Chapter 3 - Meeting with the Devils

It was a normal day at Kuoh Academy.

The students were walking to the school, chatting and gossiping about their daily lives while on their way, laughing and giggling to each other about something funny from their conversations, teasing each other if they found something that was embarrassing enough for their friends

Birds that lived nearby were also chirping happily, flapping their wings and enjoying the peace and the bright and warm light from the sun. If they were capable of talking, it could be translated into something like this:

'Hey, do you know that glasses-wearing devil spanked one of her servants yesterday?' and the other bird would respond, 'Really? Damn! How could I miss such a show?! Did she do it like in that book?' 'Yep! Exactly the same one! And here I was thinking only that creepy, ponytail hair girl with big breasts could pull off something like that.'

Yeah... Something like that, or something similar at least. It was a peaceful day after all, and animals also needed to gossip so they could be relieved of their stress.

It was a peaceful day until the birds that were chirping froze in their tracks. Their wings that had been flapping seemed to harden and turn stiff as they froze in sky. The groups of the birds slowly seemed to be going to fall, but before they did, they flapped their wings again, but this time it was faster and they fled away from the school.

Were you wondering why those birds were flying away? It was really simple. When you sensed a strong predator was coming towards you, what would you normally do?

It was not just birds that froze in their places. All of the students in Kuoh Academy felt the same as well, as if they were frozen for a moment. There was a strange feeling that gripped their hearts, and when they turned their heads to find the source they saw a single figure walking through the gate.

It was a young man around their age, perhaps. He had a spiky brown hair with white streaks in it, his eyes were steel grey and his face was masculine and solemn. He was not a pretty boy like Kiba, but he was handsome in a manly way. His body was also clearly trained, as the students could see the muscles under his Kuoh Academy uniform.

In their eyes, this guy actually was only someone with a manly appearance, nothing more, nothing else. However, despite being the same age as them, the students couldn't help but feel that there was something more about this man. This man was not just strong and manly.

The students always froze and stared at Rias Gremory when she passed through because she was beautiful. She was without a doubt, very beautiful and unmatched in the academy. The aura she radiated due to her devil charm was also working to make people stare at her with awe.

But this man was different... This man's appearance might be handsome, but there was nothing extraordinary about it. However, the aura he radiated clearly surpassed Rias Gremory. It was stronger, more potent and more dominant. It was as if an alpha animal had just started to walk among them. In comparison Rias Gremory's aura was a bonfire while this man's was a skyscraper that was blazing with flames. The first was dangerous but still save to approach and admire while the latter was shocking and filled with even more danger.

It was like a group of ants that was staring when a human went past them; their stares were filled with awe and admiration. The look that they gave was the look of acknowledgement, that this man was someone superior to them.

The young man, who was walking past them, did not even show any sign of response to the looks he got. His face was calm and his eyes were like steel, he kept walking forward while carrying his bag, and finally entered the building.

And as soon as he was gone, the crowd broke into murmurs.

"Hey... Is that..."

"It was Hyoudou Issei... It was Hyoudou Issei. No doubt it's him!"

"Yes! Yes! I know! But isn't he..."

"I knew he was always a loner and there was something about him, but what just happened was..."

"Hey! He looks cooler, doesn't he?!"

"The Lone Tiger is really cool!"

As the students broke into murmurs and excited whisperings, no one noticed a certain white haired petite devil was shaking and trembling while her eyes were wide to the point that her pupils became so small they were almost non-existent.

She muttered one word that made all supernatural beings tense just by hearing its name.

"D-Dragon..."

Lunch Break

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"If you have something to say, please say it aloud, I feel violated somehow with that look of yours." I said to Aika, who had been giving me a strange look ever since she took a seat in front of me.

And I was not kidding, I was being honest when I said that. She had been staring at me for five minutes straight. She just came, sat and stared at me like I was some kind of deer or a big puzzle.

Normally, I wouldn't be bothered, however, this was Aika Kiryuu we were talking about. She was able to see a male's genital size by just looking straight at their crotch, even if it was covered by jeans or pants. How she did that was unknown, and now I wouldn't be surprised if she possessed X-ray vision and was now salivating over my body.

And they said only men were perverts. If that was true then how could anyone explain the phenomenon in front of me?

"Okay, spill it, how the hell did you change like this in one day?" Aika demanded immediately and I sweatdropped.

"I always looked like this, you just never noticed it." I told her and I was not lying, I only told her a half truth. I had always looked like this, the changes that had occurred when my Archer-class card had been awakened had only increased my muscles slightly, turned my eyes to steel grey and made parts of my hair turn white.

"Bullshit!" Aika said to me with a deadpanned look "Your eyes are grey! Last time I checked they were brown!"

"I used contacts."

"Then your hair! How the hell did your youthful hair turn into that of an old man?!"

"I take offense to that, white is slightly cooler! Besides, I want to change my style!"

"You are hot Issei, but not that hot."

I clearly didn't know how to respond that one, so I did what I always did if I couldn't find a smartass come back.

"Hn!"

"Don't 'Hn!' me like that, you jerk!" Aika yelled at me with a comical annoyed expression "Explain to me how the hell you changed this much!"

"I went through puberty."

Aika opened her mouth with more annoyed expression before she closed it slowly, and she let out a hum while rubbing her chin.

"Acceptable." She said with a nod.

It took everything I had not to fall to the ground in comical manner. Seriously just like that?! A simple answer of puberty and she accepted it?!

"So... Who's the lucky girl?" Aika asked me and I blinked.

"Huh?"

"When you say puberty, you obviously mean that a girl has caught your eye." Aika said with a sly smirk "So, who's the lucky one?"

I only stared at her with a blank look that clearly said that I was not amused with her. "Where did that idea come from?" I asked in WTF tone "No! Don't answer it!" I added quickly when she opened her mouth, seriously, somehow I didn't want to hear what she was going to say.

Aika only shot me an amused look while adjusting her glasses. "Now, now, don't be shy. You can tell Aika-onee-sama about everything, you know? You are going to need an opinion from a girl if you're going to try to impress one."

I was really tempted to shoo her away now, but if I did that, it would only make her suspicious. It would be better if she thought that I was in love, I couldn't just tell her that I just had my soul being fused with heroic spirits from another world.

So I decided to play along.

"Fine, you got me." I sighed while put a 'defeated' look and Aika grinned.

"Ha! I knew it!" She said. "Tell me everything!" She practically demanded as she leaned forward to me and I unconsciously pulled back.

"Ummm... She... is actually only an average girl." I said and Aika hummed.

"Average girl... That's quite a surprise, actually." She murmured before she leaned towards me again and this time, she was getting closer, which meant that I had to pull myself back. "Continue!"

"Umm... Err... She... She is around our age! If not, then she's probably one year older!"

"And?" Aika was leaning in more and once again I pulled myself back to keep the distance.

"Umm... She... Ughh... She's..."

"Be descriptive! Her hair! Her appearance! Or things like that, you idiot!"

I sweatdropped as I had already half-lied on the ground while Aika was staring at me with a very curious expression. I practically could see a flame blazing behind her brown eyes! What was wrong with this woman?!

Suddenly an idea hit me and I inwardly smirked at my imagination. Slowly, I straightened my posture and pushed myself.

"Fine. She has brown hair." I stated as I started to lean towards her. Aika blinked before she pulled herself back a little, our roles now reversed.

"Brown hair... There are many here..." She murmured and was about to demand more, but I cut her off by leaning towards her again.

"She wears glasses..." I said slyly, each time I spoke, I pressed my body forward and she unconsciously leaned back "Her hair is tied into twins. She is also quite a pervert."

Every word that I spoke, followed by my body's movement that kept leaning towards her, was like some predator approaching its prey. Aika stared at me with wide eyes, no longer curiosity at the forefront of her mind, but more like a shock as she pulled back herself every time I leaned in closer to her.

"She is beautiful, has brown eyes that look like they are always shining, her body is not too buxom, but it really contrasts with her skinny figure." I spoke softly while staring at Aika's eyes passionately, and I pushed myself forward slightly, resulting in her taking another step back.

And then she promptly fell over.

I burst into laughing when Aika let out a yelp of pain as her head hit the ground. By the sounds of it, clearly that had hurt. For me or anyone of the supernatural world it wouldn't, but for a normal human? Well, that was another thing.

Aika, who heard my laugh, was staring at me with her jaws wide open. Her eyes were also so wide that I believed they could pop out.

"Were you teasing me?" She asked almost in a dull-witted child's tone.

"Duh!" I snickered. "What else?"

Aika only opened and closed her mouth for few times before a small pink hue adorned her face and she put an angry expression.

THWACK!

"OUCH! What the hell, Hyoudou?!"

I stared with blank look at Aika, who had just punched my nose, but she had immediately pulled her arm back and was now writhing in pain. It took few seconds before I burst into another wave of laughter. Really! This was funny!

"Why the hell is it me who got hurt?! What are you made of?! Steel?!" Aika glared at me and I only shrugged while still laughing.

"Yes." I answered and she only glared at me further. "Why the hell are you trying to punch me anyway?"

"Jerk!" Aika shouted with a scowl as pain slowly disappeared. "You're not supposed to play with a maiden's heart like that!" She said while huffing and crossing her arms, a blush adorning her face and I only chuckled. "Don't laugh damn it!"

"Sorry! Sorry! But, your face is so funny! I can't help it." I said and it was true, seeing Aika like this was fun. She was not a shy-type girl because it didn't suit her. Especially after seeing her perverted behavior!

Aika's eyes twitched a few times before she adjusted her glasses and let out another huff, then she stood up. "Whatever! I'm out from here!"

"Oi! Oi!" I called as I stood up, looking at her walked away. "Aika! I'm just kidding! Oi! You don't have to be angry like that! Oi!" I began to walk after her while still laughing.

"Shut up! Go away and don't follow me!" She yelled back while kept walking, and I sighed.

"Really? You are a 17 year-old girl, for God's sake, Aika! What kind of behavior is that?!"

"Oh shut up you moron!"

-------------------------------------------------------

After School

Devils. That was what they called themselves...

To be honest, when I saw them, they weren't what I expected devils to be like... with her beautiful face, long crimson blood hair, and those breasts. Dear God, now that I had a closer look, her breast's size was abnormal! I should have seen this coming actually; all the sign that she was not a human were very obvious. But sometimes, you couldn't see something even if it was in front of you all along.

But despite all the beauty she possessed, it was the opposite when it regarded her heart. I could tell by standing near her now. Greed... She was greedy, I could feel it in the air and I could see it beneath those blue-green eyes - this woman's true nature was not like her beautiful appearance.

Kind she might be... But only to her people and her treasures, her possessions. Or something that she wished to possess, like me. Well, I should have expected it actually. She was a devil after all, no matter how you looked at it.

I sat in front of Rias Gremory while crossing my legs. My face was stony and expressionless, purely stoic and firm. There was no sign of a relaxed or laid back expression on my face like I usually wore.

Himejima Akeno was standing by Rias Gremory's side like some kind of maid. She was wearing the smiling face that I often saw, but now that I saw it from up-close, I could tell that the smile was a mask. I could see that her body was tense, it was faint, but I could tell she was intimidated by me.

It was not just her who was wearing a mask while trying their best to look calm. Yuuto Kiba for once didn't have his smile on his face. The Prince of Kuoh was staring at me with a calm look, as if analyzing me but I could see few drops of sweat on his forehead.

Koneko Toujo was affected the worst.

The moment my eyes met hers, the poor girl immediately trembled in fear. According to Ddraig, Koneko seemed like a mixture of Nekomata, some kind of cat youkai, and something else. That explained why she was very afraid to me, she could sense what was inside of me and it wasn't hard to imagine how Ddraig felt for someone capable of sensing him.

Meanwhile, Rias Gremory was calm. She was staring at me with the same calm look I had seen before. Well, that was to be expected from the sister of the Lucifer. She wouldn't get intimidated by such a small aura.

"Give me one good reason." I started to speak "Why I shouldn't break one of your bones right now, Rias Gremory..." I stated with a steel-like look.

While everyone seemed tensed, Rias remained calm. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about, Hyoudou-san."

"Perhaps I've overestimated your intelligence if you didn't understand what I meant." I remarked snidely and the twitch of her fingers gave me a grim satisfaction. "Yesterday you were trying to have me killed by a fallen angel and then resurrect me as one of your slaves." I elaborated to her.

"Hyoudou-san... Again, I don't-"

"Your familiar gave me a leaflet with your symbol to call you if I were to wish for something." I cut her sharply. "If I were to die, no doubt that I was going to wish to live and you would appear, then saved my life by turning me into a devil. From the outside it wouldn't bad. You actually would have saved my life and acted like the hero of a story. Had your plan succeeded, I might have taken a liking to you too, but sadly it failed." I hissed and my eyes sharpened. "So I ask once again, give me one good reason why I shouldn't break your bones right now?"

The last part wasn't as much a threat, as it was an oath and a promise. I didn't like her playing like this. To be honest, it was not like I hated her, but what I found her doing was quite maddening, I tolerated Mittelt because she was just trying to kill me. Yes, it sounded bad but it was better than manipulation me to be a slave, and I certainly didn't like either option.

Rias here had not just committed one crime against me. She had schemed, lied and tried to have me killed at the same time. That was more than what Mittelt had done.

Rias's eyes narrowed sharply, she seemed had found my words as a challenge and I could feel her power radiating slightly. "Hyoudou-san, I must ask you to calm yourself, even if you are the Boosted Gear wielder, you are in my territory and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know about it. This is your territory and bla, bla, bla. That fallen angel I captured has told me what I needed to know after all." I cut her off while waving my hand in a dismissive manner. That was a lie, of course. I knew all about it from Zelretch.

Rias' brows rose at that. She took a posture contemplating and hummed "That explains why we couldn't find the fallen angel that targeted you yesterday. Hyoudou-san, if I may ask, what did you do yesterday? We couldn't detect any magical presence and..." She trailed off as she was unsure on how to explain.

"It's because I beat her in a mundane way." I elaborated with a shrug. "The moment that fallen angel tried to trick me, I sensed it. I knew she was not a human, so I knocked her out when she was not on guard."

Rias scowled a little after hearing my answer, no doubt she was not satisfied. "But that doesn't explain-"

"I have my own secrets, just like you..." I cut her off once again and I could tell her displeasure by the way her eyebrows twitched whenever she got cut by me. I even heard Akeno make a small giggle of amusement.

"Anyway Hyodou-san, since you have captured the fallen angel, could you give her to me? I want-"

"No." I cut into her words once again and this time I clearly heard Akeno's giggle, she was not even trying to hide it anymore. Rias meanwhile did not share her amusement as she narrowed her eyes. "I'm the one who fought her and took her down, she is my prisoner now. You didn't do anything or even try to make a move in the first place." I stated while crossing my arms "And don't give me that 'This is my territory' bullshit, if you want to play like that, then let me tell you that I was here FIRST, I was born here and have grown up here. Technically, it should have been my territory." I added with a small jeer as I glared at her, and I could see Rias' hands were shaking slightly from anger.

"Hyoudou-san you are walking on a thin line here. I-"

Her words died on her throat at the moment the complete aura of Ddraig engulfed the room.

Her eyes widened immediately, her skin became paler and I could tell that she was now frozen like a statue. Her beautiful face was adorned by fear as her jaw slowly opened and her pupils dilated in trembling manner.

It was not just her...

Akeno and Kiba were also frozen at the same time, their legs were trembling badly and their bodies were shaking like some helpless children staring at a man-eating creature. Koneko was affected by it the worst, she practically screamed and jumped away from me, her eyes were wide in pure terror while going to a corner, as if trying to escape from me, but none of Gremory group made a move to help her. They couldn't. Not when they were all staring at their own deaths.

Ddraig becoming the Red Dragon Emperor had not just been nothing but hot air. He was one of dragons that stood at the top ranks among Dragons.

And dragons are creatures that are very powerful, the strongest even. A simple low-class dragon could eat a high-class devil. Comparing a low-class dragon with a high-class devil was like comparing an experienced tiger facing one that only recently grown-up.

And Ddraig stood on one of the highest ranks among those beings... The ones who could match him numbered somewhere between three and five, and that referred to others than Albion, his rival, the White Dragon Emperor.

And let me tell you, Ddraig was not friendly towards the Three Factions. Nope, not one bit and I was not surprised. The Bible faction after all was the one that sealed and locked him away inside the Boosted Gear in the first place.

After thousand years of being sealed, Ddraig was nothing but a shell of himself. True, he had been rampaging inside the cage, he had roared and let out threats that would make even a god feel uneasy...

But the cage and the chain held firm to this day.

For hundreds years he kept rampaging and struggling to break free, but it was useless... And when he had reached a thousand years, he had given up... Shackled, chained, bound like a lower animal without a way to escape, and it had destroyed the mighty Great Welsh Dragon's wild and raging nature.

Right now he truly was nothing more than an empty shell of himself...

But there was one thing that he still maintained... Despite how broken he was, there was still one thing that he held onto. The very thing that had made him the Red Dragon Emperor in the first place.

Pride!

What was his pride? He was chained and shackled, so how could he still be proud?

It was his wielders!

Ddraig prided himself for the ones who wielded his power... Because he knew that only through his wielders the world would be able to see his power again, his dominating aura, his majestic form!

It was to show the world that the Great Welsh Dragon was still alive and holding strong, even if he was sealed and shackled. Sadly, humans were neither understanding nor kind to him.

I didn't know about his history with the previous wielders of the Boosted Gear since Ddraig had not told me that part, but clearly his relationships with them had been bad.

Call us stupid and naïve, but that was the nature of humans. We feared what we didn't understand. I had experienced it before after all.

Maybe it was only me who had ever acknowledged Ddraig, that I was willing to work with him and chat with him. Ddraig didn't consider me as a friend at this point since we had only really met yesterday, but he at least was willing to talk to me and that was a good thing.

He was also quite protective as it turned out.

After learning what Rias had been trying to do to me, he had gotten quite mad. Not just because she had tried to manipulate me, but he clearly was not looking forward to be bound to a devil's servant and thus become one himself indirectly.

And when a dragon that is even mightier than most gods got angry at you and intended to rip you apart before turning you into nothing but ash with his breath, I thought it was pretty clear what you would see in his eyes.

Your death

"Let me tell you Rias Gremory. I don't hate you, but I also do not like you. I never tried to bother your life and always left you alone, and I had planned to keep doing that. I'm on a neutral side. But now that you have broken that neutral status and turned it into a bad one, it depends on how you're going to respond it. If you keep responding in a negative manner, then I'm afraid I'll have to respond back in the same manner as well. And let me tell you, it won't be pleasant for you..." I said with a sweet smile adorning my face, as I held back Ddraig's aura so it would not explode and thus fully and alert everyone who was aware of supernatural beings in this city that Ddraig was here.

Rias could only nod her head like a child being told by a scary creature to not touch its treasures. Her fear was still there and for a moment I felt pity to her after seeing one of the great Onee-sama who always seemed perfect in such a state, although it brought amusement to me as well.

But since I'm not a bad guy, I pulled back my power and aura and told Ddraig to calm down, which he did. I could tell that he snorted in amusement at the sight, it must have been a while since someone stared at him with complete fear like that.

Once the aura was gone, I saw Koneko slump down and fall unconscious. Everyone else immediately gasped as if they had just lost their breath for a moment and it was Kiba who went to Koneko's side immediately and carried the girl away to a quiet corner. Akeno and Rias stared at me with wariness and fear in their eyes, watching me to make sure I wouldn't do anything.

"What do you want?!" Rias hissed at me, her tone filled anger, but I could tell that she was trying her best to not fear me.

"To be honest, I don't want anything Rias Gremory..." I said calmly as I leaned back. "What I did before was to make sure you know that I'm not someone who is going to shrug off and forgive what you just tried to do to me like it was nothing. I just made a point what's going to happen if you were to make me your enemy." I stated coldly while making a gesture with one hand before I stood. "Rias Gremory... with this, I have made my point. Where you stand and where I stand. And let me tell you, even if you called for reinforcement to face me, I assure you that it won't stop me from getting to you. If I die, you're going down with me." I declared with a hard tone before turning around and heading to the door "Oh, those fallen angels... You can leave them to me. I also plan to visit them after all." I added before I opened the door and left.

---------------------------------------------

Fear was not a foreign concept to Rias... She knew well how that feeling worked and she had also felt it when she had hunted her first stray devil.

When Koneko had said there was a dragon entering the academy, it had put her on alert instantly. She had asked to the little girl and her surprise had been great when she had learned that the dragon was Hyoudou Issei.

At that moment she had known well that this could lead to a dangerous situation. Especially when Hyoudou Issei himself came to her class and bluntly said 'I want to talk with you after school, devil' - in front of the entire class and in public.

That had been a sign that Hyoudou Issei was upset, and she knew angering a dragon was not a wise thing to do.

However, what displeased her even more was what Hyoudou Issei did to Koneko. The poor girl was shaking all over and couldn't even follow in class for today. Seeing the normally stone faced Koneko being broken like a little kitten that was staring at a giant lion was very heartbreaking for her.

At that time her wariness was dismissed and replaced by a small amount of anger. Dragon or not, it didn't give him the right to harm her peerage like that.

So they talked. She sent Kiba to retrieve him at the moment they had finished school. And then he came and sat in the Occult Research Club, with an emotionless face and cold look.

They didn't talk...

It was more like a one sided conversation, a lecture filled with threats. Every time she tried to talk, he cut her off as if he was dismissing her existence. He talked to her as if she was a being that was not even worthy of his time.

Never in her life had she ever been treated like that... Treated like nothing but dirt...

Not only did this man dare to harm her peerage and made ruckus about her in public, she had no doubt that new gossip would appear because of what he had called her. True, she might be wrong in the first place and to be honest, she had already prepared to apologize to him, but when he had started to talk like that and harmed her peerage, that feeling had disappeared instantly.

She was a Gremory, and no one was allowed to harm her peerage without getting a painful souvenir! Dragon or not be damned.

Rias was no stranger to fear, but what she had just felt had made all her old fears seem like lighters placed in front of blazing flame that burned down a whole building.

In the name of Satan, she even saw her own death at the moment Hyoudou Issei's aura engulfed the whole room. She saw her existence being burned away just by a simple breath of flame, turning her to nothing but ash. She couldn't hear anything or feel anything but fear. She had even almost screamed when she had seen her death, but she had held that in when she realized that she was still alive.

And when Hyoudou Issei had talked to her again, she had not seen a human, but a giant dragon in front of her, jeering down at her with flame that blazing out from its nostrils and ready to burn her existence.

She remembered how one of Old Satan faction had once stared at her big brother as if he was some kind of monster, and she was pretty sure that she had just shown the exact same expression when she had been staring at Hyoudou Issei.

Oh Hell... In the name of Four Maous, just what kind of sleeping monster had she provoked?!

"Rias?"

Rias turned to see her Queen, who was no longer smiling. And while she looked calm, Rias still could see that her Queen was still troubled by the recent events.

"Yes, Akeno?" She asked. Calm down, calm down, she had to calm down. She was the King, she had to calm down for her subjects.

"Koneko has woken up... She looks back to normal, but whenever we mentioned Hyoudou-san's name..."

Koneko... Rias realized that Hyoudou Issei hadn't done anything bad to her. He hadn't threatened her nor harmed her. Heck, he had not even touched her! Hyoudou Issei had simply looked at her. That was all and nothing else.

But she finally understood how big the impact from that act was.

Koneko was a Nekoshou... Her sharp senses allowed her to see more than what appeared in the eyes of others because she possessed sharper and more acute senses. In other words, Koneko had already seen before what they had only seen just now. No wonder the poor little girl was scared like that; she must have reached her breaking point when the dragon's power had exploded out.

And what was worse was that the power had been restrained still.

Oh yeah, Rias was now calmer and she could remember it. That aura had engulfed the whole room and stayed in there. It was like a beast that had been allowed to lash out, and before it had exploded, it had been caged back. It had been a warning.

And Rias damn well took that warning to her heart.

"What should we do?" Akeno asked.

"Is there anything we can do, Akeno?" Rias asked back with a sigh "Call my brother? Akeno, I don't want to see him coming and starting a fight with a Longinus wielder who could do that. I'm not worried about my brother's safety, I'm aware that even Hyoudou Issei won't be able to win against him, but what about this place?" She questioned as she leaned back and rubbed her temple. "I have no doubt that their battle would wipe out this city from existence, Akeno. Heck, even maybe this island." She grumbled as she was aware how her big brother was. If he were to hear about this, then he would come and fight Issei.

And if that happened, no doubt the devil council wouldn't like it. Her father also wouldn't like it. That would make things worse for her, and she clearly did not need that. Not when her current situation with Riser was already bad enough.

Recruiting Hyoudou Issei did not just fail, but also backfire. Instead of making an ally, they had made an enemy! True, Issei had said that they were neutral, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't harm them. They had already made a bad mistake in the first place after all. To be honest, she never imagined the meeting with Hyoudou Issei would be like this. She was thinking that at worst she wouldn't get Issei to join her peerage, but this had clearly blown away any scenario she had imagined!

"So what are we going to do about him?" Akeno asked.

"We'll leave him alone and he won't bother us." Rias said with closed eyes "Yes, we will monitor him, but we won't make any moves. Not until I can redeem our group's reputation to him." She muttered.

"And the fallen angel? You know that if he were to attack them, it could cause problems, right?"

"Oh don't worry, let him be. If they were having official business here, they would come to visit us, so it's clear that they're here for something illegal. And I doubt they're working here with permission..." Rias said while making a dismissing gesture with her hand. "The reason why I didn't visit them until now was because I wanted to use them to recruit Hyoudou-san, but now that has failed..." She shrugged in non caring manner. "We can turn blind eye on them, pretend that we didn't know they were here in the first place. Let Hyoudou-san have a small talk with them, I feel that it would be a good payback since one of them blabbered to him about us." She stated with a sweet and cold smile, making Akeno slowly to have the smile on her face as well.

"If you say so..."

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Later

I screwed up earlier, didn't I?

[That depends... In my opinion, I think you did a good job back there.]

That's not what I meant, Ddraig.

It had just been half an hour since I had talked with Rias and her group. Currently, I was on Kuoh Academy's sport field, lying on the grass while staring up at a group of clouds that hung above me. I crossed my arms on the back of my head, my expression blank.

While my face was stoic, inwardly I was not.

I was angry... So angry... To the point that I wished to cut something down.

Angry at myself... For what I had done...

When I had entered that place I had already steeled my heart. My purpose was simple: to tell Rias that I was not someone to be taken lightly, and to show her that I held the power to destroy her if she dared to make another attempt to manipulate me.

When I entered that place I knew that they were devils, clearly no innocent creatures. And yet, when I saw Koneko so afraid of me...

I couldn't see the devil that I had imagined, instead I saw a child... A child that was shrieking in terror.

How? How could I do this... This mistake?!

Just because they were devils didn't mean I should have judged them all like that! Koneko was neither the cruel nor manipulative devil I had imagined. Even if she was a devil, she was still a child...

God... What had I done?

Being a hero... I always told myself to understand people before making my decision... But what I did back there...

I clenched my fist tightly in frustration.

"Isn't our meeting supposed to be tomorrow?" I asked nonchalantly while still staring at the sky.

"I changed my mind. I have a free time now, so why not?"

I let out a grunt before slowly pushed myself from the ground and assumed a sitting position. I jerked my head back and stared at Souna, who was standing not far from me. I had already sensed her the moment she had started to approach me from a distance, but I made no move to antagonize her.

Unlike Rias, Souna had never made a move against me in any personal form. She had remained neutral and in her position as Student Council President, so I had no reason to antagonize her. She also didn't show any sign of hostility, so I had decided to let her be until our meeting tomorrow. We agreed on tomorrow because Sona had said that she was busy today when I visited the Student Council office earlier.

But that didn't mean I would not be ready if she were to try attacking me.

I prepared ten Black Keys in my mind, ready to shoot them at her the moment she made a hostile move. The Black Key might not be as great as Holy Swords but I was sure they were better than the normal Light Swords that exorcists used, Zelretch himself had also said that.

Against devils, they were going to be useful. They could act as projectiles too.

"That's not what you said when I came to your office." I said with a small snort.

"I didn't come to fight, Hyoudou-kun." Souna replied while raising her hands in a surrendering manner. I narrowed my eyes at the suffix but didn't make any comment about it.

"Really? Because if that was true, then you wouldn't have placed Tsubaki-sempai on that roof." I pointed at the roof in question while enhancing my eyesight, seeing Tsubaki watching us with a binocular.

Souna's only sign of surprise was that her eyes widened a bit before that too was replaced by a calm look as she adjusted her glasses. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised that you're aware of that. You are a Longinus wielder after all, but I still am a little surprised." She said calmly and I only shrugged. "But I can't command Tsubaki to go, there's no guarantee that you won't attack me after all."

"True. But the same could be said about you." I replied and she stared at me with a stoic face.

"In name of my clan, the Sitri family, I, Sona Sitri swear that I won't attack you, not until you make a hostile move against me." Souna-no, Sona said in declaring tone and I narrowed my eyes.

Sona Sitri eh? So not Souna Shitori, well I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but...

"You do realize that your fake name almost makes no difference to the real one, right? At least try to use a better one if you're trying to hide it." I said bluntly and her eyes twitched. "Anyway, even if you say that, why should I believe you just like that? You are a devil after all." I simply pointed out.

"We devils also have our own pride, if you wish to know, Hyoudou-kun..." Sona replied in the same blunt manner.

"Touché." I gave her small smirk before slowly I tilted my head back to the front and made gestures with my hand for her to come to my side, which she did, as I heard her footsteps approach me.

There was a moment of silence between us. We didn't do anything other than stare at the scenery in front of us - which happened to be the sport area for students.

It was Sona who broke the silence by speaking first.

"You're troubled."

"Of course I am. I just talked with a devil and was almost too late to realize it." I commented with sarcasm and she only stared at me with a blank look.

"I mean your other words, Hyoudou-kun. Really, you've never been this sarcastic before." She said while rolling her eyes.

Well, she could blame EMIYA's personality for that, it seemed that I also turned out to be sarcastic thanks to some of his influence.

"Pardon me, but the last encounter I had with devils was clearly not pleasant. It was like dealing with a spoiled brat..." I said without any hint of remorse.

Sona only shook her head at my reply. "You always come here if you're troubled." She said and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"And how do you know that?"

"Well, I was always keeping an eye on you..."

I gave her a blank look that said I was not amused. "That's creepy and surely you know that."

Sona only shrugged in nonchalant manner at my response. "The truth is that it was me who wished to recruit you in first place, not Rias."

"Oh? And what changed that?"

Sona adjusted her glasses and sighed at that before she turned to me "May I?" She asked while staring at an empty space on my side and I nodded. She then slowly sat down next to me. "What do you know about Evil Pieces?"

"I know what it does and what it is used for. That fallen angel told me more than enough. I'm also aware how you're all trying to recruit strong humans and bind them as your servants." I answered sharply.

Once again, it was not actually Mittelt who told me that, but Zelretch. The man practically showed me what devils did with them by creating another image like the one had I watched when he had showed me what had happened during our first meeting. He showed me how humans were used by other factions ever since the Great War, how they were turned into tools.

True, the supernatural beings' words were sweet like sugar. But their intentions were mostly not, they were afraid of humans, they were afraid of our power and potential. Sacred Gears were the best gift we possessed, a sacred weapon, comparable to a Noble Phantasm in a way. The God of Bible gave Noble Phantasms freely to humans so they would able to defend themselves and survive.

But they were all turned into tools... Human hearts, while they could be purer than those of angels, could at same time be darker than any devil's.

When a group of humans saw a single human make a fire from of his bare hand, they feared him. They isolated him and thought of him as a cursed person. And then the cursed person became sad - they began to question why. Why were they born different?

At such a time came gods or other supernatural beings, offering them a chance and said that they were special, they were needed.

...

Few of those were actually sincere and honest. But most were not... And the sad part was, there were also humans who manipulated other humans.

"You must understand, Hyoudou-kun." Sona sighed. "It's not like we have ill intentions, the purpose of Evil Pieces is to increase the numbers of devils. Both the war against heaven and the civil war brought us to near extinction, not to mention, we are not a very fertile race to begin with. We can't just produce large numbers of devils like humans or some other races." She said and I nodded in understanding.

While I was next to Sona, I could feel that there was a difference between her and Rias. Both of them were naïve... Now, I wouldn't say that I was wise, but at least I was not that naïve... Thanks to EMIYA's memories, I was able to at least see the grey lines that existed in this world. It also made me see how black and white some aspects of this world actually were.

"So you need strong new devils, fine. I can't blame you since you fight for your survival, but that doesn't give you a right to play with people's lives as if they were toys." I responded snidely and Sona nodded.

"I understand that, but what could I say? We are devils like you said, we are not innocent beings. As for Rias' behavior and her plotting, she was desperate..."

"Desperate?"

"It's not my place to say it." Sona told me while closing her eyes for a moment before she re-opened them. "But she needs a strong peerage, she needs strong members to fight for her. For her dreams..."

"And that's why she tried to recruit me." I grunted and Sona nodded.

"Before her, I was actually the one planning to recruit you. But since she needed your power more and because it also was for the sake of her dreams, as her friend I couldn't abandon her. So I decided to give her a chance to get you..." Sona told me and I snorted.

They tried to pass me around like I was some kind of a toy or doll. I was really tempted to pull out the Black Keys and stab her now, to show what I thought about that kind of behavior, but I held myself. I still needed to know the full story.

"I've been watching you, Hyoudou-kun. Ever since you had entered the first year, even before your fight against those thugs. I was planning to recruit you when you entered the second year, but... well, Rias' problem came and you know the rest." Sona said while shrugging and she closed her eyes in displeasure.

"And how were you going to recruit me? Were you going to have a wild beast to attack me and then come and save me, becoming my hero?" I said with sarcasm, I knew she was not very different from Rias. Even if she appeared to be softer, she-

"Of course not. I was just going to ask you" Sona said and I blinked.

What?

"I'm sorry, maybe my ears fooled me. Did you just-"

"I was going to ask you to become a devil and work for me. Like someone offering a job."

Despite the ridiculous words that left her mouth, Sona's face was serious. There were no signs of insincerity or lies, if she did lie, then she was clearly hiding it pretty well. But seeing her, and knowing her personality a little, I think it was safe to say that she was not lying.

"You're going around asking humans to become a devils?" I asked in bewilderment. "What kind of moron would accept that?!"

"Well, Genshirou Saji did..." Sona said with a straight face and I blinked few times, I knew that guy. We were not close, but I knew him.

"The one that always glares at me?" I asked and Sona nodded. Yes, in the past I didn't know why he was always glaring at me. I thought it was because I had a bad reputation with the Student Council. However, now I was getting a better idea now... Don't tell me... "He joined because he has a crush on you, didn't he?" I deadpanned.

I saw Sona's face flush a bit and she adjusted her glasses. Her eyes showed that she was embarrassed, but I could tell that she was also displeased at the same time. Well, it was just natural, even I felt uneasy at the idea having one of my fangirls working as my servant.

And he glared at me clearly because of jealousy due to Sona always observing me and trying to recruit me into her peerage.

But still...

"So there really exists an idiot like that, huh?" I murmured while sighing. Really, I didn't know whether to feel amused or sad.

"Sadly, yes." Sona agreed with me strangely enough. "Rias was planning to ask you but you proved to be more... Difficult... You are the only boy that is not charmed by her and also did not pay attention on her. Not just that, you did not even show any sign of interest. Which meant asking you to be one would be impossible. That's why she tried to make this plan. I'm not trying to justify her actions but you must know that she is not completely a bad person, just a desperate one..."

"If she needs help she just has to ask. I'm willing to help actually..." I grumbled with scowl but Sona shook her head.

"This problem is related to us devils... Even if you are the Boosted Gear wielder you can't just interfere." Sona told me and I realized what she meant.

"Politics, eh?" I asked with a small smirk and she made no sign to agree, but I could tell I hit the nail on the head. "Let me guess, her problem must be some kind of contract that was given to her due to her status as a high-class devil, and to break it she has to fight with her whole set of slaves." I guessed while making a smug expression.

Sona stared at me for a moment before shook her head and let out a small sigh, a little smile of amusement plastered on her face "You are sharp and smart. That's the reason why I want you." She said with chuckles and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Oh? Is that a confession I heard? From the Ice Queen of Kuoh Academy? To the Lone Tiger of Kuoh Academy? Could it be that the Queen is seeking the warmth of the Lone Tiger?" I asked with a sly smirk, and Sona blinked before she seemed to finally realize what she had just said.

"T-That's not what I meant!" She retorted in slightly high pitched tone while a pink hue adorned her pale cheeks "I want you as a member of my peerage!"

"Now you're being tsundere." I said with a fake scowl, making her eyes twitch.

"I'm not being a tsundere!"

"You want me as your peerage, which is technically slavery, which means you want me as your slave. Really, you're not just cold but also a sadist. What a strange combination! Tsundere and a sadist!"

Sona sputtered incoherently a few times, making me burst in laughter. As soon as she realized that I was teasing her, she gave me a cold glare. But after what I had seen before, there was no way I would see that stern glare in the same way anymore.

But really, what happened with Rias, I guess I couldn't blame her too much. I might have reacted too strongly, so perhaps I should have been more lenient with her. Oh well. I should probably apologize for overreacting after she was able to redeem herself in my eyes.

"Anyway, if you're planning to ask then you should know that I'm not going to become a devil." I said while shaking my head.

"That's what you think." Sona replied while adjusting her glasses. She sighed at my furrowed eyebrows. "Hyoudou-kun, to be blunt, being a devil is not as bad as you think. My plan for when I was going to invite you was to try to persuade you in a calm and logical manner. If you want such things as fame and power, you can get them. True, you will work as a lower-class devil at first, but it will be worth it, I assure you."

I wasn't going to deny what she had said... Because I knew it was true. If Sona had invited me to become a devil before I was aware of supernatural beings, I might have been tempted and joined her. Because I didn't know what mankind's position was or what was inside me, and even so, becoming a devil might have made my dream to become a hero easier. I could have saved more people with more power after all.

Between Rias and Sona, I knew Sona was the smarter one, it was very clear seeing every semester, her rank was always on the top and it was written on the bulletin board in the primary building of Kuoh Academy. All her records and grades were always perfect, never lower than the top even slightly. And the way she talked also makes her seem experienced and competent when she would recruit someone into her place, unlike Rias.

"I will offer you the position formally now, Hyoudou-kun. Become my peerage, I assure you it won't be a mistake. You will find it worthy. What do you want? What is your dream? I will help you to accomplish it. And in return, you will help me. You will achieve your dreams, and you won't have to do it." Sona made her offer with a tone that was very convincing and soft. As if she was some woman that extended her hand to a poor boy who was living on the streets.

If she had asked me this two days ago, I might have accepted it, but...

"Kaichou... Why don't you tell me your dream first before I tell you mine?" I asked while pulling back one leg, placing a single hand on it and laying my head on my palm.

Sona stared at me with furrowed eyebrows before she hummed and placed her hand at her chin while putting on a thoughtful face. "I guess this is part of a good negotiation, knowing the person you are going to work with first before joining." She said with an acknowledging tone "Very well, if you want to know Hyoudou-kun, I wish to create a combat school. One for the reincarnated and low-class devils."

"Combat school?" I asked with a blink.

"Let me tell you, low-class devils are devils that only work as servants, or slaves if you put it in a harsh way. Most of them are actually reincarnated beings. And let's just say that only few high-class devils treat their servants as well as they deserve. Me and Rias are two of those."

Oh... Ooooh... Oh...

Now I got it. Now I understood what she was trying to do. What she wished to do. What her dream was and what she intended to do.

"You plan to bribe the slaves..." I stated with an understanding tone "You all realize that there is a big chance that your slaves could rebel against you, and seeing how your race just survived a civil war, you don't wish another one to happen anytime soon. You plan to show them that there are nobles out there who really wish to protect them and acknowledge their works so they won't try to rebel."

Sona's eyes widened slightly when she heard that before they narrowed and she adjusted her glasses "Such negative way to put it. I can't remember you being this pessimistic, Hyoudou-kun."

"You are a devil." I pointed simply and Sona, to my surprise let out snort, an unlady-like snort.

"Hyoudou-kun, I admit that this is one of my objectives. You must know, we're really close to extinction after our civil war, we can't have another one. We will go extinct if that happens." She said with a serious tone. "I don't wish that to happen. However, I am being quite sincere about helping them as well, they are our people after all."

I stared at Sona with expressionless face. When Zelretch told me that not all devils were bad, I actually quite doubted it. However, seeing and hearing it directly like this, I found my doubt was... dismissed.

While devils might admit to possess a side humans couldn't quite relate to, they were also living beings. Unlike how they were described in the Bible and how I had imagined them, they could display pity or even shed a tears for us. Perhaps they were originally not like this, but this generation of devils was quite peaceful. Zelretch had also said that they had become quite tame compared to the old ones.

If Rias was also like Sona then... Well... It seemed I really owed an apology to Rias for going overboard... I should find a way to repay her somehow...

"I have told you mine..." Sona said as she stared at me, pulling both her legs to her knees and hugging them while tilting her head and looking at me expectantly. "Now, would you mind telling me yours, Hyoudou-kun?"

---------------------------------------------------

She was afraid... She was hurt... She was in pain...

She tried her best to snuggle deeper into the corner of the room that was covered in shadows, trying to hide and become invisible for my sight. No doubt that she was terrified of me and I couldn't blame her. After seeing my power yesterday, I could take her down without problem.

She couldn't escape... I didn't know how, but Zelretch had bound her to this place, if she was more than ten feet away from Zelretch's house, she would be electrocuted instantly before getting teleported back to this room. Her magical power was also blocked to the point that she couldn't even fly, so she couldn't contact her friends either. Right now, she was almost like a human, save for her physical strength of course.

Her clothes were tattered and contained burn marks in many places. They also revealed part of her underwear and her skin that had black marks in various places. No doubt that she had been trying to escape but failed.

I didn't know where this place was. After I was done with Zelretch's lesson yesterday, he had transported me back to my room and drawn a magic circle to mark it so that I could come here whenever I wanted. One thing I was sure of, we were not in Kuoh City anymore, seeing how we were surrounded by a very dense forest that I had never seen before in my life.

Well, maybe I had seen some in the dreams about EMIYA's memories but meh... Technically, that counted as a dream.

"What do you want?!" Mittelt hissed while glaring at me. It seemed my silence had made her impatient.

My reply for her was only a sword that was launched at her and pierced into the wall a few inches from her face.

Of course she immediately shrieked and jumped, as if she was a character in some anime movie before she scrambled away from the sword, treating it like a monster that was out to get her.

The sword I had traced was a simple nameless sword, but it still could be counted as an E-ranked noble phantasm. It was made from the best steel after all.

"Watch your tone, I might have decided not going to kill you, but that doesn't mean I'll simply forget what you tried to do to me yesterday." I said coldly as I walked towards her and she stared at me with fear.

"P-Please! F-Forgive me! I-I was just following orders!" She begged.

I tilted my head slightly to the side. My face remained impassive for a moment before I sighed. I took the clothes that I had brought with me before tossing them to her "Change your clothes, then we will talk. Call me when you're done" I stated before I turned around and left the room.

It was a few minutes later that I heard her call 'I'm done' and I decided to come in. As soon as I did, I was greeted by the sight of Mittelt lunging at me while holding the sword I had traced.

Really?

Just when that blade was about to pierce my chest, it dispersed into blue light. Thus, the only thing that hit me was a petite fist, and while she was small she was still a fallen angel. She was stronger than a human and that fist would have crushed my bone had I not turned into an incarnated heroic spirit.

And unfortunately for her, I had already used Reinforcement on my body on instinct and made my body harder.

So as soon as her fist impacted on me, there was a momentary pause that appeared between us and a few seconds later, she shrieked before pulling away her arm and clutching her wrist comically while jumping around like someone from the Tom & Jerry series.

And it took everything of me to not simply burst into laughter at the scene, but I was not capable of stopping the twitching of the edges of my mouth and luckily, Mittelt was too focused on her wrist, so she did not notice it.

"You said you're done." I said in a stoic tone, making her stare at me with fear. "Do that again, and I will break your arm, heal it, and then break it again." I stated coolly and she gulped.

"B-But! H-Hyoudou-sama!" She stammered and I furrowed my eyebrows at the way she called me. "This outfit! It's the outfit of Magical Girl!" She protested while pointing at the costume I had given her.

Now, now, I never intended to give her that outfit in the first place. It was the only set of clothes I was able to find in here somehow! It seemed that Zelretch has a small fetish for Magical Girls.

And I couldn't have Mittelt keep wearing that tattered and damaged outfit, right? She would get cold, so I gave it to her.

[Oh, shut up with your BS, you're clearly enjoying it too.]

Ddraig! How could you say that?! I'm helping her so she won't get sick! I just intend to-

[You do realize as a fallen angel she won't get sick easily, aren't you? She has an immunity system better than humans, after all.]

Regardless! I can't let her wear improper clothing like that! She is a woman and it will be better if-

[That outfit shows as much skin as that Magical Girl costume! Admit it! You just want to see her in one!]

Oh, shut up...

"That's the only clothing I could find. Either you wear it or you go naked... Choose your options." I said and she stared at her outfit with trembling lips. I turned around and decided to leave once again, giving her some extra time to get changed.

It was another few minutes later before I heard her call me again and when I entered this time, I was greeted by the sight of Mittelt, who was wearing a blue magical girl outfit. She was wrapping her arms around herself, covering her body in shy manner. The blush adorning her face made her looked adorable as well.

"D-Don't stare at me like that!"

Even her tone also sounded cute! Gagh! I almost had a nosebleed!

Hold your horse, Hyoudou! You can't show any sign of weakness!

Ku! So this was the mixture of the loli tsundere and magical girl huh? Damn! Clearly that was a strong attack!

[There's no attack, you just made it from your own perverted imagination.] Ddraig deadpanned, but I ignored him. He didn't know the wonder of Magical Girls after all.

"Well, you actually look good in that." I simply said with a small smirk before I began to walk towards a seat. Mittelt's eyes bore into me the moment I moved. Her eyes almost like a rabbit's watching a snake that was slithering and circling its prey. As I sat on the bed, I made a gesture with my hand to one chair not far from me. "Go sit there." I told her and she did, but her eyes never left me. "How old are you? And do not lie, I can tell from your muscles and stiff movements if you're trying to lie."

Mittelt only bobbed her head up, down. She swallowed a lump in her throat "1-13!" She said and I narrowed my eyes "R-Really! I'm only that old! I-I'm a hybrid!" She squeaked out when she saw my glare.

A hybrid... Well, that explained why she did not look that developed. If I recalled, fallen angels supposed to look more... Mature...? So she's a hybrid, huh?

"Your parents?" I asked.

"Dead." She said bluntly and I inwardly winced.

I scratched my head and ruffled my hair while letting out sigh. I was not good at talking about stuff like that, but I guess I was going to need to learn if I wished to become a hero.

"Look, relax a bit, girl. I'm not going to eat you." I assured and she stared at me with a blank look. "About what happened before, let just say that I was in a bad mood but I'm fine now. So you can at least stop staring as if I'm a snake that is going to eat you." I said as I tried to get her to relax.

She only stared at me with fear still in her eyes, but she gave me a nod nonetheless and I gave her a small smile.

"Good... Now let me ask you, why?" I asked and she blinked. "Why did you do this?"

Mittelt stayed silent at my question before her trembling slowly stopped and her eyes became hollow. "Why, you ask? And what should I do? Help people? I'm a fallen angel." She stated with a blank face.

"So?" I asked and she clenched her fist, her face showing an increasing amount of anger.

"So?! SO?! What do you know about me?! I'm a fallen angel! A hybrid, nonetheless! I'm not an angel who fell, but I've already born in this situation!" She yelled at me, but I remained impassive. "Do you know how it feels when people look at you with those disgust filled eyes?! With eyes that say you are a filth?!" She screamed. "I didn't do anything wrong! My parents and I were happy! We lived in peace together like a family, then you came, exorcists, humans!" She spat at me with full of anger and venom in her words. "I saw my parents get killed! My Mother only fell in love with a human! True she may have seduced him, but so what?! She didn't do anything bad! My Father also loved her! It's all because of you! You humans dare to proclaim that we are filthy and yet you've done worse than us many tmes! If we are filthy then what are you, hypocrites?! You just-"

Whatever she was going to say died when I stood up from my seat. She stiffened and her eyes trembled in fear. She finally realized who she was speaking to. I slowly approached her and extended one arm. She closed her eyes and waited for her fate...

Then I pulled her into a hug.

"W-Wha?"

"Saying I'm sorry won't change anything." I said in a solemn tone while hugging her. "You are right. We, humans are hypocrites. I admit that, even I am one... However, as a human, let me say that I'm sorry... For what we've done to you..." I stated sincerely in apologetic tone while hugging her tightly.

I couldn't tell Mittelt's face or see her, since I was hugging her but I could feel her hands were trembling, and it was not from happiness nor sadness, of course.

"You...! You...! You...!" She growled and she tried to push me away.

But I firmly kept hugging her.

"Sorry, you say?! Sorry?! SORRY?! I don't need your SORRY! I want my MOM! I want my DAD! GIVE THEM BACK TO ME, YOU HUMANS! YOU STOLE THEM! YOU KILLED THEM, YOU BASTARDS!"

She clawed me like some cat that was trying to lash out and escape from a human's grip. She kept pushing me and I even felt that she bit me in the shoulder, but I kept holding her firmly, never letting her go from my hug.

"I had to eat dirt and trash straight for four days just to survive! I had to sleep outside on cold nights, alone, and in fear that one of you was going to find me and erase my existence! And you say that you're SORRY?! JUST LIKE THAT?!"

She yelled, screamed and shouted at me while kept struggling to break free from my hug. Her hands and legs moved wildly like a madman -or is it madgirl?- but never once I loosened my grip. I kept hugging her and started to rubbing her back.

This went on for five minutes straight until she finally stopped struggling. I could feel that she dropped her arms in resignation and only let out choked sobs while burying her head in my chest.

"I hate you... You humans, I hate you..."

"I know..." I said in a calm voice.

"I want to kill you... I want to rip you apart..."

"I know..."

"I despise you... I despise you to the point I want to reduce your body to nothing with my spear!"

"I know..."

"I... I... I... I *sob* I miss my mom and dad..." She whispered weakly and began to sob out as she pressed her head to my chest.

"I know..." My voice turned very soft as I hugged her deeper and began to rub her back even more, like a parent comforting their child.

"Mom... *sob* Dad... I... I *sob* I miss you two..." She choked out while she began to cry in my chest and I simply closed my eyes at that.

Humans... were creatures that could show kindness surpassing even angels themselves. They were gentle, soft and caring creatures. They even did something stupid just for a different race's happiness, proof enough to show the world that humans were great and kind creatures.

And yet... At same time, they were also the cruelest one... They didn't even care if it was a child, humans could kill them in cold blood and even laugh while doing that. They could starve them, and even rape them when they had not even reached their puberty yet.

Humans were weak, that was not a lie but a fact... They had no fangs, claws, poison or something that could be used as a weapon in their bodies. Normally all they could do was cry and whine.

And yet, if we were so weak, then how was it that humans were the ones that still ruled this world?

Simple... It was because humans, among all living things and beings... were the cruelest ones...

They were the most beautiful creatures and yet, also the most disgusting ones...

It was like people said... The greater the light inside people's heart, the greater the darkness inside them as well...