu is a twisted place. Their villains, it seems, all possess noble souls that cry out for redemption, while their sanctioned officials are so shameless that they lack any pride to even steal.” He shook his head morosely. “Even their emperor—their greatest villain of all!—is so straightforward as to be somehow boring. Prince Anki may not be a compelling target, but he at least manages to be entertaining.”
The Enigmatic Gale smoked in silence for a few moments, an unreadable expression on his face as he studied the sword before him.
“It’s strange, really. I didn’t want to kill you, but not in the same way as Mushou. With Mushou, not killing him was part of our game. Killing you felt like a waste. I really did expect that you might…”
Alone with the curling smoke, the white-haired man allowed his words to trail off into silence once more, his crimson eyes boring into the hilt of the Nimble Dragon Sword. Finally, he rose to his feet, dusted off his knees, and turned away.
“Well, then, if you have nothing to contribute to the conversation, I suppose I should deliver this to Shou-dono so that it can be added to the Index.”
”W-Wait!” A grin passed over his face like a thunderbolt, but his expression was already placid once more by the time he’d turned around.
“Oho~ Whose voice might this be?”
”Enough of your games, Enigmatic Gale. How did you know?” An eerie light played around the sword’s hilt in time with the disembodied voice.
“Oh, it was simple enough. I caught a faint gleam of light out of the corner of my eye as I struck that final blow. Once I stopped to think, it was easy enough to surmise. I recall overhearing once that concepts like death do not apply to demon gods, and you had just started down that path. Shortly before we dealt with Shou Kunrin, you gloated so readily about the magic she used to curse her blood—and you are, as I said once before, too thoroughly a coward to engage with such odds without any other way out. Doubtless, your sister taught you her technique, and here we now are.”
”Once again, it seems, I’ve underestimated you.”
He waved his pipe dismissively. “Oh, not at all. If anything, in this circumstance, I should say you are the one who got the better of me. True, I may have pieced together your scheme in hindsight, as you did when you saw I Hyoubyou’s corpse upon that slab. But, as with you in that case, the web that I have unraveled is one that I failed to see before becoming ensnared in it.”
The otherworldly light played uncertainly around the sword. ”Flattery in preparation for another one of your tricks, I suppose.”
With a chuckle he shook his head. “Not at all. It is simply that I have, of late, suffered so many frustrations that it is almost refreshing to admit to a clean, simple defeat. I failed to predict and prepare for this outcome, even though I knew all the crucial pieces of information going into our little confrontation. Has it not been said that victory in battles of heretical magic is a matter of exploiting weaknesses and creating openings? By such a measure, you would be the winner here.”
”A cold sort of victory, that leaves one dead and at the mercy of one’s greatest adversary. Well, then, what do you plan to do with me?”
“Mm. Your sister’s charm magic, I understand, is something she possessed independently of her existence as the Seven Blasphemous Deaths, so your new incarnation likely lacks that troublesome quality. But one cannot neglect the possibility that you might find some way to wield necromantic powers of some kind from in there. Perhaps the best thing would be to hand you over to the Seal Guardians—no doubt they can purify the blade.”
”Don’t think you can intimidate me so easily. You already have a scheme in mind.”
Closing his eyes, he heaved a sigh. “I truly expected you to join my side this time. To restore the dignity of demonkind.”
”And?” The light swirled impatiently.
“That offer is still open.” He shrugged, as if it was a simple matter to declare such a thing.
The sword practically vibrated with sudden fury. ”You dare—? After all you have put me through, all the indignity, to turn and demand that I serve under you?”
“Not under me, but I suppose ‘serve’ would be the correct word.”
”How would you have me serve, then?” For all her bluster, the demon’s voice had a hint of uncertainty, a quaver of curiosity.
Covering his face with a hand, he looked at the sword through the gaps between his fingers. “Serve, O Night’s Lament, as my conscience.”
A moment of silence passed between the two, then the sword burst into a riot of light and a shrill, witch’s cackle. ”Foolish! Truly, in every regard, you humans are—“ She cut herself off abruptly.
“That’s just it, isn’t it?” he put in with a gesture of helplessness. “I am, and I am not. A human body, born of a human mother, but the soul reincarnated in this body is nothing more than the worst qualities once possessed by the Demon King.” He tapped his pipe against the side of his head. “I lack the instincts of a true demon. Perhaps you are right to be afraid that I might bring about even worse indignities for your people—but this would be your opportunity to avert that.”
”You seek to embrace that aspect, then? To walk the demon’s path?” Her voice was hesitant, as if looking for the trap that had surely been laid.
“Not necessarily.” He took another draw on his pipe. “But I have, out of necessity, already learned to perform a mimicry of a human conscience, even if I find it dull. And, if that’s the path I end up choosing, you’d have opportunities to tease me and tempt me into sowing demonic chaos among humans.”
”Why?”
“Mm? Is that not what demons enjoy doing?”
”Why are you making the offer, I mean? Why should I take it?” The lights flickered around the sword, as if agitated by paranoia.
“Ah, is that not obvious? It’s love.”
”W-what are you saying now?”
He chuckled and pointed his pipe at the sword. “Oh, come now, Keigai. Did you not once find yourself sculpting your macabre doll of the ideal man into my form? When you thought that you had me wholly bewitched, did you not have that man massage your bare skin? And, when I first voiced uncertainty as to whether I might have demonic origins, did your tone with me not suddenly change? As if, suddenly, something might have become acceptable?”
”I don’t—you dare—“
“As for myself,” he continued, cocking his head, “it’s hard to say. I really have thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve spent with you, in all its capacities. At a certain point, I think, seeing the rage and frustration on your face went from ‘exciting’ to ‘comforting’. True, not how humans would normally describe love, but, if Azibelpher’s actions are those of a loving parent, perhaps love is simply different for those with demonic souls.”
”…you’re lying.” There was a slight quaver of fear to her voice.
“Me? Lying? Perish the thought!”
”Rin Setsua, I have seen you tell an impressive number of lies in the time that we have known one another. No doubt more than I realize, even now. I cannot always tell when you are lying, but I can recognize some of them. If you want me to debase myself and submit to you, then you must submit yourself and, for once, tell the truth that you so struggle against.”
He shifted uncomfortably, the way he usually did when one of his schemes came perilously close to ending the world. An odd thing to be any sort of usual for a man, to be sure.
“You were beautiful,” he said softly. “With the insignias, you were more beautiful than anyone I had ever seen. And I realized that you had always been one of my favorite toys. A toy that I don’t want to lose and that I don’t want to share.” He looked away and tightened a fist. “And that I don’t want to break. You and Mushou were delicious. Satisfying. Comfortable. Since he died, you have been the only one that I can tease and feel such a bond with. Ever since Betsu Tengai denied me my victory, I have found true satisfaction nowhere.”
”…and what of Shou Fukan and Rou Fuyou? Even the Seal Guardians, it seems, have come to tolerate your presence.”
“Oh, they are pleasant enough as allies, and they’ll even let me get away with a degree of mockery. But they are hardly twisted enough for me to comfortably be my true self around them.” He half turned away and pointed back at the sword with his pipe. “So, Night’s Lament, tell me: am I lying now?”
”W-well, leaving your demented tastes aside, it is all very well to ask such a thing of me, but what do I gain from agreeing?”
“Hoh~ So, you find it easier not to answer me? Well, then, I suppose I must answer you.” He closed his eyes and drew deeply on the pipe. “I think we must both acknowledge the possibility that I do not survive the days to come, given all that has happened and all that is yet to happen. So, then, if you agree to serve as my conscience, I will cut myself with your blade and allow you to curse my blood, as well. Let your heretical magic ensure that, if I fall, my soul is also drawn into the Nimble Dragon Sword, for you to dominate and torment to your heart’s content.”
”You would submit yourself to me so readily?” She was unable to keep the note of excitement from her voice.
“Oh, not at all. I expect we should wrestle for dominance, as demons are wont to do. But, Keigai, you are a skilled necromancer and a master of the magic that manipulates the soul. I, by contrast, have little proficiency in such areas, and am nothing more than a malformed fragment of another’s soul. Whether or not I submitted, it hardly seems unlikely that you should have the advantage over me in our afterlife within the blade.”
”I see. And if you should unfortunately survive? What will you do then?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Why, do you not already know the answer?” He strode forward and caressed the hilt of the sword, a cruel smile on his lips. “Should I survive, what else could I do but carve a bloody path of destruction across the world with my beloved princess?”
The light flickered nervously beneath his hand, but he only managed to maintain his composure for a few moments before chuckling in his more usual fashion. “Is that what you expected me to say? Rest assured, I have no intention of ending up like that rabid dog of a man.”
”O-of course. Then what is your answer, Enigmatic Gale? What price would you offer me in lieu of ownership of your soul?”
“Mm. Well, speaking of that time you tried to make a doll out of dead men, only for it to resemble me, I cannot help but think that the aftermath of such a bloody conflict would have no shortage of readily-available supplies. Perhaps a similar project could be embarked upon.”
The lights surrounding the sword flared angrily. ”And so we return to your mockery, Enigmatic Gale. I will not stand for—“
“You misunderstand me, O beauty of the Night’s Lament. If my aim is to topple one brainless vessel that happens to share my face, I should hardly follow it up by constructing a second with my own hands. But, judging from the roles played by yourself and your sister in the last War of Fading Dusk, there’s no reason to believe there would be a shortage of demonic parts that could be used in constructing a body for the perfect woman.”
”Y-you don’t mean…”
“You’ve already shown some facility at transferring a demonic soul from within a Divine Weapon into an empty vessel. And, come to think of it, some of those demonic nobles have likely not yet started to decompose. We could build a truly wondrous doll, indeed. Perhaps even one fit for a Demon Queen.”
”…this is another one of your tricks.” But there was no certainty in her voice.
“Perhaps. But can you afford to pass up the possibility that it isn’t? And, if it is, can you pass up the opportunity to take advantage of future mistakes I might make?”
”Hmph. Have it your way, then, Rin Setsua. I, Keigai, will serve as your conscience, to guide you on your path of chaos.”
“Wonderful!” With a single, fluid motion, he drew the blade from the ground and flourished it, the light of its hilt gleaming as he pointed the sword heavenwards. “Curse my blood, then, that you might convey your advice to me without your voice being heard by others and that you might claim my soul when it is rightfully yours. And, then, there is an errand that must be run.”
”What errand is this?”
“Well, my dear Keigai, in the event that I should survive, there is only one head beautiful enough for our doll. I happen to know that it’s still warm, and I’d hate for the Kankou to get to it before us.”