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The world had been plunged into an all-encompassing darkness. With the darkness came silence, and with the silence came room for chaotic thought. 

The Great Fallen Angel Satan’s protections were powerful, and Asselin would never beseech his Lord’s name for as long as his existence continued, however, a confession had been drawn from him amidst the silence: There were certain forces in this world that not even the almighty Satan could protect him from. Nay, Satan’s protective seal on his soul had been broken, and as such, his loyal servant had been left defenceless as the titan’s chariot had approached, laden with a killing intent that had struck him down for all to bear witness to. 

It was such an ill-fitting end for Satan’s most faithful servant. However, this ending had leastways led him back to the darkness he had first been born from, and it was with his head held high that Asselin could declare that he had finally returned to his destined place in the underworld, where he would continue to serve by Satan’s side. 

Or at least, things would’ve been easier if that had been the case. The reality was much, much more baffling. 

As light had filled his vision, Asselin had found the empty silence withering away, replaced with the faint call of distant birds. As he slowly sat himself up, the scenery before his very eyes uncloaked itself, revealing the strange reality he now found himself in. He was sitting in what he could only assume was a clearing of some sort in the midst of a most disturbing forest, for strange-looking flowers and small, luminescent mushrooms sprouted from near enough every last patch of the earth, and surrounding him were rows upon rows of trees in various strange shapes, lined with a variety of leaves of differing colours, some of which couldn’t have possibly been natural. All around him, wherever he looked, he was met with the sight of something that felt somewhat…wrong.  

But it wasn’t just his surroundings that had Asselin confused. As he looked down upon his own material form, a sense of disturbance came over him as he made another new discovery: the garments that he had been wearing prior had suddenly been transformed. In place of his usual clothes, black robes laced with purple and red adorned his person, a long, flowing cape that had been torn in places, as if it had been seen many a fierce battle, lined his back, and sitting atop his head was a blackened crown that appeared to have been made from sharpened, thick thorns. 

As Asselin ran his hands over his newfound vestments, searching for any explanation as to how this transformation had occurred, he found the tips of his fingertips touching something familiar that perched on his shoulder. He turned to face the familiar feeling, and for a moment a sense of relief came over Asselin as he realised what, or rather who, it was. Sat in his usual spot upon Asselin’s right shoulder was Satan, who had somehow accompanied his faithful servant to this strange land. Of course, crossing over into the abyss wouldn’t even count as child’s play for Satan, so it was no surprise to Asselin that he, too, was here in this strange place. What was a surprise, however, was that Satan’s own garments had also undergone an unexplained metamorphosis. In addition to the ruffles of black and gold that lined Satan’s neck akin to a collar, a small, black cape decorated in silver jewels covered most of his body, and the silver earring he wore on his right horn, usually adorned with a small, dagger-like pendant, had suddenly changed in appearance. Now, the pendant was jagged and looked much sharper than before, like a pristine blade that had been wielded many times before in glorious combat. Standing out the most, however, was the violet gemstone that linked the pieces of the earring together; it pulsated with a faint light that immediately caught Asselin’s attention. His third eye had suffered catastrophic damage during his unknown journey to this otherworldly place, but he knew that once he had regained his power he would be able to deduce the exact nature of the magic contained within that light. 

Everything about this situation was puzzling, to put it mildly. But if there was but one comfort Asselin could take despite the circumstances, it would be the fact that he and his lord Satan were still together, side-by-side. The fact that not even the sudden and mysterious transition to another land could ever separate the dark lord and his most loyal servant only served as yet another reminder of how strong the two’s bond was, that it had been forged in the very depths of hell itself. That reminder was plenty enough to bestow upon Asselin the encouragement he needed to face this new trial-

“Ohohohohohohohoh~!☆ Looks like Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken from his little cat nap~!” 

“WHAT THE-!?”

An unknown voice suddenly echoed out from seemingly thin air, alerting Asselin to the fact that he and Satan were not as alone as they had previously assumed. Asselin jumped up to his feet, whipping his head from side to side in a blind panic as he attempted to divine the direction that the mysterious voice had come from. He instinctively raised a hand towards Satan as if to shield him, and with an attempt at a brave face, made his stand against the duo’s unknown overseer. 

“Sh-Show yourself at once!” The great servant of Satan spoke his words with wonted loudness, having secretly hoped that his volume would help mask the tremble to his voice as he made his demands, “How dareth thou attempt to keep a weather eye on the Tribes of Darkness!” 

It would be deceptive of Asselin to claim that he had any veritable plan on how to deal with the owner of the mysterious voice should they have shown themselves. In all earnest, a part of him was shackled by terror as to who it could possibly be observing his every move; after all, he had only bestirred himself awake a few short minutes ago, and already had he seen proof that this world was one of mystery and illusion. 

Luckily for Asselin, however, the source of the seemingly-disembodied voice soon revealed itself without incident. Accompanied by the faint rustling of nearby bushes and the sound of fallen tree branches snapping underfoot, the vague shape of a person emerged from the nearby rows of trees and foliage, and immediately, Asselin’s eyes widened in disbelief at the figure before him. 

“Awww, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this meowning~!” The voice, now much more familiar to Asselin, revealed itself to be none other than one of his fellow idol brethren, Kirio Nekoyanagi, “I purromise, I wasn’t watching you for any bad reasons~! Purrhaps you should take a meowment to calm yourself down before we figure things out, okay~?”

A sense of relief came over Asselin at the sight of such a familiar face, that perhaps he and Satan were not alone in their confusion over this abnormal scenario that they had found themselves placed within. The fact that one of his fellow countrymen had also ended up in this apparent fairyland was an appreciated comfort, and the fact that Kirio, too, was wearing such unfamiliar-looking robes only reassured Asselin further. However, Asselin also couldn’t help but fall into further confusion as he took in Kirio’s appearance, particularly the feline features that had somehow emerged from his body, a pair of beastly ears and a tail, both sharing the same colouration as his hair, twitched as Kirio looked towards Asselin. 

Still confused, Asselin decided to ask his companion an important question, relief heavy in his voice as he spoke, “Kirio…! A familiar visage appears before me, and I thank thee for thy presence in this world. I must asketh thee if thou possesses any familiarity with whichever deity saw fit to try and temper Satan’s reign over the afterlife?” 

“Nyafterlife…?” Kirio tilted his head in confusion, his mouth gaping open in stupor as he thought through Asselin’s question, “Well, I was a little concerned when I furrst found you out here, I was just going about my merry little day when I came across you lying there in the cat grass~. I got supurr worried about you, so I thought I’d stay and keep watch juuust in case something happened~.” 

“.........Thou wast simply sauntering thy way through a regular constitutional? Wast thou not suddenly transported here with no rhyme nor reason?” Asselin raised his brow at Kirio’s response, o why did he speak as though he had happened upon a mere stranger in this very clearing? 

“Whazzuh-what-now?” The look of perplexity on Kirio’s face only strengthened with every word spoken, “Nuh-nope, I remember how I got here just fine~! I walked my way along this path on my two very own paws, no teleportation meowgic nyeseccary!” 

“But…! This land, it is not ours to walk the path of…!” Asselin protested, “Kirio, I remember vividly your mortal form as it appeared in our homeland. You, Satan and I…somehow, we have been placed within this otherly world by a sickened angel with nary an explanation, we must all find our way back to our origin point!” 

Kirio simply stared at Asselin, his eyes looked to be on the verge of glazing over and his complexion on the verge of losing all colour. His lips remained pursed into their usual mischievous smile, but his eyes betrayed said smile and made it clear for all to witness that Asselin’s protests had somehow invoked a sense of uncertainty into him. The young beastkin looked to have just heard utter insanity, it was as though the servant of Satan had spoken in pure and utter drivel. 

After several uncomfortable moments had come and gone in silence, Kirio had finally fortified himself to answer Asselin’s seemingly baffling claims,  “Uhhhhhh………………O-Okay, maaaaaybe we should have you be seen by the village doctor…? I know furr a fact that this world is the only one I’ve ever experienced, though the idea of other lands…it does sound meowghtily interesting! Might make for a good story some day!”

“.........Our world is not merely fodder for some amusing tale…” Asselin’s voice had turned weak in response to such a discouraging answer. 

Asselin had been hopeful that Kirio would be able to provide him with the key to unlock the door of mystery, that the path of resolution was soon in sight. However, it appeared that his presence had only chained down Satan’s servant in further bindings of incertitude. The fact that such a familiar face seemingly no longer possessed the knowledge of his own homeland, such a fact was impossible to accept. Asselin knew that he and Kirio hailed from the same land, unless………could it be, perhaps, that this was actually Kirio’s true form…!? Had Satan’s blessing failed to gift Asselin the eye necessary to realise that a beast in human form had walked alongside him all this time? 

Before his ruminations could run riot for even a single moment further, Asselin found himself being called to attention by the sound of Kirio’s voice before him, “Okay-kay-kay, I think this matter is settled then! We can’t stay standing here all day, y’know~! So, I must implawe you to follow me out of here at once, so I can get you to the village with haste! What’dya say, Satan-kun?” 

Asselin felt uncertainty at the prospect. He had awoken in such a mystifying land, and knew not of how or why he was here, nor where exactly “here” was. The idea being postulated to him, of being led to an equally as mysterious and unknown village, unsettled him greatly. However, Kirio was a familiar face in an unfamiliar land, and unfortunately, this great servant had little other choice than to accept this discomforting offer. After all, the only other options were to either stay put in this clearing, or make his way out into this unknown world independently, and likely lose himself somewhere along the way. 

“Hmhmm, I shall follow in your stead. Lead this lost servant and his master to your settlement of resolution, with glorious momentum!” 

As Asselin had followed Kirio out of the forest he had awoken in, one thing had become evidently clear. This new world he and Satan found themselves in was in a completely different realm of magic to his homeland. Whilst the Fallen Angel Satan and his devoted servant were the only connoisseurs of magic back home, here, every last Citizen of the Wonderland appeared to be well-versed in the magical and spectral arts. As Kirio had explained to him, seemingly under the impression that Asselin himself was a native with a mortifying gap in his memory, this land was one where miracles and magic were practiced openly by diviners and witches, with none the fearful of any spells that were commonly cast in this world. It was hardly a surprising fact, the terrain of this land was unlike anything the servant of Satan had ever had the privilege to bear witness to before; if he were not resolute in his faith, he would perhaps claim that this world’s powerfully magical atmosphere could even rival that of Gehenna’s. 

The wandering trio began to approach what looked to be the entrance of some sort of settlement, no doubt the village that Kirio had spoken of. It looked rather…archaic, to say as much. Asselin had already begun to suspect that this world was one of pure magic rather than one of technology, but the exterior of the village had all but confirmed this suspicion, the village was protected by fences made of fallen treewood, a rather flimsy choice of defence against any potential nemesises. The village’s entrance was marked by an open gate and an arch that stood proud and tall above all, both made of the same material. Standing underneath the grand arch was a small, feline animal of some sort. Like with Kirio earlier, it did not take much time at all for Asselin to realise that he recognised this creature. 

“Ahhh, Nyako-kun~!” Kirio greeted the cat with Kirio-typical enthusiasm, “I return at long last~! And I bring a very special visitor~!☆” 

Kirio approached Nyako, and leaned down to take a better look at him. What Nyako was doing unattended at the village entrance was a mystery, but before Asselin could interject to ask anything, a scene played out before him that bestowed many other questions unto both Satan and he. 

“Nyaah?”

“Nya, nyan~♪ Mrreow, meow meow~!” 

“Nyaaaaah?! Mrrrow, meow meoooow!”

“Nyaarrghhh…meoooow…nyaa-hoh-hoh~?” 

Asselin watched on as this theatre of the felines was performed before his very eyes. Though he knew Kirio to be skilled in the art of mimicry, this…this transcended far beyond the realms of mere imitation. It appeared that the two of them were engaged in an actual, proper discourse that could only be understood by the two of them. Even though Asselin knew not the language of beasts, he could make out from the cadence and structure of their back-and-forth that there was an attestable conversation happening here. Perhaps, Asselin thought, it wasn’t too startling a fact that the two could veritably converse like this; after all, the Kirio of this world was a being of both humanity and beastkind, it would only be natural to consider him and Nyako kindred brethren. 

“.........Mrrow~?” 

At Kirio’s apparent prompting, Nyako turned to face his companion’s mentioned visitor. Immediately, the cat’s fur began to stand on end, and he arched his back as if to prepare for a confrontation, a loud and hostile hiss emanating from fanged mouth. Asselin’s eyes widened once more in questioning surprise, he had simply just stood before the small beast and done nothing more, and yet it had attempted to threaten him for no thinkable reason; Asselin couldn’t remember Suzaku’s pet cat having been so paranoid. 

“Nyaaaohhh~, nya, nya~!” Kirio meowed at Nyako in a tone that seemed to be soothing, presumably to try and quell any hostilities before they could rise further. After nary a moment, he turned to Asselin himself and spoke, this time having returned to a language that the servant could comprehend, “Don’t worry about Nyako-kun, okay~? If you’d like to keep furrlowing us, we’ll lead you into the village square, it’s the buh-bump-buh-bump-beating heart of the entire village! We’ll definyately be able to get all this sorted out there!”

Though there was a discomforting feeling enveloping Asselin, one that could go by many names, such as “intuition” or “instinct” or a “divination from the lord Satan”, he still had as little choice in the matter as he did when he had first arrived in this new world, so he resigned himself to his apparent fate of following the two beasts through into the trenches of their unseen home. 

Leading their pack was Nyako, who walked forward with cautious steps, he was quiet as he led the way forward. Behind him was Kirio, who seemed to have become most preoccupied with reciting an aria of this world, he amused himself with mindless humming and trilling as the group continued to walk. The last of the flock was the lost lambs, Asselin and Satan; whilst Satan remained perched atop his usual throne on Asselin’s shoulder, Asselin himself couldn’t refrain from his curiosity, and found himself turning from side to side as he took in the surrounding scenery of the village. 

Vibrant green plant life ran along every house and home, and the flowers that bloomed from the cracks between brickwork took on every possible shape and hue. Street vendors handed powerful-looking crystals and old, worn-out tomes to their customers, who seemed to be haggling with not just gold, but also with what looked to be the scales of a fearsome creature. Passersby sauntered through the village with potions of mystifying origin and maps that sparkled with a magical presence in hand. No matter what, it was undeniably clear to Asselin, this was truly an entirely different reality. 

In earnest, this world was one that Asselin was beginning to see the true appeal of. Magic and spells, the likes of which his prior land were millenia too early to possibly be ready for, seemed to simply be commonplace here. Here, perhaps the Citizens of the Light would be able to comprehend the true glorious power of the loyal servant of Satan…!, was what Asselin had begun to contemplate, however, his contemplation was repeatedly cut short by the sudden and unexpected sounds of nearby screams. 

“I-It’s the Dark Lord!!!”

“He’s here!?”

“Everyone, run for your lives! The village isn’t safe anymore!!”

A fact that had not escaped this servant was the fact that most, if not all, of the villagers who had shrieked in terror had done so only mere moments after first laying sight upon Asselin and his dearest Satan. They had all begun to run as though they were being chased, mothers holding their children close, persons who looked to be adventurers freezing in place and turning pale at the mere sight. It was puzzling, how they had all reacted with such fright as if they had caught sight of a truly detestable monstrosity the likes of which had never been witnessed before.

…Perhaps this was a sign that he was correct. The villagers, being as attuned to the resonance of witchcraft as Asselin expected an inhabitant of this world to be, must have taken but a glimpse of the almighty Demon King Satan and began to tremble and cower in fear of his almighty, powerful aura. At long last, Asselin now finally walked among the lambs who truly recognized the darkness that clad every inch of Satan’s very being! 

The mere thought of it was enough to finally draw a characteristic cackle from Asselin, who had spent every prior hour wandering rather mirthlessly. With utmost joy at his realisation, he opened his mouth to unleash an uproarious laugh, however he instead found himself prematurely interrupted by a pair of voices coming from nearby, a pair which he recognized immediately. 

“WHOOOAAAAAAAAH, what’s with all the screamin’, is there a fight??? You’re ready to back me up, right, Genbu?”

“Of course, Suzaku. The two of us will quash any quarrel with speed to parallel the wind itself.” 

It was unmistakably the members of Shinsoku Ikkon. Asselin had already been surprised to see Kirio in this world, but to see that even more pledged members of the Shrine of Darkness had taken on such a parallel form was truly astonishing. Before Asselin and Satan’s very eyes, Suzaku and Genbu stood tall wearing robes of black, with accents of red and blue lining either man’s clothing respectively. Frayed fabrics, stray frills of silver and black, and strangely-placed buckles and belts all protruded from the two’s vestures, a far cry from the clothes that usually covered their forms. 

Before Asselin could speak up to greet the two, hoping to figure out more of their situation, he heard the nearby beast that was Nyako speak up first. With an enthusiastic-sounding meow, Nyako swiftly ran over to Suzaku’s side. A wide grin covered Suzaku’s visage as he kneeled before his feline companion, grabbing Nyako and placing him upon his usual rest atop his shoulder. 

“Nyako, there you are! I’ve been runnin’ all over the place lookin’ for yah!”

“Mrrrow-!!”

The peaceful atmosphere that had been created by such a fated reunion unfortunately saw its clock hand reach midnight within moments. Once he had returned to his perch on Suzaku’s shoulder, Nyako took but a second to rub against the side of Suzaku’s face affectionately, before his gaze then rested back onto the sight of Asselin and Satan. Immediately, Nyako’s back arched just as it had done earlier, his fur stood on end and, although small, Asselin could just about make out the sight of the feline’s ferocious claws having emerged as part of Nyako’s battle stance. With a loud hiss, he had alerted his master and his master’s soul-bonded partner to Asselin’s presence.

The two turned to face Asselin, who gazed back at them hopefully, his wish being that the pair would be able to part unto him the knowledge of how they had all ended up in this world, and why Asselin seemed to be the only one as of yet who still retained memory of their prior world. However, after only a meagre second of sight, the twosome immediately adopted their own battle stances, unleashing weapons of magic that formed from thin air. Flames danced around Suzaku’s clenched fists, and a blade formed from pure ice emerged from the palm of Genbu’s hand; with nary a moment of hesitation, the two pointed their elemental arms at the servant of Satan, their expressions turning to sheer hostility. 

“HRRAAGH, it’s the Dark Lord Asselin!” 

“So, you come straight to the heart and soul of our village with no provocation? That must explain everybody’s screaming…Have you come to surrender yourself, by chance?”

Asselin, as the loyal servant of the Demon King Satan, was a most courageous being of pure darkness. No threat could shake him nor his devotion to his Lord, he would gladly wage a thousand battles in Satan’s name. That’s why he could only assume that this world’s witchcraft must have had some unexplainable influence over him, for suddenly, he was cowering in fright as a shrill scream escaped his lips, the sight of flame and ice being raised against him had suddenly reduced the Great Lord Satan’s mighty servant to a shivering mess that verged on tears. 

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH-!! D-Don’t r-raise your weaponry to, to, m-m-me………! I…I-I…I, I, we are…” With inelegant blubbering, Asselin attempted to explain his situation to the frightening duo, however, he suddenly found himself unable to form coherent words, no doubt as a result of some sort of hex. 

Luckily for Asselin, however, Kirio swiftly interjected himself into the conversation, a somewhat nervous attempt at a wry smile present on his face as he ventured to smooth out the situation, “Whoa, whoa, whoa~!! Let’s not get ourselves all twisted up now, okay? Let’s just aaaaall pawt our weapons away and talk a little!”

“Talk? With the Dark Lord?” A small, unamused chuckle came from Genbu’s lips at the suggestion, “Unless the next words out of his mouth are a declaration of surrender, I have no intentions of 'talking a little'.” 

“Kirio-san, you’re seriously trying to defend the Dark Lord Asselin??” Suzaku’s voice was aflame with bewilderment, “The same Dark Lord Asselin who once barged into one of your rakugo thingies and tried making the story about how his master Satan would take over the entire world??” 

“Oh-ho-ho, and what a joyfully amewsing turn of events that was~!♪” Kirio chuckled, seemingly unphased by the memory of that day, “But, please reserve your fists and blades for another time-”

“We’re talking the same Dark Lord Asselin who raised all the dead from their graves to serve as his army, right??” Suzaku interrupted again, brows furrowed in righteous anger as he clenched his flaming fists tighter. 

“...And then realised rather swiftly that shambling corpses don’t exactly move very well on the battlefield.” Genbu added with an almost disappointed tone, his gaze shifting from Asselin to Kirio.

Kirio’s attempt at a rebuttal was a rather short-lived one, “...W-Well, yes, but-”

“Yes? So you mean this is the same Dark Lord Asselin who came to our village previously disguised as a humble chef, and then enchanted all of the food to ensure that anybody who ate it would become one of Satan’s devout followers?” Genbu questioned, his eyes now resting solely on Kirio, “And you’ve decided to bring him right into the heart of the village so he can attempt to convert us all to his cause yet again…?” 

“Nyo, nyo, I swear, the Dark Lord isn’t here to hurt anyone!” Kirio insisted, he waved his hands in front of Genbu as if they contained the power to dissuade him from his plan of attack, “In fact, I found him in the wilderness near the village, he was completely out for the count for some reason! When he woke up, I questioned him a lil and came to a meowst shocking discovery! The Dark Lord has amnesia!”

Suzaku and Genbu’s expressions turned, with nonplussed looks on either of their faces, they took a couple of seconds to absorb this unexpected, stupifying news. 

“It’s true~! He doesn’t remeowmber a single thing! He even claimed to be from an entirely diffurrent world~!” Kirio gestured towards Asselin, almost as if presenting him before a grand audience, “Seriously, take a look at him!”

One look at the almost pathetic look on Asselin’s face seemed to have made it clear to Suzaku and Genbu, their informant was not mistaken here. However, this turn of events only seemed to bring up more questions than it had answered. 

“.........Are you certain, Kirio-anisan?” Genbu lowered his frozen blade, but his brow still remained raised in suspicion, “This could be some sort of elaborate ploy to get us all to lower our defences. Such diversionary tactics wouldn’t be below him, after all.” 

“Nyaah-!? Such a tactic would be WAYYY too risky~!” Kirio pointed out in utter bewilderment, “To pawll off such a bold strategy, our Dark Lord here would’ve had to have stood down all his meowgic and weapurrnry and hoped that someone would find him lying down meowtionless in the middle of nowhere! Not exactly a winning idea to get into the village, y’know~?” 

“Uhhhh…w-well, we still gotta do SOMETHIN’ about him!!” Suzaku interjected after a couple of seconds’ hesitation, seemingly nervous to point out the big problem here, “If he really don’t remember nothin’, then we can’t let him go back out into the wild, y’know?! But if he is just tricking us, then we can’t let him stay here either, so…”

Throughout the trio’s conversation, all Asselin could do was listen intently to their words, and think each and every single one of them through carefully. Whilst he of course still lacked sufficient clues to solve the riddle of how this new world worked in its entirety, there was one important aspect of it that he was beginning to see with newfound clarity. In this fantastical iteration of reality, he, or rather, some unseen doppelganger, already existed as the feared and oft-fought-against Lord of Darkness, who was no doubt hell-bent on conquering the entirety of the world in the name of his almighty master, Satan. Asselin could only presume from Suzaku and Genbu’s rather fierce reactions to his mere presence that this village was the seedbed from which flowers of rebellion bloomed, and as such, his capture was imminent if he could not dissuade them further. 

After taking a solitary moment to plot the most strategic response he could muster, Asselin finally spoke up again, he purposefully allowed his voice to remain in its weakened state courtesy of earlier screaming so as if to give the impression of innocence, “I-I know not of what or who it is that thou all speak of, and I have nary the faintest idea as to how I ended up in these lands, but one thing I do know for certain is that I wish no ill will upon your people!”

The flock of lost lambs all gazed upon Asselin with discomforted expressions, the quandary of how to deal with this situation clearly weighing heavily upon all of their necks. Were they to imprison this man who very clearly bore the form of their feared nemesis, despite holding no memory of crimes committed? Or was it possible that he was, in fact, committing himself to a tactical bluff that would spell their demise if they made the wrong choice? Asselin knew not of what his next move would be, but what he did know was that he needed to make a credible case for himself, otherwise he would find himself in a crisis the likes of which would be impossible for-

“Ahh, y’know what! I say we just lock him up for now anyways, once we’ve gotten his story straight we can know whether or not it’s alright to let him back out!”

“WHAT!?”

Asselin had barely registered Suzaku’s impulsive decision before the Warrior of Flame himself began to approach him, malicious intent clearly brimming from his every move. This was outrageous! He had done no wrong, what right did anybody have to attempt to seal him away? 

Asselin intended to make his protests known, but before even a single syllable could leave his mouth, the Warrior of Flame had already grabbed a hold of his arm. His grip was forceful, iron-clad even, and Asselin knew there was no chance within any realm of breaking free of it. He needed some course of escape, yet none came to mind as Suzaku began to drag him away to places unknown. 

“...This should work out for now.” He could hear Genbu’s voice as he was dragged away, “We’ll conduct a thorough investigation and determine from there whether he’s telling the truth, but for now we need to get to work reassuring everybody that there’s no cause for alarm.” 

“So, uhhh…amnyasia or not, the Dark Lord did have a purretty sizable bounty on his head, right?” The sound of Kirio’s voice became more and more lost to the distance, to the point where Asselin could only just interpret the last few words spoken before disappearing entirely, “And it was ME who found him out there in the wild, so I guess I’m the one who brought the Dark Lord in after all~! So does that mean that I get to collect-”

It felt as though aeons had passed, but in fact it was only a trip of a few fleeting minutes until Suzaku had brought Asselin to his destination. It was a crude building, relatively small in stature compared to its surroundings, but looked to be heavily fortified with chains and bars surrounding every door and window. Inside, beyond many layers of reinforcement and protective seals, laid a room lined from front to back with the imprisoned, poor unfortunate souls who Asselin was soon to join. 

Suzaku opened up one of the many cells, and rather vigorously threw Asselin and Satan inside before closing the barred door, “Don’t worry, we’ll get all this figured out, ok? Just hang tight, and if you’re good after all, we’ll let yah out in no time!” Suzaku made his exit swiftly after his attempt at reassurance, an attempt that, frankly, did little to comfort Asselin. 

What was this servant of the darkness to do now? A feeling of conflict arose in his chest, and a strange sensation began to sting at his eyes. Not only was he trapped in a parallel world, filled with unfamiliarity and chaos, but now he was also trapped within their imprisonment, likely to be condemned to a most terrible fate for crimes not yet committed. He was being treated akin to a pest, left to languish and rot alongside the common criminals of this land…and it was as this thought crossed his anguished mind that Asselin noticed something most peculiar. 

Asselin turned to his side, and swiftly was greeted with the sight of a fellow sinner; he apparently had a companion in this dark and depressing cell who must have been banished here long before himself. Once again, he found himself staring down yet another familiar face which seemed not to recognise him, or at the very least, not to recognise him as anything but the Dark Lord. 

“.........A-Are you the Dark Lord?” The voice that came out nervously belonged to none other than the diligent Shrinekeeper of the Fortress, Ken Yamamura, “D-Did they really put me in the same cell as the Dark Lord Asselin?? The same Dark Lord who once hypnotised the mayor into declaring ‘Everybody In The Village Worships Satan Now Day’ as an official holiday?? Look, I know what I did was pretty bad, but I didn’t think it was THAT awful a crime-!!”

“Nay…thou mistaketh me for another who hath presented my face as his own.” Asselin explained, his voice low, “It appears that not a single soul in this world is willing to believe my tale! I hath been imprisoned most unfairly, with no chance to plead my own case…”

Asselin turned away from Ken, but he also couldn’t help but steal an occasional glance at him. He, too, wore the traditional robes of this world, dyed in the familiar colours of pale cyan and snow white that his garments of their homeland also presented. In place of the lenses framed in vermillion, a large pair of goggles held together by crimson leather rested upon Ken’s head, equally as unused as the lenses were back home. In terms of his appearance, he looked no different than the Ken of his world, which only made Asselin question further what crime he ever could have committed to end up a fellow prisoner. He never would have penned Ken for a criminal, he had to be held here unjustly too, correct? 

“...May I take but a moment to impose in search of thy candor?” Asselin turned back to Ken, and found himself feeling somewhat uncertain as he asked the burning question that laid upon his mind, “Which cardinal sin is it that thou are guilty of, and whose all-seeing eye witnessed the record of your crime?” 

“Oh, you mean what was my crime, haha…” After taking a moment to process the question, Ken attempted in vain to simply laugh it off; however, Asselin’s piercing look made it clear that the question was not one that could be avoided so easily. With a guilty sigh, Ken averted his gaze as he answered rather clumsily, “I, uhhh…I was caught by the village’s Chiefs of Law and Order, um, ahahaha…you know, I was the Bookkeeper of the greatest guild in town, and I, uhhh………I was caught committing tax fraud.” 

In that moment, and he was afraid not to admit to it, a gasp of abject horror escaped from Asselin’s lips. The fact that he had been placed in this imprisonment alongside the perpetrator of such a ghastly crime…he really had been treated like a worthless criminal, hadn’t he?

Asselin had no response to Ken’s confession. He simply turned away from him, allowing them both their silence to grieve for their own situations. Ken seemed to understand; with the reluctance to which he had admitted his crime, it was clear to Asselin that Ken completely acknowledged the weight of the sin he carried upon his shoulders. Asselin, meanwhile, was innocent of all charges and knew not how to prove himself to the people of this world, but on the contrary, why did somebody such as himself owe any of them an explanation at all? He was not of this world, he knew not how any of its various laws and practices worked, he was ultimately, at the end of the day, completely and utterly alone in this strange and unfamiliar world. Asselin sighed despairingly as he began to accept his newfound solitude, lamenting that his only potential ally in this world was a man who had not been paying his semestral tribute in gold; how ever was he to return home…?

Suddenly, as if to call Asselin out of his stupor, a faint, glowing light of deep purple began to shine in the corner of his vision. Asselin turned to face the purple light, and saw that it emanated from a familiar source that sat upon his shoulder. Satan looked up at Asselin, his eyes unmoving but ever-filled with power and compassion. Hanging from his right horn was the silver, blade-like earring that Asselin had noticed upon him earlier, as was the violet gemstone that, at the time, had pulsated almost transparently with some sort of mysterious magic. Now, as the light shining off of it only grew stronger by the second, Asselin’s third eye finally awakened in realisation as to what that magic was. 

No, his only ally was verily not the fool who had coveted the village’s protective tithe. As a matter of fact, Asselin was, too, a grave fool to have ever assumed himself alone in this new world. Nay, ever since he had first incarnated into this land, Satan had been ever-dutifully by his side. Their two souls, so deeply and richly entwined that one could not have made the journey without the other following in tow, had always been together, with Asselin serving Satan in full faith no matter what happened. Of course he was not alone, and neither would he ever permit Satan to be solitary in their persecution by the Village of the Light. If this world were to stand against this dutiful servant and his mission to engulf all in his Lord’s darkness, then he would see to it to stand against this world in turn. The magic that luminesced from Satan’s mysterious jewel was magic born from his feelings of gratitude towards his servant, and as such, it served within that moment as a needed reminder of who he was.

“...Satan, my Lord…of course. I am thy servant, and a servant should never act so shameful as to disgrace his master.” Asselin’s voice remained low as he bowed his head before Satan, “I beg of thee for forgiveness for my momentary cries of insolence towards thy honourable name.”

The violet light shone much brighter in answer, painting the entirety of the once-dark cell in its rich colour. Such a powerful sight was all Asselin needed to behold to acknowledge that he had been blessed with Satan’s forgiveness, and as such, was all he needed to move forward, towards another new dawn. 

With newfound resolve, Asselin stood himself up tall, a confident and wry smile finally returning to his lips at long last, “If I am to find the door that leads back to Gehenna, so that we may reunify with our Tribe of Darkness, then I must scour this very Earth in search of the key! However, the journey shall not be of ease. Beyond all, the pesky inhabitants of this land seek to act as our oppressors…”

“Are you talking to me?” Ken asked, a blank look of confusion on his face, “A-Also, where is that purple light coming from??”

“Therefore! It is with utmost clarity that I foresee my new mission as thy servant: I must engulf this world in thy darkness and not allow a single of our foes to escape! Once the sky above is dyed to naught but pitch black, the thorns shall clear from our path, and the story of our battle to return home shall be passed down from generation to generation for aeons!” A defiant smirk painted itself across Asselin’s lips, his eyes lit aflame in elation for the coming trials, “Kukukukuku…ahahahahahaha…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! If this world acknowledges Satan’s might and my role as his gospel, then I shall embrace the sigil of sin I hast been marked with! As the new Lord of Darkness of this world, I, Asselin Beelzebuth II, vow to my Master Satan that our plan SHALL bare fruit with haste!”

Just as Asselin had promised, the role of the Propagator of Darkness was one he had embraced verily. It had been many moons since he had first arrived in this land, and the fight to reach this point had been a gruelling one. But now, standing at the edge of his territory within the Land of Shadows, looking back at the ranks and files of his ever-growing army, he could feel not one morsel of regret for having chosen this path. 

Many devoted soldiers and unwavering knights from all across the land had pledged their allegiance to Satan and his cause, and Asselin as the shepherd of their newfound flock had most graciously taken them all in, growing Satan’s armies of darkness further and further with each passing day. Of course, not all had approved of their cause. In fact, many a rebellion had grown in a feeble attempt to shine the light that would dispel Satan’s ever-powerful darkness, but Asselin feared not these pathetic attempts at dissent. As a matter of fact, he and his armies were to land a powerful strike against the epicentre of the rebellious plague in but an hour’s time; by this same movement of the morrow’s grand clock, there would be none who dared to challenge him again.

How ironic, Asselin pondered, that the same very village that had attempted to imprison him upon his initial advent to this land was now to be the first to fall by his very hand. Although Asselin had spoken with virtue on that day, when he had told of how he wished no ill will on these lands, there was a satisfaction to be had upon realising the oppressor had become the oppressed. In a way, twas almost tragic, as had it not been for that same village, he may have never awoken to the true power he held in this realm. 

But none of that was to matter. Veritably what did matter was the scene playing before Asselin’s own eyes both material and manifested, and that scene was one where his legions of loyal followers all stood before him, readying to attack, and turned to him, their most ruthless and formidable leader for guidance. 

“My dutiful and loyal servants! At last, the sun sets, and with it, the light extinguishes! Now, our long-due time of darkness strikes, and the darkness of our peoples shall engulf the entire world within our everlasting shadow! All ye sinners of both new and old, bearers of despair who reject commonplace hope, criminals and innocents alike who have been scorned by this world and seek the retribution to scorn it in turn, look no further for thy vengeance! For the Fallen Angel Satan understands thy plight, so all ye mortal servants, pledge thyself to him once more! And together, we shall bring forth a new dawn where the wings are torn from angels and the hellflame of demons reigns above all else! The Rebellion of the Light shall die within our eternal night!” 

Cheers and cries of salvation rang out with applause, the voices of the damned all joined together as one in celebration of their Lord’s words. With nary a moment of respite, those of higher rank began their call to action, further lighting the flames burning within the hearts of the countless knights before them. 

“Everyone, give it your all for our Lords of Darkness, Asselin Beezlebuth II and Satan!” The army’s most trusted general, Ken Yamamura, yelled out with a smile of determination on his face. 

“Let us hear all of your supurrtive and pawerful voices, people!” Kirio Nekoyanagi, another influential member of Satan’s army, though no one was quite sure of his exact role within it, continued with a playful wink, “C’meow~n!☆ Asselin! Satan! Asselin! Satan! Asselin! Satan!”

It took but a second for the chant to rapidly spread as though it were hellfire itself, all in honour of the almighty leaders who would bring this world to its miserable ruin. Asselin grinned to himself, a hand rested carefully upon Satan’s small body as if to reassure him that their plan would truly be coming to fruition soon. As the chanting of their names continued forth, Asselin closed his eyes, allowing the aria of his followers’ voices to envelop his very being. 

“Asselin! Satan! Asselin! Satan! Asselin! Satan! Asselin! Satan! Asselin! Satan! Asselin! Satan! Asselin! Asselin! Asselin! Asselin! Asselin! Asselin!-”

“-Asselin!!!!!” 

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from the darkness. Asselin’s eyes flicked open with haste, revealing before him a most unexpected sight. 

“Asselin, you’re awake!!” 

“Oh, thank goodness…! Asselin-san, we were all so worried!” 

“Phew, what a relief. We were all concerned for a moment that something most frightening had happened to you.” 

“Asselin, are you feeling okay? Do you remember what just happened?”

Confusion took a hold of Asselin swift, for upon opening his eyes he had been greeted by familiar visions, visions that he had certainly believed would remain unseen again for many a year of the Mayan calendar. Somehow, before his very eyes, gazing upon his visage from above were the forms of his dearest countrymen, his fellow members of Cafe Parade. Kamiya, Soichiro, Makio and Saki were all smiling as they rested their eyes upon Asselin’s mortal form, and as Asselin returned their gazes, the image of the azure sky above burned itself into his vision, only perplexing him further. 

Asselin casted his eyes around from side to side in a fruitless effort to make sense of what had just occurred. Where were his loyal armies that had just been chanting his name? What happened to the world of magic that had been surrounding his very essence? Why had the sky turned to sapphire, no longer clouded in the darkness of Satan’s embrace? The world as he saw it, it was the world he had mysteriously left untold aeons ago. 

“I thought you wouldn’t remember…” Kamiya’s voice broke Asselin away from his stupor, with a gentle voice he explained, “...We were all headed towards 315Pro together, the six of us. We were about to cross this road when all of a sudden a truck came speeding towards us, we all managed to move out of the way just in time, but you…”

“You fell all the way to the ground, and we were all super duper worried that the worst case scenario had happened~!” Saki pouted as they spoke, their voice filled with worry and then turned to relief as they took a deep breath out, “Buuut, thankfully!♪ The truck managed to brake juuust in time to avoid actually hitting you!” 

“Yeah, you must have just fainted in shock or something!” Makio chimed in, a smile of relief present on his face, “That must have been pretty frightening, huh?”

“.........Asselin-san?” Soichiro called out to him after a few seconds of silence, his companion’s lack of words clearly concerning him, “Oh, could it be…? You didn’t injure yourself, did you? Or are you simply just trying to catch your breath for a moment?”

“Oh, if you’re worried about Satan, here!♪” With a cheerful tone of reassurance, Saki suddenly held their hands out to Asselin, and held within those hands was the most precious being of all, “Don’t worry, Satan wasn’t hurt~! We’ve all been watching over him for you whilst waiting for you to wake up!”

Slowly, Asselin finally began to sit himself up, taking Satan from Saki’s hands carefully. As though it were second nature, he immediately cast his gaze upon the silver earring that hung pendulous from Satan’s right horn, with expectation that he would notice upon there a certain violet gemstone. However, his expectation had been most greatly defied, the gemstone had vanished, and as Asselin had realised that, he realised that the same was true of every other detail that had been manifested by the other world. None of the regal robes of darkness that Satan had worn were present anymore, and the same could be said of his most loyal servant in addition. Neither of them were bearing the robes that had marked them as the fearsome Lords of Eternal Darkness, by some righteous curse they had been returned to the garments of their tribe’s homeland. 

It was crystalline in its clarity, the fact that the pair’s long-awaited pilgrimage back to their treasured home was at last complete. Yet, the question remained of how exactly had such a journey been undertaken? Though their crusade through the other world had been for the sake of this very moment, at no point had Asselin performed any ritual to split the boundaries between realms, this clearly could not have been his own doing. That left little other explanation for Asselin to ruminate on. 

Could it have all simply been a dream, or some sort of elaborate illusion? Had he, in fact, merely been seeing a mirage play out before his very eyes, whilst his body lay in the waking world being tended to by his most loyal companions? Saki’s claims that they had all watched over Satan in his stead gave credence to such thought. Yet it was undeniable, what Asselin had felt certainly emanated with the essence of reality…

…Though it was also undeniable that the sights, sounds and sensations before him in the present were, too, that of reality, and as such Asselin had little choice but to accept that his time in the fantastical world of chaos and magic had come to its rightful end. Both Satan, and he as Satan’s most trusted protector, had returned to the land where they were accepted, and they both were plenty comfortable with accepting that forsooth. 

A grin befitting a true Lord of the Darkness came upon Asselin’s face, with steady hands he returned Satan to his rightful throne upon his shoulder, and finally, the great servant of darkness rose tall before the image of azure that lined the sky above. It did not matter which realm he chose his battles within, for in each and every potential one, he would eternally choose the same battles, and those were the battles to spread the name of the Fallen Angel Satan throughout all of the lands. With such thoughts of reassurance in mind, Asselin had nary a problem with leaving his memories of the possible realm of falseness far, far behind him.

“My brethren…I must utter a most humble apology for my absence in the conscious world. Though many a scene played out before me as I slumbered, none of it could ever hope to compare to the ontology of the breathing world.” Asselin closed his eyes as he explained his plight to his sorely-missed confidants, “The mana and armipotence of another world are unneeded, for all I desire are the devilries of the land I have claimed as mine and Satan’s true home! To that end, I return to ye a reborn man!” 

“Ahaha, of course! Welcome back, Asselin-san!” Makio smiled brightly, light practically shining from his face in joy, “I’m glad you’re feeling okay, at the very least!”

“Agreed. You sure gave us all a scare for the ages, Asselin.” Though his words were laced with such unpleasant thoughts, Kamiya was still smiling in relief for this happier turn of events, “It’s good to see you weren’t harmed though.”

“Uh-huh, talk about a miracle!” Saki giggled a little, “Welcome back, Asselin, Satan~!”

“...Well, I don’t really know what’s with all of this talk about welcoming you back, per se…you didn’t exactly go anywhere, Asselin-san.” Soichiro pointed out, a slight hint of confusion as he spoke, “But nonetheless, it’s just good to have you back on your feet, and in one piece at that.”

Asselin chuckled quietly to himself, somewhat amused by Soichiro’s words. Of course, no road he travelled would ever lead him to the truth of what Asselin had seen, nor would it ever cast a light onto whether it was even the truth or not. But such a question mattered no longer, for as Asselin opened his eyes once more, the vision of the candid world remained, confirming to him that this reality would never truly vanish from his sight. With the world before him stable at long last, Asselin had more pressing matters to attend to now that he had returned home.

“Yes, our Brotherhood has regained its vigor, and so we shall set forth to bring about a new dawn to the world with our darkness yet again!” He exclaimed, opening his arms as if to welcome the very world itself back to his side once more, “So, shall we resume our journey to our Fortress of the Eternal Night?” 

“Oh, yeah…ahaha, about that…” Kamiya looked nervous as he tried to think through how to explain things to Asselin; Asselin looked at Kamiya with a puzzled expression, waiting on his word to unveil the truth. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, Kamiya continued, “Actually, we received a message from Producer-san whilst you were out. Apparently, 315Pro is actually going to need to close for about a week or so due to some sort of investigation.”

“What??” Asselin cried out in alarm, an overwhelming sense of dread ran down every inch of his very being at such a sudden report, “Who darest attempt to pillage our shrine with intentions of sabotage? What artefacts of oblivion dost they expect to unearth?”

With a sigh, Soichiro explained, “Well, apparently, Tendou-san and Akuno-san have uncovered a most shocking crime that’s been happening at 315Pro for years now. I can hardly believe it myself………that Yamamura-san has been committing tax fraud.”

In response to such chilling information learnt, there was only one answer that the most powerful Servant of Darkness could give. 

“...........................WHAT THE-???????”