Sympathy.

…

There were no visible paths before Noir, escape? Out of question. The assassin could easily catch up to him and well what would follow would be a swift yet despairful death.

Using threads wasn't possible due to lack of noctis and the assassin won't just watch himself being eaten alive by the demon's blessing, so that wasn't a choice either.

Death was once again at his door, but this time it wasn't unexpected at least not as much as the previous time. 

He wasn't completely helpless nor was he hopeless, there was one way through which he might be able to survive, but the cost of it was too high to be paid without a thought.

'If I don't survive, it won't be of any use and it's not like I have any other option either.'

"Sympathos Inversé."

A shiver ran down Noir's spine as darkness crept up his right hand, spreading like ink in water. It slithered toward his chest, seeping into his skin, twisting, pulsing. His golden eyes burned, glowing brighter—almost feverish.

Then, his back split open. Wings—large, jagged, wrong—tore their way out, unfolding with a shudder. A single black horn pushed through his forehead, sharp as a dagger. His hair lengthened, strands whipping in the unnatural wind swirling around him.

His breath came sharp and ragged. His body felt heavier, stronger, different.

There was no turning back now.

The assassin was dumbfounded by this, while he did know that 'Noir' was strong, he didn't expect him to own a power of this scale, just like what a wise person would do, the assassin retreated… or at least tried to.

"You aren't going anywhere" Noir's voice distorted and monstrous as he caught the assassin's cloak firmly and further held him tightly with the help of his sharp claws.

The assassin lunged without hesitation, driving a dagger into Noir's abdomen. But Noir didn't flinch. He barely even registered the pain. In this state, nothing mattered—not the wound, not the assassin, not even the fight itself.

All that mattered was that there was something alive in front of him. And right now, that was enough to make it prey.

Noir's teeths turned into fangs and bit tightly on the flesh of the assassin's neck, tearing it apart, exposing the bone underneath it. Struggling to survive like an ant in a mud cave, the assassin stabbed Noir twice and then thrice but got no responses from Noir.

Slowly yet painfully soon the assassin stopped breathing after its neck was devoid of any flesh, Noir however wasn't affected by it in the slightest, he continued feasting on his prey just as he was doing so far, just like a wild animal.

…

Unlike the Ryu, this time not even patches of blood remained. Noir was still in the demonic form, he somewhat had more control over himself now.

'Sympathy.. It's not like I was a very sympathetic person, but letting go of it completely.. Feels unusual.' 

Each and every emotion plays a vital role in making a being 'Human', the less emotions one has, the less human he is. 

Accepting that he really wasn't human anymore, came off as rather unusual. However Noir wasn't one to dwell long on such matters and therefore decided focused on more important matters on hand.

'..Should I just fly to my house ? Or spend the night here?' 

Flying in such a populated area wasn't the best option but nor was spending the night in the southern forest.

Just as Noir was deep in thoughts, he had a suggestion to himself, "It's perfect. A high-ranking assassin who was surely able to assassinate me, might have assassinated me and perhaps died in the process and then a Ryu arrived at the scene and devoured both the dead bodies."

A sweet plan which didn't needed much work in it, in simple words, "A favorable situation"

Noir smiled and looked nearby, luckily enough there was no one else except him.

Flapping his dark-demonic wings Noir flew high above the land, beyond the clouds and headed towards the Kingdom of Amperium, which was located beyond the southern forest.

'The path is long, but I doubt I would be able to find another situation as favorable as this one.'

Though at first his speed was pretty swift, after 7 hours of flying straight, Noir could feel the air pressure seemed heavier than it did at first. 

'I did expect the way to be long, but this long?'

Flying was one thing—staying in the air was another.

Noir's wings ached, each beat feeling heavier than the last. The air pressed against him, thick and unforgiving, making it harder to breathe. His chest tightened. His vision blurred. He was losing control.

His body wasn't listening anymore. No matter how hard he tried, he was going down.

The last thing he caught before everything faded was the faint shimmer of water beneath him. A river.

…

The amount of times he had fell unconscious since transmigrating was unbelievable and ironic as well. Unlike the previous times however, this time things were a bit different.. Perhaps a bit too different.

There was someone waiting beside him, a female of age around 16-17 maybe? Her hair was black, her eyes were dark-bluish. Clothes that indicated that she belonged from a rural place.

Noir could feel bandages on his head along with a deep pain.

'Just where the hell did I hit my head on?'

"Umm, do you remember how you fell in the river?" the women spoke carefully while making sure not to speak too loud.

"Am really sorry for the inconvenience. I was well..I don't remember much as to how I fell, however if my memory serves me right then I was hunting Ryus near the southern forest."

The Southern Forest extended across both the Kingdom of Amperium and Wereshia. If Noir was correct, this was Reyiam Village—a settlement excluded from both kingdoms.

The reason? While the Ryus tolerated the villagers, they had no such patience for kingdom soldiers or outsiders. The village also lacked any valuable resources, making it unimportant to either kingdom. As a result, it remained untouched, neither claimed nor governed.

It didn't 'remain' for long though.

"It's not every day someone almost-drowns in the river. Lucky for you, I was around." she chuckled.

The village was doomed. In the novel, it had been wiped out during the infamous Ryu Eradication of a certain year. Judging by the current timeline—and the fact that that dreaded letter had arrived —the massacre wasn't far away.

Not yet.

But it was only a matter of time.

Soon, the village and everyone in it would be mercilessly wiped out. And as fate would have it, Noir had shown up at the worst possible moment. Now, he wasn't just a visitor. He was another name on the soon-to-be-forgotten list of residents.

…